The RL Q&A: Ferdi Porsche
A new generation of one of the most famous families in auto history has an idea—racing cars on iceFerdi Porsche is on a mission to reinvigorate the world of what you might call exotic motorsports, the smaller competitions that take place on back roads, over vast deserts, or, in his case, a landscape of ice. The grandson, and namesake, of Ferdinand “Ferry” Porsche, the founder of the legendary German marque, Ferdi fell in love with cars at a young age, attending auto events with his parents (his father is chairman of the supervisory board at the company) and three siblings. He grew up in Munich, Germany, but spent holidays in Zell am See, the idyllic Austrian resort town famed for winter sports and storybook summers on the shores of Lake Zell, and learned to drive—fittingly, behind the wheel of a vintage VW Beetle, a car first prototyped by Porsche more than 80 years ago—on the roads that run through the surrounding Alpine forests.
Now 30, the trained architect wants to show a younger generation what he’s long found so thrilling. His timing is astute: Auto racing is experiencing a rapid resurgence of interest around the world, as the growing reach of Formula 1 attests. “As soon as there’s the engagement and you know who the driver is, what he stands for, it becomes more interesting,” Ferdi says.
For his part, Ferdi is focused on accessibility, aesthetics, and, most importantly, fun. In 2019, he held the inaugural GP Ice Race in Zell am See, an annual winter festival celebrating all things cars. The vibe is retro and joyful, and any car with spiked tires can qualify. The race, held over the course of one day, consists of six classes competing on a 700-meter-long track made entirely of ice. In its first year, 140 drivers entered the race and 10,000 people attended. “We had the best weather,” he says. “It was crisp, clear skies and super cold. Perfect.” Last year, none other than F1 World Champion Max Verstappen drove his title-winning car—Red Bull Racing’s RB8—around the track.
Here, the auto scion speaks with RL Mag about his legendary family, buying vintage cars, and why racing on ice is the best way to improve your driving skills.
The ice races were first held in Zell am See back in the ’50s and ’60s. What made you decide to revive them?
A friend and I were talking about what would be necessary for young people to get back into motorsports and feel excited about everything we felt excited about—the vintage vibe of it, back in the ’80s, the motorsport flair with the big brands and the bright colors and all that. And then we found out about ice racing, back in the day in Zell am See. I hadn’t read much about it before and just knew it existed because my dad has a car that used to race in it. He still has a tire with all the spikes coming out—3- to 5-centimeter spikes—proper nails in the tire.
Tell me about racing on ice. Had you ever done it before starting the Ice Race?
I’ve not raced, but I’ve driven on ice. It’s almost like a school, in a way, because on ice, the car is unstable and drifting around. So, it’s a good way to learn how to drive, because everything happens in slow motion, compared to on a regular street. There are a bunch of tracks in Finland, for example, where you can do it. I did it twice with my brother with Porsche Experience before starting Ice Race. I really loved it, and, visually, it’s super strong.
What was your exposure to the auto world like growing up, given your family’s legacy?
The biggest exposure was from the events we’d go to during the summer holidays. For example, we attended the Porsche Parade in the US, I think four or five times, and obviously all the Porsche Classic events. And at one point, I thought, I have to know more about it, because obviously people would always say, “Ah, you and your grandfather and your dad…” And they always knew so much, and I just felt like, okay, I need to get into this now. And obviously always being around it—and just the smell of it, the look of it—it’s easy to get addicted to.
Did you know your grandfather, Ferry?
Yes, I did. He passed away when I was 6. I have a few great memories of him, though. He was very close with his children and grandchildren and specifically asked my mom to name me Ferdinand. He gave me my first toy cars and my first bicycle. I remember he spent Christmas with us in Zell am See, lying on the floor with me and playing with the toy cars.
Do you remember the first race you attended?
I think it’s probably the Monaco F1. I was 6 years old—there is a picture in my mom’s living room of me in a Ferrari racing suit. That’s when Michael Schumacher was really big and won all the World Championships. I was really into Formula 1 back then. My dad used to watch all the Grands Prix, so Sundays after lunchtime we were either going outside to play soccer or watching F1.
Your father has quite the car collection. Do you have a favorite?
He is into colorful cars; he doesn’t like black cars. Probably my favorite car of his is a Porsche 993 Turbo S. It’s super tiny compared to modern cars, and it was the first car where he drove over 300 kph [about 186 mph] while I was next to him. That’s something I won’t forget.
