PORSCHE

Legendary design says goodbye to the brand

The young engineer August Achleitner began his career at Porsche in 1983, where he was raised in the hierarchy until, in 2001, he was chosen to be the person in charge of 911, the most prestigious model of the house and the most important commercially, since the SUV would only start a year later with the Cayenne.
The task of this technician was far from easy, as he had to keep a sporty and effective one, which was conceived in 1963, with two characteristics that influenced his performance, especially in the face of competition: a lot of weight back and forth and a generous amount of this mass placed behind the axis. Although limited by its forms - which are one of the great trumps of the elegant German model - and architecture, Achleitner never spared itself the efforts to keep 911 as effective as possible, in the face of a competition that has adopted the central arrangement of the mechanics, without any "hanging" weight behind the rear axle, with the resulting advantages. And from that came solutions like the directional rear wheels, technology popularized by the Renault Megane, that helped to make the 911 more docile, especially in the versions more sports. And it was even Achleitner the father of the 911 RSR, the competition 911 who was also the only one to mount the engine ahead of the driving axle, where the standard vehicles have the two small rear seats.
Now, days after the presentation of the latest generation of the Porsche 911, known as 992, August Achleitner abandons the German brand after 35 years in the service of the manufacturer. His replacement will be, as of January, Frank-Steffen Walliser, the engineer of 49 who until now led the department of Motorsport. To this, Achleitner leaves a 911 already "with room to house batteries", according to announced in Los Angeles, in addition to "a new gearbox and a vacant space behind, where an electric motor can be applied", as soon as Porsche decide to move forward with the 911 hybrid. Later, which makes your driving delicate on the edge. Autonews