Editing Ferdinand Porsche (section)

==After the war==
In November 1945, Porsche was asked to continue the design of the Volkswagen in France and to move the factory equipment there as part of [[war reparations]]. Whilst in France, Porsche was also asked to consult on the design/manufacture of the upcoming [[Renault 4CV]], which led to serious conflict with the recently appointed head of Renault, the former resistance hero, [[Pierre Lefaucheux]]. Differences within the French government and objections from the French automotive industry put a halt to the Volkswagen project before it had even begun. On 15 December 1945, French authorities arrested Porsche, [[Anton Piëch]], and [[Ferry Porsche]] as [[war criminal]]s. While Ferry was freed after six months, Ferdinand and Anton were imprisoned first in Baden-Baden and then in Paris and Dijon.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ludviggsen|first=Karl|title=Porsche Excellence Was Expected|date=1977|publisher=Princeton Publishing Inc|location=New Jersey|isbn=0-525-10117-9|page=33}}</ref>

While his father was in captivity, Ferry worked diligently to keep the company in business, developing a division for the repair of automobiles, water pumps, and [[winch]]es. A contract with [[Piero Dusio]] was completed for a [[Grand Prix motor racing]] car, the ''[[Porsche 360|Type 360]] [[Cisitalia]]''. The innovative 4WD design never raced.

The legal basis of Piëch and Porsche's imprisonment was principally Ferdinand Porsche's contribution to his country's war effort and personal friendship with Hitler. In the Porsche family's own account, the affair was a thinly-veiled attempt at extorting money and forcing them to collaborate with Renault.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kandell |first1=Jonathan |title=Ferdinand Porsche, Creator of the Sports Car That Bore His Name, Is Dead at 88 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/28/business/ferdinand-porsche-creator-of-the-sports-car-that-bore-his-name-is-dead-at-88.html |website=www.nytimes.com |date=28 March 1998}}</ref> But the family was deceptive about the use of [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labor]] and the size of their wartime operation.<ref>{{cite news|work=Der Spiegel |last1=Klawitter |first1=Nils |title=Porsche's Past: The Dark Pre-History of the World's Favorite Sports Car |url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/porsche-s-past-the-dark-pre-history-of-the-world-s-favorite-sports-car-a-652371.html |language=en}}</ref> It was later shown that approximately 300 forced laborers were employed, including Poles and Russians.<ref>{{cite news |title=Details of Porsche's Nazi ties spoil centennial bash |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/culture/1.5348608 |newspaper=Haaretz |language=en}}</ref> During the war, it was common practice for German factories of this size (about 1000 workers) to use what was essentially slave labor, often with Slavic prisoners of war, who were frequently worked to death. The post-war French government required a payment of one million francs, variously described as ransom or bail, for the release of Piëch and Porsche. Initially unable to obtain this amount of money, the family eventually raised it through their contract with Cisitalia. During a trial, witnesses were brought forward to testify that no French prisoners had been imported to work at the plant.<ref>{{cite web |title=After The Winds of War - Porsche's Early Days (Part I) - Heacock Classic Insurance |url=https://heacockclassic.com/articles/after-the-winds-of-war-porsches-early-days-part-1/ |website=heacockclassic.com/ |date=1 November 2019}}</ref>

In addition to its work with Cisitalia, the company also started on a new design, the [[Porsche 356]], the first car to carry the Porsche brand name. The company had relocated from Stuttgart to [[Gmünd, Carinthia|Gmünd]] in [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]] to avoid Allied bombing. The company started manufacturing the Porsche 356 in an old saw mill in Gmünd. The Gmünd factory made only 49 cars, entirely by hand.