Ferdinand Alexander Porsche — who designed the classic 911 in the 1960s that has defined the shape of seven generations of Porsche’s signature 911 sports cars since then — died today in Austria at the age of 76, the company announced.

He was was the grandson of Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, founder of the company in the 1930s.

His design with the low flat hood, bulging headlights and fastback roof remains the basic form for the current 911s and even lives on today in key design cues for Porsche vehicles as different from the sports car as the Panamera four-door sedan and the Cayenne SUV.

“The creator of the Porsche 911 has founded a culture of design in our company that distinguishes our sports cars even today,” Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller told the Associated Press today.

He served as chairman of Porsche from 1990 to 1993 and helped steer the family firm through a crisis as sales plunged in the late 1980s under pressure from global competition and a strong German mark that hindered exports.

Under his chairmanship, the company brought in a new CEO, Wendelin Wiedeking, who is credited with turning the company around as a business.

Porsche was to be buried in a private ceremony in the chapel at Schuettgut, the Porsche family’s estate in Zell am See, Austria.