Page 11 - Porsche Decades sample pages

was not the problem. The only real problem was building the cars. Actual production of cars in the newly completed factory was scheduled for October 1939 and a small number of cars were built (and provided to Nazi Party officials). World War II mooted the issue of price as the factory would be converted for wartime production, in part for military vehicles based on the Volkswagen design (see Chapter Four).
Other projects
Porsche’s 1934 Volkswagen ‘exposé’ (proposal document) mentioned adaptability for military vehicles. Discussions between Porsche and the German military about adapting the Volkswagen design for military use also started during 1934. In 1937, Porsche built a prototype Volkswagen for off-road use and this kept some interest alive with the German military.
In the mid-1930s, Porsche worked on aircraft engine design proposals such as the Type 70, an X arrangement (like upper and lower V16s on a central crankshaft) with 32 supercharged cylinders at 17.9 liters of capacity. The Type 72 was an inverted V16 at 19.7 liters supercharged. Neither of these 900-plus horsepower designs made it to production.
The 1937 Type 110 (with development prototypes through Type
113) ‘people’s tractor’ (Volksschlepper or Volkspflug ‘people’s plow’) designs first ran in 1938. Powered by an air-cooled, two-cylinder ‘V’ engine, the design was a forerunner to the Porsche tractors of the 1950s. The multi-speed capability of the tractors made for a versatile vehicle suited to many different jobs on the farm. Prototype testing took place at the Porsche family property in Zell am See, Austria. World War II halted plans for a vast factory near Cologne intended to build 300,000 tractors per year.
Mercedes Record Car
As the contract with Auto Union ended, Porsche began a three- year consulting agreement with Daimler-Benz in 1938. Porsche did have some consulting involvement with the W154 Mercedes Grand Prix cars of 1938 and 1939, including the design of a two-stage supercharger system for 1939. The Porsche-designed Mercedes T80 land speed record car is a fascinating ‘what if’ vehicle from that era.
It started as a passion project for Hans Stuck who tried at first to interest his own race team, Auto Union, but they declined on the basis of cost. Discussions and design work with Porsche dated back to 1936, before there was a German engine available with enough power to challenge the existing records set by Englishmen like Malcolm Campbell and George Eyston. The
Mercedes-Benz T80 record car bodywork on display at the Mercedes Museum. (Sean Cridland)
58 1930s PORSCHE DECADES