100 Years Ago: Ferdinand Porsche Takes Over Daimlier-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) Design Office

 

Targa Florio 1924. Alfred Neubauer at the wheel of the Mercedes Targa Florio racing car. He takes third place in this race. On the right in the picture: Dr Ferdinand Porsche. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: 61994

Ferdinand Porsche becomes Technical Director of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG)

• Legendary luxury cars can be traced back to the designer
• Supercharging in series production vehicles and in motorsport
• Porsche leaves the company again at the end of 1928

Luxury cars and supercharged engines: Ferdinand Porsche takes over as head of the design office of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) from 30 April 1923. His predecessor until the end of 1922 is Paul Daimler, who among other things introduces supercharging. The latter leaves DMG following a disagreement with the Supervisory Board. The committee is calling for cheaper and thus better-selling models, but Daimler wants to develop an eight-cylinder model. Ferdinand Porsche, who comes from Austro Daimler, admittedly has similar development priorities: large and expensive cars. For these and for motorsport vehicles, he takes over the supercharging. Porsche’s name is associated with the Mercedes 15/70/100 hp and 24/100/140 hp production cars (both 1924), Mercedes-Benz Model K (1926, also known as model 630 K) and, from 1927, the first three cars in the legendary S series (S, SS, SSK). Two cars from the 1924 season are also famous: the winning racing car for the Targa Florio as well as the 2-litre eight-cylinder supercharged racing car “Monza”. At the end of 1928, the then Daimler-Benz AG, formed in 1926 by the merger of DMG with Benz & Cie., parts company with Porsche. Once again, the reason is that smaller and lighter vehicles are urgently desired. Porsche’s successor is Hans Nibel, who comes from Benz & Cie.