Ferdinand Porsche 1935-2012
Ferdinand Alexander Porsche died yesterday at age 76, which officially ends another great era for Porsche. F.A., or Butzi, as he was known, had a lot to live up to as the grandson of the founder, and the son of another great engineer. However, he quickly emerged as a talented designer. He is responsible for designing the iconic 911 which is still going strong as a design some 50 years later. He was also responsible for one of the most beautiful Porsches ever, the 904. There is no real way to compare the impact of his contributions with those before him, but he is certainly responsible for cars which propelled Porsche from a niche sports car producer to worldwide icon. In that respect, he continued to meet and perhaps exceed the expectations of a legendary family name. More info at NY Times
Volkswagen offers Factory Restoration of Buses
Volkswagen has opened a dedicated facility in the city of Hanover to provide factory restorations of another icon; the VW microbus. So you can now return your bus to the place it was built, and have a fully recorded and factory correct repair or restoration. Of course, VW is simply following in the footsteps of Mercedes Benz Classic and BMW Classic who already offer such services. I wonder what the bill would be for the basket case sitting in a field that I have my eye on…? More info at Hemmings