Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, or Butzi as he was known to his family and friends helped change the world of cars as we know them today. He sadly passed away on Thursday in Salzburg, Austria.  At 76 he was taken early.

Butzi was born in Stuttgart to his parents, Dorothea and Ferry Porsche, who along with Ferry’s father Ferdinand Porsche, began that small business in Gmund, Austria, that we all now know as Porsche.

The man behind the iconic Porsche 911, Butzi Porsche then headed the company’s design studio from 1962 to 1972. As we all know, the 911 would go onto to be the single most dominant sports car and competitive race car ever made. Not a bad little creation by all accounts and although he wouldn’t have ever accepted the accolade, a contribution to the brand that will more than likely never be exceeded.

We will sign off with a famous Porsche quote that clearly stood the test of time.

“Good design should be honest.”

We couldn’t agree more – R.I.P >>>