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Porsche – The Golden Years: Leonardo Acerbi © Virtual Motorpix/Glen Smale It is always a pleasure when a top-quality book lands on my desk, so when Porsche – The Golden Years arrived at the Porsche Road & Race offices, I was especially pleased. We had the pleasure of reviewing Ferrari...
Gulf 917 by Jay Gillotti – © Dalton Watson Fine Books There is little that you can add to the vast history that is already known about the Porsche 917, or so you might have thought. But the quietly spoken Jay Gillotti, has pieced together a valuable and mightily useful...
#911 Porsche 911 RSR driven by Patrick Pilet, Nick Tandy and Frederic Makowiecki Driving the #911 Porsche 911 RSR, Nick Tandy put together a brilliant lap in qualifying at the Daytona 24 on Thursday when he set a new qualifying record for the GTLM class at Daytona during the 15-minute...
© Porsche Spyders 1956-1964: Type 550A, RSK and 718 With just 125 pages in total, this book is not a detailed narrative description of the Porsche Spyders between 1956-1964. But what it is, is a useful record of the Type 550A, RSK and 718 models, richly supported with period photography....
© One More Than 10: Singer and the Porsche 911 It has been said before that there have probably been more books written on the Porsche 911, than almost any car model. In this case though, it is no ordinary 911 that is being unpacked and revealed between the covers...
The Ultimate Book of the Air-Cooled Porsche 911 – Standard Edition When Brian Long’s latest 911 tome arrived, I could see the postman physically relieved to be handing over the package. But, in all seriousness, this is one very impressive piece of work. Brian Long has written many books, but...
The Porsche 911 undergoes testing ahead of its launch in 2019 The endurance tests for the eighth generation of the Porsche 911 enters the home straight as the new model will be brought to the European market at the beginning of 2019. The schedule to complete the Porsche 911 MY2019...
Professor Ferdinand Porsche (centre) with F. A. ‘Butzi’ Porsche (left) and Ferdinand Piëch (right), ca. 1949 Ferdinand Karl Piëch was born in Vienna, Austria, on 17 April 1937, to Louise (daughter to Ferdinand and sister of Ferry Porsche) and Anton Piëch, a lawyer. He was the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche,...
Anatole Lapine, 1973 Anatole Lapine who was in charge of styling at Porsche under two disparate CEOs, Fuhrmann and Schutz, looks back on quite a CV: Chevrolet Corvette, Opel GT, Porsche 928, Porsche 964. But there is a lot more to this designer whose career spans two continents and most...
Officially licensed with the ACO, the organisers of the annual Le Mans 24 Hours race, this lavishly illustrated book is the seventh title in this decade-by-decade series. The series covers what has become the most important and celebrated endurance race on the international motorsport calendar, from its very beginning to...
Porsche 911s on track at the Porsche Experience Centre Atlanta (Courtesy of the Porsche Experience Centre Atlanta) RM Sotheby’s, in collaboration with the Porsche Experience Centre Atlanta, will host the Porsche 70th Anniversary Auction, an exclusive, single-marque auction to be held on the weekend of 27 October at the home...
The name Porsche is synonymous with the world’s toughest endurance race, the 24-Hours of Le Mans, boasting an unbroken run of 65 years. During this time, they have amassed 18 victories. This is Part I of their story… The Veuillet/Mouche 356 SL proved reliable on its Le Mans debut in...
Gérard Larrousse (2017) Former Porsche works driver, Gérard Larrousse, celebrates his 80th birthday on Saturday 23 May 2020. Gérard Gilles Marie Armand Larrousse was born in 1940 in Lyon, where his father ran a textile factory. “I was fascinated by motorbikes and sports cars from a young age but my...
A Porsche 904 Carrera GTS Coupé in 1963 outside the factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. The early version had a slatted air intake behind the doors, this being replaced by scoops which were more efficient The Porsche Carrera GTS represented a watershed in the company’s march towards motorsport fulfilment. Gone was the...
The IROC Porsches
The IROC Porsches: The International Race of Champions, Porsche’s 911 RSR and the Men Who Raced Them by Matt Stone © Motorbooks This is the story of the International Race of Champions Porsche Carrera 911 RSRs and the drivers who raced them. It’s a story that is long overdue, as...