Did your father teach you to drive?
I actually learned to drive from my mom! I started annoying my parents about learning to drive quite early on, and she just gave up a bit earlier. During the holidays, we went to Zell am See and there were a bunch of roads through the forest where I could try different things. I learned on a green [Volkswagen] Beetle car from I think ’74 or ’79 when I was 14. It was hard to find a car where I could reach the pedals.
Did you ever want to become a race car driver yourself?
My parents never really wanted me to become a racer—when they were young, racing was still super dangerous. And they never really pushed me into liking cars. Although once I went out carting for the first time, once I got the hang of it, I was asking them every weekend whether we could go. But that was already past the stage where there still would’ve been an option to become an F1 driver or anything like that.
You ultimately decided to become an architect. How did that come about?
After university, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do and whether I wanted to go more into the economic side of life or do something creative. I decided on architecture, because I did an internship at David Chipperfield, and I really enjoyed the whole vibe of it. So I started studying architecture in Vienna and somehow stayed, and I’m still living in Vienna. I started my own office together with a buddy of mine, and now I have this office here and do the Ice Race. I do it like 50/50, sometimes more with cars and sometimes more with architecture, depending on what’s up.
Do you think the sense of community is what most draws you to motorsports?
And the nerdiness! I think it’s nice that everyone is so deeply into whatever car they have. Some of them feel like they’re just taking care of them and tell you about the history, and some of them rebuild the parts or change the color or the seats—they make the cars their own.
Can you tell me a little about your own car collection?
I wouldn’t call it a collection, but I have a few cars. My grandfather gave my mom a car shortly before I was born—she drove it to the hospital when she found out she was pregnant with me—and then she gave it to me when I finished my studies. I try to only drive it when there’s something special happening. I usually like driving my cars as much as possible, but I feel the need to keep that one as perfect as it can be. I want to give it to my son or daughter at some point. It’s a ’91 [Porsche] 964 Carrera 4 in a really cool green called Oak Green Metallic. It’s a color my grandfather had made that he really liked.
So do the cars you purchase for yourself tend to be more functional? What do you typically look for?
I’m more into the general vibe that the car gives me. I’m not going to develop a big collection, because I want to drive them all, so I also try to think of their purpose.
Do you have any advice for first-time vintage car buyers?
For vintage, I would say to go for the one that you like the most, because I think the first vintage car, you always kind of regret. I bought a Corvette once—a ’65 C2 in light blue with a blue interior—and regret buying it the way that I did. It wasn’t in shape, so I had to find someone to help me fix it and then it would never really run properly. I’d also say, do your research, and go through a contact. Also, think German instead of American. It’ll survive longer.
Returning to the Ice Race—the response seems overwhelmingly positive. What do you think makes it so special?
It feels like one big family—everyone is in the paddock, and you can get really close to the cars, and you can talk to the drivers. It’s also super picturesque, because the landscape is all white, so all the colors of the cars pop even more. We try to have a lot of different model cars and a lot of different colors that we curate a bit, but in the end, if you apply early enough, then there’s a good chance that you can basically take part with almost anything as long as it looks safe. We get all sorts of classics, which is also the cool thing. And we get Bugattis and VWs and Mitsubishis, which are really good in rally mode; we get the whole range.
Where do you see this all heading?
We recently opened a restaurant, Mankei, on the Grossglockner [High Alpine Road], near Zell am See, which is one of the best driving roads in the world—a road on which my grandfather tested cars. Since we are now growing beyond celebrating GP Ice Race once a year, we secured the IP for F.A.T. International as the umbrella company for our locations and events. It’s a brand that sponsored two Le Mans–winning Porsches back in the day and has a strong, vintage ’80s feel to it.
As for the Ice Race itself, I see it slowly expanding, maybe doing one in the US at some point. It doesn’t always have to involve ice. I think it just needs to be young, approachable, have an exciting backdrop, and be fun.
- (COVER IMAGE) A GATHERING OF PORSCHE’S ICONIC 550 SPYDERS—DUBBED THE “SPYDER MEET”—AT THE 2022 ICE RACE. THE RARE MODEL, FAMOUSLY DRIVEN BY JAMES DEAN, WAS DESIGNED AS PORSCHE’S FIRST COMPETITIVE RACE CAR. ONLY 90 WERE PRODUCED BETWEEN 1953–1956
Photo credit: Malte Dressel