Ferdinand Porsche

I guess genius rather than hero is the correct way to describe Ferdinand Porsche, whose cars mobilized humanity and provided employment for tens of thousands. Let’s settle for heroic genius, which is what you might call a man whose cars put over 21 million families on the road and have won major races since 1910. Racing cars that scored a multitude of Grand Prix victories, mountain-climb championships, and set almost 40 land speed records before the Second World War. And he was ready for another go after the hostilities, with a mind-blowing design for a mid-engined, four-wheel-drive Grand Prix contender.

Not to mention the super-luxury sports coupes that bear his name today and for which he created the first design back in 1937.