A German based company with an extremely rich history, Porsche was founded in 1931 in the city of Stuttgart. Originally under the direction of a professor of engineering, Ferdinand Porsche, the company began by offering consulting services regarding the design of machinery. The Volkswagen Beetle resulted from one such consultation,a commission from the German government to produce a car 'for the people'. Volkswagen is German for 'people's car'. When the Porsche Company decided to start independent design of cars, many of the components of the Volkswagen Beetle were borrowed to make it, resulting in the production of the Porsche 64. Porsche's services were much in use during the Second World War, as Volkswagen Beetles were manufactured in great numbers. They also produced several designs of heavy tanks, though only one such design was commissioned into production. Ferdinand Porsche did not remain as the leader of the company after the war, due to British takeover. The 356 model was the first new Porsche, developed by Ferdinand's son. This famous model is regarded by many as the first true Porsche and won acclaim for the company, by winning a class victory at Le Mans. Ever since, the company has specialised as a manufacturer of sports cars. The 550 Spyder followed the 356. The 718 RS 60 and 804 went on to win international races. The reputation of Porsche was built upon these early victories. The most famous model, the Porsche 911, was introduced in 1964 and has remained a mainstay sports car ever since. Various iterations are widely available on second hand Porsche and used Porshe markets, along with other favourites such as the Carrera and other Porsche cars in the 9xx series.