Tony Lapine: for those who like Porsches with front engines

Steve Jobsits famous owner, thinking about it and its magnetic design, was inspired to imagine the shapes of the first personal computers. Apple. The Porsche 928 he is a true legend, albeit an obscure one. His scary style like a shark caught everyone’s attention in the 70s. Bold, aggressive and futuristic. With such behavior it was almost impossible to influence the general public. They tried Tony Montana “Scarface”, aka Al Pacinoseducing the boss’s wife, played by a beautiful woman Michelle Pfeifferwho bought a model “strong without machine guns”, and also very small Tom Cruise in “Dangerous Business”, to create an iconic aura around the Porsche 928. Only partially successful. After this short introduction, for those who were still wondering who is the father of the great German tourist, the one who followed his forms will now have his answer: Tony Lapine.

Tony Lapine, name unknown

This name is not often spoken. Tony Lapine he has never liked the spotlight, and it has rarely come to his person, although he has had a respectable career behind him, of which few others can boast. Originally from Lithuania, born in Riga on May 23, 1930, after moving for a long time between Poland and Germany, in the early 1950s, Anatole Lapine – this is his real name – began working for Daimler-Benz in Hamburg where, among other things, he attended the Wagenbauschule. In 1951 Tony and his family moved to the United States, to a place in Nebraska, where the Lithuanian earned his living by building trains. Shortly after, he began his career in General Motorsliving in the automotive capital of the United States: Detroit.

Working together Larry ShinodaLapine stands out and it is thanks to his decisive contribution that the company was born in 1963. Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, one of the most beloved versions of the famous American muscle car. His figure is becoming more and more popular within GM, in fact his signature is placed on many prototypes that smell of innovation. A change, however, came in 1965, when he was asked to return to Germany, specifically Rüsselsheim am Mainto manage the research center of Opel, one of the brands of a large industrial group. On the edge of the Great Lapine leads the secret development of the racing version of Opel Rekord C, which was known as “Black Widow”, directed by Erich Bitter and Niki Lauda. The car was originally called “Taxi” because Lapine had put a taxi sign on the roof. Among other things, Lapine contributes to the creation of Opel GTA piece of “Blitz” history.

Porsche misled Lapine

During special occasions, family members Porsche and Piëch have been invited to visit Opel. The Zuffenhausen manufacturer was fascinated to see the interplay between style and engineering of the GM subsidiary and discovered in more detail the Opel Design Center, which was located next to the Porsche factory in Weissach (under construction at the time). Tony Lapine was very active during the visit, and a few weeks later he was offered a position in Porsche. Of course, he did not refuse. We are in 1969, one of the first tasks given to Lapine was to interpret the 911 in a more modern key, even if he was not one of the admirers of the famous sports car of the company. Despite this small disability, it helps to develop 911 G series which would be released in 1974.

Looking at the general situation, in the mid-1970s the top management of Porsche thought about the need to create instead of 911, which must not only be sporty but also comfortable for long journeys. There must be room for four people, and it is important to abandon the plan with the rear engine and move to the front one. You never know that some restrictions may come up for security reasons, especially in the US market. Lapine takes care of the project as well Effects apply it is yes Wolfgang Moebius. Everyone knows the result: of 928. The car even wins an award The best car of the year del 1977. No other Porsche could do it again. Lapine’s experience at GM and working on the Corvette was decisive in the success of this model. It is no coincidence that the 928 is also called “German Corvette“. The planner and architect of Lithuanian origin will also follow the birth of others Porsche “Transaxle”usually called with the engine in front: le 924 e 944.

The last years

Tony Lapine suffered a heart attack in the mid-1980s. He will pull through, promising to return to work Porsche but he will never succeed. He will teach at the University of Vienna in order to pass on his great knowledge to the generations.

He died on April 29, 2012 Baden-Baden in Germany, where he retired following a heart attack at the age of 81.