Ferdinand Porsche, the designer of the iconic 911 sportscar, has died in Salzburg at the age of 76.
Porsche, nicknamed Butzi, was the son of former Porsche Chairman Ferry Porsche and the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, who set the company up as a design and engineering firm in the 1930s.
"As creator of the Porsche 911, he established a design culture that shapes our sportscars still today," Matthias Mueller, chief executive officer of Porsche AG, said in an e-mail statement.
"His philosophy of good design is for us a legacy that we will also honor in the future."
The German designer joined the company in 1956 in the technical design department before being appointed manager of the design studios six years later.
Within 12 months a design classic was born with the launch of the 911, a model that continues to be built 50 years later; the seventh-generation Porsche 911 was released last year.
He left the company in 1972 to set up the Porsche Design Group, which created a range of products, including watches, glasses, pens and latterly mobile phones.
AP reported that Porsche is to be buried in a private ceremony in the chapel at Schuettgut, the Porsche family’s estate in Zell am See, Austria, the location of the Porsche Design Studio.