23 December 2014
There are few companies, even in the always-influential automotive industry, to have a bigger impact than Volkswagen. The German brand has gone through being car of the year, war, and an uncertain future. Its history is rich with tradition and controversy, but it never got lost that it was always about the car.
One of the most interesting parts about Volkswagen as a company was its continuing good relation with European rival Porsche. Their story is similar to almost every origin in corporate automobile history. It all starts with the founding of a new company that would push the automotive industry forward. Soon, one member of the founding team would get disenfranchised and leave to build his own company. That company would go on to rival the original, and the two would do battle until the end of time.
In America, this story was about Ford and General Motors; in Italy, it was Ferrari and Lamborghini. Something different happened in Germany. When Ferdinand Porsche left Volkswagen to build his company, he didn’t fight them. Instead, he collaborated with them on a few projects. In fact, the very first Porsche car in 1938 – the Porsche 64 – used many parts from the Volkswagen Beetle.
Through the years, Porsche and Volkswagen would continue this collaborative tradition, and the former would regularly use parts from the latter. The two companies even shared the name for the VW-Porsche 914 and 914-6 back in 1969. The 914 had a four-cylinder Volkswagen engine, while the 914-6 had a six-cylinder Porsche engine.
The relationship came to its climax in 2009, after both companies agreed to a merger that would essentially make them the power bloc in the European automobile industry. The agreement lets Volkswagen own close to forty nine percent of Porsche at the cost of almost four billion Euros.
Many people have gone through life admiring Porsche, never realising the involvement its rival has in its development. Fortunately, we know more than the average car enthusiast about vehicles from all over the world. In fact, if you need Volkswagen parts, contact us today. Our parts come with a warranty, as well.
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