People
Tony Hatter – Porsche 993 Project Designer
The British car designer Tony Hatter was born in Newcastle in 1954. His studies led to attaining a masters degree in Automotive Design at the Royal College of Art in London in 1981.
In that same year he began his career at Opel in Russelsheim before in 1986 achieving his goal by becoming a designer at Porsche AG. After several minor projects, what would become his most important undertaking followed in 1989: the task of designing the last air cooled nine eleven, the 993.
Tony Hatter (2nd from left) with the team at the project launch of the 993 design in the courtyard of the studio in 1989. © porsche archiv
Tony Hatter’s vision for the Porsche 993 resulted in one of the most beautiful and fascinating 911s ever created. Because of the superb proportions, the balanced interplay of concave and convex shapes and integrated bumpers, the last air-cooled 911 is still ‘the great love’ for many 993 owners to this day.
After the great success of the 993 design, the list of sports car projects for which Hatter was responsible grew longer and longer: the 993 Carrera was followed by the 993 Turbo. Then came the 911 GT1 96, 97 and the 98, but Tony Hatter and his team were also responsible for the 996 II, 996 II GT3, 996 II GT2, 997 GT2 and the Carrera GT production model.
Tony Hatter with the 911 GT1 in 1997 © porsche archiv
In his role as Manager External Design within Style Porsche he also oversaw the design of the console for the Ladegast organ in the Nikolaikirche in Leipzig. This was one of Hatter’s favorite projects during his time at Porsche.
Tony Hatter retired in autumn 2020. However, the term ‘retirement’ does not adequately describe the time after his active professional life at Porsche, as Tony is constantly being asked to work on various projects. This led to a collaboration with Alois Ruf on several design projects. One of these was the RUF Bergmeister – a one-off for a customer based on a 993, which interprets the concept of the legendary 909 Bergspyder. Another unusual request had him painting a full-size mural of a Lanz Bulldog tractor on the exterior front wall of the Oldtimer clubhouse in Weissach.
Tony Hatter at the Porsche Design Forum in New York City 2017. © porsche archiv
He frequently travels internationally, giving interviews and speaking at selected events on design topics in which he was involved. As time moves on Tony enjoys becoming a „contemporary witness“ and feels that it is important to record the stories and experiences from his time at Porsche.
A small team was behind one of the most beautiful and fascinating 911s. ©porsche archiv
For Tony Hatter, one of the great highlights of his career remains the design of the Porsche 993. The last air cooled 911 was created in Weissach together with project manager Bernd Kahnau and a small team. To mark the 30th anniversary Tony Hatter looks back on this time in a 35-page interview for the new Porsche 993 book.
LIMITED EDITION „Porsche 993 – 30 YEARS 1994–2024“ Buch
Besonderheiten in diesem Buch
- imitiert auf nur 993 Exemplare
- Alle Serien- und Sonderfarben mit Fahrzeug-Animationen
- Ausführliche Kaufberatungen für die Baureihen 993 Carrera, 993 Carrera 4/4S und 993 Turbo
- Vorstellung unbekannter Prototypen
- Alle Sondermodelle des Porsche 993 in einzelnen Kapiteln