1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Lightweight presented by Serge Heitz Automobile Between 5th and 9th February, the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Centre in Paris hosted the 2020 edition of Retromobile. This year’s edition, boosted by the continuing success of previous years, was considered a huge success as massive crowds...
Racing Porsche with Style © Stéphane Coradi This is Stéphane Coradi’s third publication, and the third of his books that I am reviewing. It must be said that Stéphane’s enthusiasm for his work is so irrepressible, it’s contagious. But that is refreshing, because he really encourages the contributors to show...
Porsche 944 (MY 1989-1991) - Spare Part Codes & Catalog
Born: 7 February 1992 Where: Mainz, Germany Lives: Bingen, Germany Height: 1.81m Career 2017    Porsche works driver 2016    Porsche Junior, 1st Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Championship, 1st Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland Championship 2015    Porsche Junior, 2nd Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Championship, Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland Championship 2014    Porsche Junior, 1st...
Porsche 911 Carrera S Endurance Racing Edition in the newly built Porsche Experience Centre at Le Mans just prior to the 2016 race (2016 MY) Ever since the company first opened its doors for business in 1948, Porsche sports cars have epitomised the sporting side of driving. Indeed, Porsche’s Le...
The 914 is the Porsche that most sports car enthusiasts turn up their noses at. Let’s face it, the 914 isn’t the most beautiful Porsche in the world, with its flat surfaces and angular styling. It looks unpretentious, unattractive, and was generally unloved by many. But is that a fair...
Legendary – The history of the Porsche 919 Hybrid, published by Delius Klasing Verlag – © Virtual Motorpix/Glen Smale There will be few who would argue that much of Porsche’s history has been shaped by motorsport. From the very early race cars, some constructed by privateer teams (in the 1950s),...
Nissan GTP & Group C Race Cars 1984-1993 by John Starkey © Veloce Publishing Limited Yes, I know, this is not a book about Porsches, but it does cover one of the 962’s greatest rivals in IMSA and the Group C championships. Over the next few months, we will be...
It is by now well known that Porsche won the prestigious Le Mans 24-Hour race in 2016, the company’s 18th such victory in this classic French endurance race. To put this achievement in perspective, Audi have won the title thirteen times and Ferrari nine times. Just as they did in...
Before: 1968 Porsche 912 1.6-litre 4-cylinder engine developing 90 bhp; after: 2014 Dutchmann Porsche 912 with 2.8-litre 6-cylinder engine developing 240 bhp What do Porsche 911s, surfboards, bicycles and coffee have in common? A lot, it would seem. South African entrepreneur, Gavin Rooke, hit on a common thread that runs...
Porsche: The Carrera Dynasty by Glen Smale © Glen Smale A Spanish noun, ‘carrera’ can mean road, track or race and since the 1970s ‘Carrera’ has been a model name synonymous with Porsche. In fact, and as the author explains, Porsche had been using the name ‘Carrera’ since 1954 to...
Works Porsche 956 – The Definitive History: by Serge Vanbockryck – © Porter Press International I met the author, Serge Vanbockryck, a good number of years back at the Le Mans 24 Hours, and since then I have known him to be the quiet, hardworking PR manager for the Chev...
Le Mans: The Official History Of The World’s Greatest Motor Race 1980–89 This edition, spanning 1980-1989, covers one of the most exciting post war periods in motorsport. The 1960s and 1970s were of course both decades that were every bit as exciting, but the 1980s perhaps represents the final decade...
Classic Car Auction Yearbook 2016-2017 front cover – © Classic Car Auction Yearbook/ Historica Selecta The 22nd edition of the Classic Car Auction Yearbook 2016-2017 (covering the 24th season of auctions), can comfortably be regarded as one of the most complete and authoritative publications of its kind available. Classic Car...
1965 Porsche 901 chassis #57 After three years of restoration, the Porsche Museum will finally present one of the newest additions to its collection – and the oldest 911 that it holds – at the special exhibition “911 (901 No. 57) – A legend takes off” from 14 December 2017...
