By Lee Sibley
3 years ago
Ben Dimson: how I designed the Porsche 964, 959 and 3.2 Speedster
In a rare interview, Ben Dimson chats to 9WERKS about his life at Porsche in the 1980s, spearheading some of the company's most exciting projects
964 Carrera, 959, 3.2 Speedster, 928 S2, 944 Turbo: Ben Dimson's sports car designs are considered legendary in Porsche circles. Yet the Filipino only worked at Porsche for eight years, joining the company in 1981, at a time when Peter Schutz had just begun saving the 911 from the scrapheap. By 1989, Dimson had left, having delivered a 964 which Schutz's successor, Heinz Branitzky, famously declared as "the 911 for the next 25 years".
Few designers at Porsche can therefore boast a repertoire of the calibre Dimson managed from his short time at Weissach, before swapping the Prancing Horse of Stuttgart for the Three Pointed Star of Mercedes' US operation. Despite this, many Porsche enthusiasts today are unaware of Dimson's considerable contribution to the company, at a time when regulations were tough, and the economic outlook tougher.
Mr Dimson's talent for creating cult Porsche models is matched only by his ability to stay out of the media spotlight, which is why much mystery still surrounds his name and the intricacies of his career. Here though, in an exclusive for online Porsche media, the affable Filipino agreed to speak with 9WERKS' founder Lee Sibley from his NorCal home to finally shed some light on his history-defining time at Porsche. We hope you enjoy the video.
Few designers at Porsche can therefore boast a repertoire of the calibre Dimson managed from his short time at Weissach, before swapping the Prancing Horse of Stuttgart for the Three Pointed Star of Mercedes' US operation. Despite this, many Porsche enthusiasts today are unaware of Dimson's considerable contribution to the company, at a time when regulations were tough, and the economic outlook tougher.
Mr Dimson's talent for creating cult Porsche models is matched only by his ability to stay out of the media spotlight, which is why much mystery still surrounds his name and the intricacies of his career. Here though, in an exclusive for online Porsche media, the affable Filipino agreed to speak with 9WERKS' founder Lee Sibley from his NorCal home to finally shed some light on his history-defining time at Porsche. We hope you enjoy the video.