I have been intrigued by automotive engineering and design since I was about 10 years old. The auto show was a big deal each year, and we always attended to get a chance to sit in some of the new cars from all over the world. In the 1950s, looking at the foreign cars was a big hit for me, simply because the small cars better matched my size, and they seemed to have fewer gadgets on them.

The dashboards had gauges and that was quite different than the American cars of that time; they just had “idiot” lights. I do remember, however, that the early cars from Porsche were a little different. The engine was in the back, there was no big grille on the front and there were very few gauges on the dash. Mostly just a speedometer and a tachometer, whatever they were for!

Times have changed since then, but my interest in automotive engineering still drives me to try and learn as much as I can about how stuff works, and why it was done a certain way. Today’s engineers and designers have a difficult balance to arrive at a vehicle that will meet government standards, look and drive well, and get reasonable fuel economy.

Porsche has been the leader in automotive design and engineer...