24 Hours of Spa, 28-29 July 2018: Pre-race starting grid Porsche took up the battle in the 2018 Spa 24 Hours with four 911 GT3 R race cars. The Spa 24 Hours is regarded as one of Europe’s major long-distance classics alongside the 24-hour races of Le Mans and the...
Dr. Ulrich Bez (1988) Hailing from the Bad Cannstatt district of Stuttgart, Ulrich Bez, who as Porsche Technical supremo hatched the 993, had two significant stints at Porsche. During the 1970s he worked in research and was responsible for establishing Porsche’s crash test programme; in the 1980s, he followed Porsche’s...
Driver’s Parade at the 2016 Mexican Formula One GP with Carlos Sainz sitting in the 356 A 1600 Super Cabriolet (centre) ©Sergio Nieto For some Porsche enthusiasts, the road to ownership follows a course which perhaps starts as an interest back as a young child, followed by increasing interest through...
For starters, when you pick up your copy of Kussmaul Chronicles, you can jettison any preconceived ideas of reading a ‘normal’ book on the story of an engineer and his years spent at Porsche. That way, with a clear mind, you will be better prepared for the unexpected when you...
Don’t Wash Mine: Kirk F. White © Dalton Watson Fine Books I have been looking forward to seeing this new book from Dalton Watson, covering the very colourful life and times of Kirk F. White. But, who on earth is Kirk F. White you might ask? Well, his name might...
Gulf Porsche chassis 917-016 Under the welcoming embrace of sunny California skies over wine country, the Sonoma Speed Festival established a new tradition of historic racing at Sonoma Raceway. Held on the first weekend of June, the Festival sought to emphasise quality over quantity with a compelling collection of rare...
Kim Copperthite watches the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo during its record run at the Porsche Rennsport Reunion VI, Laguna Seca, 2018 (© Mike Copperthite) It is interesting how, sometimes when you trace an old classic car or historic racer back to its roots, you end up not far from the...
© Hurley – From The Beginning (cover) There are just a handful of racing drivers that can list the number and quality of achievements that Hurley Haywood can. True, there might be more than a handful in total, but within each discipline of the sport, there are just a few...
Autosport 1000 km, Silverstone, 14 September 2008: In the fifth and final round of the 2008 Le Mans Series season, the #34 Porsche RS Spyder was driven by Peter Van Merksteijn and Jos Verstappen and finished first in the LMP2 class and fifth overall, ahead of a brace of LMP1...
The author starts his book, The Monza 1000km: 1965-2008, by calling the first chapter, the years between 1965-1971, the ‘Golden Years’ and he is not the only one to do so. While the cars were rather ‘explosive’ in their performance, drivers and team personalities could also be rather explosive in...
Porsche 906 (chassis #906/108) takes turn 1 on its way up the Hill at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed One of the motoring highlights of my 2016 season, if not of all time, has to be driving a fabulous Porsche 906 on the Goodwood Festival of Speed Hillclimb. The...
Every once in a while a man or woman comes along who wants to shake the tree, turn convention on its side, or just to improve the way we do things. Having written several books on the Porsche marque, when the opportunity arose to review Karl Ludvigsen’s book, Ferdinand Porsche:...
Porsche: Excellence was Expected by Karl Ludvigsen – © Bentley Publishers For many years, Excellence Was Expected, the book on Porsche’s models, motorsport, company history and much more, has been regarded as the final word on the subject. That accolade was well justified because the author, Karl Ludvigsen, has been...
Sir Stirling sits back and relaxes at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed after being interviewed by the author It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Stirling Moss over the Easter weekend. He died on 12 April 2020 in Mayfair, London, England at the age...
The Porsche 550 RS Spyder was a strikingly simple design An exceptionally original, never restored, beautifully preserved 1956 Porsche 550RS Spyder, estimated at £4.7-6.2 million has been announced for the Bonhams Goodwood Revival Sale, taking place on 10 September in Chichester, West Sussex. “The 1956 Porsche 550RS Spyder offered is...
