THE MAGIC OF Hans Mezger

Hans Mezger started with Porsche on 1 October, 1956, and was initially assigned a role in the diesel engine development department. He moved quickly to the calculation department where he worked on the four-cam Type 547 engine, developing a formula for calculating cam profiles. This led to an opportunity in 1960 to work on the Type 804 project. Hans’ keen appetite for learning, and the application of this knowledge to Porsche engines, can be seen throughout his career at the Stuttgart company.

In honour of Herr Mezger, Total 911 has delved into its archives to recall past recordings from interviews with the late, legendary engineer, to shed new light on some of his finest creations. The result makes for fascinating reading.

One of the most fascinating periods in motorsport, and certainly the busiest at Porsche, was the decade of the 1960s. Hans once explained, “In the 1960s, Porsche built 10 new cars starting with the Type 804, being followed by the 911 in 1963. In 1964 the 904 was introduced and after that came the Ollon-Villars hill climb car in ’65. The 906 and 910 followed in 1966 with the 907 in ’67, the 908 and the 909 Bergspyder both in ’68, and the 917 rounding out