Porsche Says Happy Birthday to Peter Falk

Looking Back

While there are plenty of iconic Porsche vehicles that we have contributed to the brand's success over the years, there are also plenty of legendary people that we can't forget about, either. One of those many folks is Peter Falk, the former racing director and engineer who worked for Porsche AG for more than 30 years. Falk recently celebrated his 90th birthday, which means that it's a great time to take a look back at his many accomplishments.

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Young and Passionate

Peter Falk was born in Athens on November 27, 1932, as the son of an archaeologist. After an apprenticeship as a car mechanic, he studied mechanical engineering, specializing in automotive technology. "From early childhood on I was interested in all forms of motion on land, from tricycles to bicycles to cars, so it was no wonder that I made my intense interest in the technology used for these vehicles into my career," Falk said. When he was barely 18, he came third in a motorbike precision driving contest in the Northern Black Forest.

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Early Success

Six years later, Falk was seated alongside driver Alfred Kling in a Porsche in his first rally. Kling had his workshop next door and introduced Falk to motorsport, and together, they proved victorious in their class. Then came victories in the Geneva Rally and the International German Rally in 1957, along with a sixth place in the Liège-Brescia-Liège road race. 

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Co-Pilot

In 1959 Falk joined Porsche as an engineer, one of only ten employees in the test driving department. In 1964 he started working in pre-series and racing support, where he got a 911 on the track, among others. At the Monte Carlo Rally of 1965, he was Herbert Linge's co-pilot in the 911 2.0. "I spoke into a thick plastic tube that went straight into Herbert's helmet. This speaking tube worked perfectly," as Falk said of the precursor to the intercom system of today that he developed. Even during that first race with the 911, Porsche was using motorsport for the development of series-production road cars. The duo finished the Rally in fifth place overall. 

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Many Highlights

Falk is considered to be a superb theorist and practitioner who, as head of race car development and as racing director in the 1980s, led many Porsche cars to unforgettable winning series. For example, he is responsible for the successful era that the 956 and 962 Group C cars enjoyed. With seven overall victories at Le Mans and 11 world championship titles, this racing car project is one the most successful in the company’s history. The sports car manufacturer had its greatest successes in motorsport under Falk’s leadership. Two overall victories at the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1984 and 1986 were further highlights of his career.

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Continued Success

"I was always a rally fan, someone who isn’t only able to drive on nice asphalt roads," Falk said. "It was always important to me that a car performs well off the road too." Together with his team and technician Roland Kussmaul, Falk developed the 911 Carrera 3.2 4x4 for the Paris-Dakar Rally in less than one year. And with success, as this was the first time a sports car won the toughest long-distance race in the world. From 1989 on, Falk was head of chassis development and oversaw the pre-development and development of the Boxster and the 993 and 996 generations of the 911. 

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Semi-Retired

Falk retired in 1993 but has maintained a close relationship with the company ever since. For many years, he was at the disposal of the Porsche Museum as a contemporary witness and interviewee. He has also participated in the organization of the occasional vintage car rally. But then again, given his nearly life-long commitment to the brand, that doesn't come as any sort of surprise.

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