Herbert Linge

Herbert Linge began his career at Porsche in Stuttgart on 1 April 1943. He was one of the first apprentices to work for Porsche, and he would go on to enjoy 44 long and fruitful years with the company. Although he retired in 1987, Linge continues to attend Porsche events and has to this day remained a diehard Porsche enthusiast.

But more than ‘just’ a test driver and a works racing driver for the company, Herbert Linge was also instrumental in the establishment and development of numerous achievements for the company, both on and off the track. Here, Herr Linge shares some of his memories from his time at Porsche…

You started with Porsche five years before the first 356 was produced. Why did Ferry Porsche decide to place the engine behind the rear axle of his cars when most cars were front-engined?

With the engine in the front, the bodywork at the front would be much higher. For instance, if you put the engine in the front of the Volkswagen it would become like the Mini. Initially his idea was to have the engine in the centre, like a race car. But this was not good for the sale of normal road cars because you had no luggage