Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche Quotes

19 Sourced Quotes

We simply built the car that we felt was right.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
For something to endure, it must be unique yet so universal anyone can appreciate it. The one thing that is universal is the search for purpose. It is the essence of the human spirit to seek a reason for being. This is why functional designs are so beautiful, so calming. Of course, timeless design is wasted if it cannot survive. This is why we race and test our cars so hard. Creating something that time cannot erode, something which ignores time, both physically and in concept. This is the ultimate victory.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
Time is one of the few things that man cannot influence. It gives each of us a beginning and an end. And this makes us question how we use what comes between. We all have a desire to create something that will show we were here, and did something of value. To create something timeless.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
Independence, then, has always been the attitude at Porsche. To do not what is expected, but to do what we feel is right.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
In the beginning, I looked around and could not find the car I'd been dreaming of: a small, lightweight sports car that uses energy efficiently. So I decided to build it myself.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
Explaining why he accepted the appointment - honorary officer in the SS - personally made by SS Chief Heinrich Himmler:
There was no way I could refuse.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
We all harbor a wish to be immortal. That's why we try to leave something behind which shows that we were here and that we accomplished something of meaning. The search for a purpose in our lives is universal, and will never change. Finding an aim in life is the essence of the human spirit. That is why functional designs are so marvelous… and so reassuring.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
It all comes down to never giving up, and to responding to crises with the right answers.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
You may always modify a Porsche, but its character and inimitable quality must be maintained.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
If you manage to create something that withstands time, something that remains untouched by the eccentricities of a particular age—something timeless, in other words—that is the greatest achievement.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
To have earned the affection of boys is to possess a great emotional treasure.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
There is no such thing as the perfect car. But as engineers and designers, we have to do everything in our power to approach this ideal.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
There has never been a quiescent point in the evolution of the automobile. We face many problems today, and once we've solved those, we'll face many new ones. We will keep on striving for perfection. Motorsports has always been able to make important contributions to solving these problems, and will continue to do so in the future.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
You can tell people's characters by the way they drive.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
Cars offered enormous freedom. And that freedom, I think, has changed people.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
I had an idea at the right time and took the risk of putting this idea into practice. The idea was to make a sports car featuring outstanding performance, and the risk consisted of investing all available means into producing it.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
I come from a time when no one wanted to view cars anymore as purely a uniform.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
You can't force things in life. There is little that I detest more than force.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
There are countless books with formulas on how to achieve success, and they contain all manner of good ideas. I've never read any of them.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche