This iconic item from Porsche is making a comeback
Porsche Junior from 1960s
This bowl-shaped sports sled was offered by Porsche in the 1960s especially for young fans. It was also popular with F. A. Porsche and his children, as photos from family albums show. What did the Porsche Junior look like? We tracked down a photo in the Porsche archives.
Porsche Junior: the new
The new edition of the Porsche Junior is made of carbon fiber, a material proven in motorsports and automotive engineering that makes the sled especially light. A core of kevlar provides additional stability. The Porsche Junior is limited to ninety pieces and comes in the special exterior color F.A. Green Metallic. The sled’s seat cushion is upholstered in the same F. A. Grid-Weave fabric. You just have to buy a special Porsche 911 GT3 90 F. A.
From youth to icon
The roots of Ferdinand Alexander Porsche’s approach lie in his youth. “In those years there were no toys for sale. So we invented, designed and built them ourselves,” F. A. Porsche later recalled.
This pragmatic creativity stayed with him throughout his professional life. He joined Porsche in 1957, and in 1961 he was put in charge of the newly established design department. There he created the original 911, one of the greatest icons in automotive history. The clean lines that still characterize the Porsche 911 today reflect his ambition: timeless, functional and unmistakable.
Porsche 904 Carrera GTS
But F. A. Porsche was more than just the father of the 911. Under his leadership, other milestones were also created, such as the Porsche 904 Carrera GTS. An uncompromising racing car with a body made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic, in which lightweight construction and elegance came together. A concept that became the blueprint for all subsequent GTS models and to this day defines the DNA of these special Porsche variants.
Porsche Design Studio
In 1972, F. A. Porsche founded the Porsche Design Studio together with his brother Hans-Peter – initially in Stuttgart and from 1974 in Zell am See. This step marked the beginning of a new era: design that went beyond the automobile, applied to everyday products, but with the same precision and innovative spirit. “Design is not an end in itself; it must be explicable from a functional point of view,” he emphasized. His creations had to be “honest and uncompromising, innovative and conceptual, luxurious and pure, timeless and of the highest quality.”
Porsche Chronograph I (1972)
The studio’s first product became an instant classic: the Chronograph I (1972). It was the world’s first all-black wristwatch, inspired by the cockpit of the 911. The matte finish, white indexes and red second hand ensured perfect legibility – a principle from motor racing. “The watch must always be legible, from any angle and in any light,” his instructions read. The Chronograph I turned the watch industry on its head and remains a style icon to this day.
P’8478 sunglasses (1978)
Equally visionary was the P’8478 sunglasses (1978), the first glasses with an interchangeable lens mechanism. Originally expected to sell 40,000 pieces, millions were eventually sold. The model grew to become a symbol of functionality and elegance. Later followed the Sport Shield (P’8479), made famous by Yoko Ono and still endowed with cult status.
His passion for innovative materials was evident in products such as the Titanium Chronograph (1980) – at a time when titanium was best known from motorsports and aviation – and the TecFlex ballpoint pen, whose stainless steel braid structure combined function and aesthetics.
Special way of thinking
F. A. Porsche was a man of clear words and clear forms. “If you rethink the function of something, the form sometimes arises almost by itself,” he once said. This way of thinking made him one of the most influential designers of his time. And that vision still holds true today: every Porsche Design product bears his DNA – the fusion of technical perfection, innovative materials and timeless elegance.
His love of the mountains shaped him as strongly as his sense of classic elegance – he was often seen wearing plaid jackets. And although he was known for his purist forms, he had a particular fondness for green Porsche models, a detail that underscored his individuality. Privately, he was a family man: F. A. Porsche had three sons who accompanied him on his life’s path.
His life’s work includes watches, eyeglasses and writing instruments, as well as furniture and electronics. Yet the ambition always remained the same, whether it was a sports car or a toaster. “Our creations should be lifelong companions, not subject to fleeting trends,” he once said.
