I think they may be the same family:
Before 1972, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche designed cars, including most famously the 911, which had its premiere in 1963. After 1972, when he left the car company, he designed almost everything else. The company he established, Porsche Design, based in Austria, has brought the sensibility of Porsche to luggage, watches, coffee makers and other items over the years.
Juergen Gessler, the chief executive of Porsche Design, said in a recent interview that the company had resumed the production of early items in honor of the 75th birthday of F.A. Porsche, the son of Ferry and grandson of Ferdinand Porsche. One is a black wristwatch, inspired by car instruments and done in 1972. Another is a pair of sunglasses made famous by Yoko Ono.
Even in these hard times, Porsche Design has been prospering, Mr. Gessler said. It has added stores — it has 105 around the world — and its United States sales, mostly of luggage and leather goods, have gone up by almost a third in the last year, he said.
Source:
Porsche Design [Retrieved 29 September 2013]
Porsche Design products taking direct inspiration from cars, said Mr. Gessler, are the Bounce S2 shoes, which have metal springs in their soles. Developed in cooperation with Porsche consulting engineers and Adidas designers, they turned impact into forward energy with a sort of suspension. The Porsche pipe, in the design collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, is based on the cooling vents surrounding engine cylinders.
I wonder how much these babies cost! :grin-square:[/QUOTE
Definitely the same family JAM. Ferdinand Alexander, "Butzi" (his childhood nickname) is the grandson and namesake of the man who started the Porsche firm. I was pretty heavily into P-cars for quite some time...joined PCA (Porsche Club of America) in 1967, didn't renew in 2007. The more my 1972 911S became sought after by others, the less I enjoyed it...it's now in the care of a dear friend in Istanbul who has vowed it will never leave Turkish soil...I gave him a half price sale in exchange for that promise. Let's just say I got bored with people who know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
I have one of the old pipes in a drawer somewhere around here...it didn't smoke all that well. I much preferred a hand carved Danish pipe during my smoking years... Cindy won a pair of the Yoko Ono designed sunglasses at an annual Porsche gathering known as a "Porsche Parade", She gave them to a friend after finding them uncomfortable.
Like many other designer label products, Porsche design products may or may not perform as well as similar products in the marketplace. But they do sell to those with money who are into "image".
Let's just say that if Porsche Design came out with a pool cue, I'd be hanging on to my Josey.