Peter Schutz
Peter, the quiet American at the helm of a wildly German brand. Source: Porsche Newsroom.
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Peter Schutz, The Man Who Saved 911 With A Marker, Passes Away

Only a few days ago passed away at the age of 87 Peter Schutz, a man who marked an epoch in Porsche saving the company from dire sales figures but, especially, saving to the iconic 911 of an end already decreed. In addition, he was responsible for the success of the German brand in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as the 959, the car that would end his professional career.

Peter schutz He came to the world in 1930, in the bosom of a Jewish family living in Berlin. Fortunately for the future of 911, his family goes into exile to Havana and, later, to Chicago, where he studies engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Paradoxically, and after having written an extensive resume as an engineer and sales manager at the industrial vehicle companies Caterpillar and Cummins, Schutz returned to Germany in 1978 to take over engine manufacturing at Deutz AG.

Shortly after, the most important professional moment of his life would arrive: on January 1, 1981 Peter Schutz sat at the helm of Porsche with the aim of relaunching the brand.

The 911 lost enough steam over time for Porsche to seriously consider its demise. Here a 911T from 1969, read the test by clicking here!

THE LOW HOURS OF PORSCHE

1980 was not a good year for Porsche. For the first time in its history, accounting was printed in red. Three years before the Porsche 928 He tried to conquer the American market in order to increase profits; However, although the commercial life of this model was good, it did not seem enough to save the company. What's more, the radical change that 928 brought -transforming the "Porsche philosophy" by bringing the engine to the front - raised much criticism from the staunch of the brand.

The company had a demoralized workforce and a level of sales that, if it did not improve in the US, would drag it into bankruptcy. In that stormy panorama, Ferry Porsche chose an American sales specialist as captain of the ship: Peter Schutz.

To save the situation, Schutz resorted to something unexpected coming from a man who, for years, had worked in the world of industrial diesel engines: Porsche would compete commercially by relaunching its sportsmanship, asserting itself in its essence, regardless of the price of the product.

Porsche 911 3.2, the most reasonable ...

SAVE 911 BY PAINTING ON THE BLACKBOARD

As soon as he was hired, Schtuz met with Chief Engineer Helmuth Bott. In his office he could see a blackboard on which the evolutions of the three Porsche ranges at that time were drawn: 911, 928 and 924/944. Both the 928 and the 944 expanded their sales year after year; however the 911 line dropped sharply in 1981. Neither short nor lazy, that prudent American hardened in industrial engines grabbed a marker, stretched the 911 line, stretched it further, and kept stretching it until he passed over the door.

That gesture, followed by an exchange of complicit smiles, brought the 911 back to life. And, although it is a rough and intense car, the 911 has always represented the essence of Porsche: Peter Schutz understood that getting rid of it, even in bad times, it would represent the end of the company; and it was also the car his customers wanted.

The fruit of that faith in sports was the Carrera 911 3.2, the version that commemorated the twentieth anniversary of the model. A car with a cheerful behavior, light but capable of sticking to the ground like a limpet, powered by a six-cylinder "boxer" capable of producing 231 hp with a power / weight ratio -around 5CV / kilo- truly amazing. Using essences paid off, allowing Porsche in 1985 to announce profits of more than $ 50 million and 49.365 units sold.

959: THE GRAVE OF PETER SCHUTZ

Many of us still remember the impact of the first time we came across a 959. That cousin of the 911 with a wide rear finial that appeared in many motor magazines seeing them “face to face” with the very Ferrari F40.

A low-production motorized model with a 450 hp “boxer” and four-wheel drive! Without a doubt, one of the most exciting supercars of the '80s: designed by Peter Schutz to be the brand's flagship and test bed.

However ... making cars also has to be profitable to be possible and the 959 was not: it is estimated that, for every 959, Porsche lost about $ 420.000, more than 50% of its selling price.

Although Schultz saved the 911, he recovered the sales figures, thus relieving Porsche from almost certain closure and paved the way for dominance at Le Mans for six years thanks to his daring decisions on racing ... business is business. At the end of the '80s the exchange value of the dollar against the mark collapsed, making the price of Porsche enormously more expensive in its main market: North America.. Sales fell and, added to the black hole in the accounts caused by 959, caused Peter Schultz to leave Porsche in December 1987.

His role at Porsche was as short as it was key and, although today the finances of the German brand are balanced by the massive sale of models such as the Cayenne or the Panamera, the 911 remains the undisputed icon of the house. It is still that sporty "temperamental" and with "character" saved by a Peter Schultz who did not hesitate to dirty the walls of the office with a marker.

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Written by Miguel Sánchez

Through the news from La Escudería, we will travel the winding roads of Maranello listening to the roar of the Italian V12; We will travel Route66 in search of the power of the great American engines; we will get lost in the narrow English lanes tracking the elegance of their sports cars; We will speed up the braking in the curves of the Monte Carlo Rally and we will even get dusty in a garage while rescuing lost jewels.

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