Peter Schutz, Savior of the Porsche 911, Dies at 87

[jshape]

Peter Schutz, the Porsche AG CEO credited with saving the company’s iconic 911 sports car, died last weekend at age 87.

Schutz, an American executive, was invited by founder Ferry Porsche to become the company’s CEO in 1981. At the time, 911 sale were plunging, and the company had decided to halt production of the rear-drive car and focus on its two front-drive models, the 944 and 928.

Schutz reversed the board’s decision in his third week on the job and ordered new investments to improve the car’s quality and add variants such as the cabriolet. He also revived Porsche’s racing program.

The moves paid off. Porsche earnings surged from less than $5 million in 1982 to nearly $55 million by 1985. But Schutz’s reputation was tarnished in 1984, when he led a plan to replace the company’s franchised dealers in the U.S. with factory-owned outlets. The plan ignited a firestorm of protest, and the company hastily backed down.

Schutz was replaced as CEO in 1988 after the 1987 stock market crash in the U.S. dried up Porsche’s biggest market and forced sharp production cuts. Schutz later became a public speaker, lecturing audiences on management techniques.

[GH85Carrera]

If it were not for him, I would not have my 911.

He came to talk at War Bonnet Tech in Oklahoma back when he was CEO. His predecessor Ernst Fuhrmann hated the 911 and wanted it gone. Thankfully that did not happen thanks only to Peter Schutz.

[javadog]

Peter Schutz and Helmuth Bott were my two favorite people at Porsche. I think without Peter changing the company's direction in the 1980s, Porsche may not have survived. I was pretty pissed when they got rid of him and equally pissed when they essentially forced Bott to retire.

I was fortunate enough to meet both of them back in the 80's.

[bkreigsr]

Fitting that this is posted on All Saints Day.

I think I met him at the first parade that was held in the Ozarks 1983.
Thanks Peter.

Bill K

[speeder]

Never met him but I was was very aware of him because I worked in a dealer during his, (and Porsche's), heyday in the 1980s. Of course, Porsche has had another heyday since but 1986 was a banner year when they sold 30k cars in the U.S. I think that the previous record was about half that.

My dad's closest friend, (like an uncle to me), was a lawyer who got the Porsche account in the U.S. when Schutz came aboard and hired his firm. I remember hearing a lot about it from him at the time, how Porsche wanted to kill the 911 and his guy had other ideas, etc. His firm had to open an office in Reno at the same time Porsche set up shop there.

Our friend personally handled the Porsche account and Schutz was his client. He promptly ordered a new 1983 911SC cabriolet, Schutz had it built for him. It was an early car and the first one I ever saw on the street. What was interesting at the time is that the lawyer, Peter Dorsey, is an Army Infantry vet of WW2 who took a bullet and previously would not go near a German car. My dad had a Mercedes SL but his friend only bought American and English cars. Lots of nice ones, I might add.

Anyways, we had a blast w that SC and everyone got plenty of seat time in it blasting around Minneapolis that summer. I swear to this day, it was the quickest 911SC I've ever driven. I always wondered if Schutz had something special done w that car(?) Peter, (the owner), was just ecstatic about it and seriously could not believe how much fun it was. He had seriously never driven a German car, much less a Porsche. He and his son, Justin, took it on a road trip across Canada heading west to BC and covered 1000 miles in daylight w the top down during one of those looong summer days up North!

Anyways, they became great friends, the two Peters. The all-American guy from MN. who grew up in privilege and fought in WW2 against the Germans and the German guy who saved Porsche. There was a genuine affection between them and he relished that Porsche account even though he had larger ones. I owe him a phone call today, he is 94 and I haves slacked on keeping in touch since my old man died a couple years ago.

[chapo]

Article states Porsche’s two front wheel drive models, the 944 and 928...

[MRM]

Missing from Denis' too modest but very nice story is that the lawyer Peter in his story is the founding partner of one of the country's largest law firms and his (Denis') father was a legal legend in the upper Midwest, retired judge and mentor of mine. I have not seen Peter's Porsche, but I can confirm that Denis' father's SL continues to be a time capsule of its era to this day.

For additional Porsche content, there was a local ad agency at about the same time that had the Porsche account. Peter Schutz would have been their client. I suppose he would have put all of his US business in the same city as much as he could. The agency moved office space into a building that was being built and used a construction crane to lift one of the partners' actual Porsches onto their floor and built their office around it. They kept it in the lobby for years, until they landed the BMW account and the Porsche in the lobby became a liability. They had to cut it in half to get it out. A few years later someone welded it back together and it's been on the road and a member of the local PCA. It's kind of fun thinking of Peter Schutz doing business, saving the 911 in my adopted home town.

[speeder]

Wow, that is a car-azy story. Hadn't heard it before. Which agency was it?

[GH85Carrera]

When Helmuth Bott came to Oklahoma City to talk to our War Bonnet Region Tech session he talked about trying to work on parts of the 959 design in total secret for Fuhrmann because the 911 was finished when the sales dropped a little more.

He said it was such a joy to have Peter come along and change all that. Bott also said that as the 959 was developed he had a 959 prototype as his personal car. He said driving it around in Germany almost no one paid any attention. Bott had a Model T as his personal toy and he said whenever he drove it everyone way waving and showing approval. It was great to meet both of them.

Hans Mezger came a different year. I sat next to him in the bar and drank St Pauli girl beer until we drank the entire supply. That was the night I learned first hand, don't drink beer for beer with a German. I could hardly walk back to my hotel room and he looked fine.

[MRM]

It was Fallon. Here's a link to the founder's obituary. It mentions his place in reviving Porsche's fortunes in the early 1980s. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/business/media/patrick-r-fallon-advertising-executive-dies-at-70.html I can't remember what car it was that they had to cut apart to get out before the BMW execs got into town, but there was an article on it a few years ago in Nord Stern. It wasn't worth putting back together when they cut it up but they stored in in a garage for a few years and someone decided to put it back together. It was worth about what it cost to fix back then and is obviously worth more now. I think it was a mid-year 2.7 or an early 70s T. I just can't remember. A Nord Stern member still drives it.

Fallon would have been working under the personal direction of Schutz. They created some of the iconic print ads that formed my impression of the brand as a high schooler and made me determined to own one of my own some day. I'd say Schutz' investment in the brand, and in the 911, is still paying dividends.

[JMH82SC]

This is a picture from the Brumos swap meet a few years ago when we had a fantastic surprise, Peter was the guest speaker and told the story of how the 911 would continue and a marker on the wall represented this car will be in production as long as Porsche would be around