Le Mans 24 Hours, 14-15 June 1975: Porsche 9083 in the paddock ahead of the race (copyright Yves Ronga) When I’m not helping to sell the occasional old race car, or visiting old race car meetings, I’ve usually got my head down, researching various projects for clients, usually to do...
An ecstatic Porsche team after their World Championship victory in Shanghai The team in the #1 Porsche 919 Hybrid, Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Mark Webber scored a start-to-finish victory in the Shanghai round of the World Endurance Championships (WEC) on 6 November 2016. This race, the eighth and penultimate...
Romain Dumas, Porsche works driver, Le Mans 24H, 2016 Born: 14th December 1977 Where: Alès, France Lives: Basel, Switzerland Marital Status: Partner Elysia, one son (Gabin) Height/Weight: 1.74 m/62 kg Hobbies: Rallying, jet-ski, jogging, squash A full season in the FIA World Endurance Championship as a Porsche works driver, including...
Taken just a year after its completion, the new Porsche Museum presents a striking silhouette on the Stuttgart skyline Have you ever been to the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen? If not, you would do well to plan a visit to this modern and welcoming facility in the heart of Porsche-land....
Daytona paddock – 24 January 2018 Continuing with our Daytona diary, Martin has sent us the following selection of images from the Rolex 24. So catch up with the action… Wednesday’s on track activity was limited to practice for the Ferrari challenge and the IMSA Continental Challenge. The Weathertech cars...
WEC Shanghai 6 Hours, 5 November 2017: The start of the penultimate race of the season This last weekend witnessed the Shanghai showdown, a contest in which the two top prototype race car manufacturers battled it out for the title of the World Manufacturers’ Championship. Many will have said beforehand...
Le Mans 24 Hours, 14-15 June 1969: On the final lap, the No. 64 Porsche 908 LH of Hans Herrmann/Gérard Larrousse swapped places with the No. 6 Ford GT40 of Jacky Ickx/Jackie Oliver as many as five times. The two cars were so evenly matched that what the Ford lacked...
IMSA Road America, 5 August 2018: A victorious Wright Motorsports after the race The IMSA race this last weekend, round 8 of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, produced rather mixed results for the Porsches. While honours deservedly went to the #58 Wright Motorsport team of Patrick Long/Christina Nielsen in the...
Richard Lietz, Porsche works driver, Le Mans 24H, 2016 Born: 17 December 1983 Where: Waidhofen, Austria Lives: Ybbsitz, Austria Marital status: Single Height/Weight: 1.83 m/73 kg Hobbies: Rallying, jogging, climbing, cycling Richard Lietz, a man for all seasons, and for all racing series. The Austrian celebrated the greatest success of...
Rolf Sprenger pauses for a photograph during an interview in 2007 It was with great sadness that we learned last week of the passing of one of Porsche’s stalwarts, Rolf Sprenger, on Wednesday 24 February 2021. Sprenger arrived at Porsche in 1967 as a young engineer, and as he explained...
Exciting starting grid at the Le Mans Legends 2007 This coming weekend sees the running of the ninth Le Mans Classic on the famous Circuit de la Sarthe. The event, created by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and Peter Auto almost two decades ago, has become the jewel in the...
Earl Bamber, Porsche works driver
Born: 9 July 1990, Wanganui, New Zealand Lives: Kuala Lumpur (MAL) Marital status: Single Height/Weight: 1.83m/74kg Hobbies: Fitness, surfing, skiing Earl Bamber managed to scale the summit of long distance racing in record time. After winning the Porsche Motorsport International Cup Scholarship, one of the most extensive and sustained youth...
Celebrations for the #55 Porsche 550 Spyder after finishing third in the 1954 La Carrera Panamericana. Sitting on the #55 car is Herbert Linge (left and Hans Herrmann (right). Sitting on the #56 car is driver Jaroslav Juhan with Porsche PR supremo Baron Huschke von Hanstein standing between the drivers...
Porsche – It’s My World by Stéphane Coradi © Virtual Motorpix/Glen Smale Porsche – It’s My World: what is this book all about? Well, for starters, you won’t learn anything about Porsche’s cars, it doesn’t contain any technical specifications, and it has no narrative. So, you may well ask, what...
This is an autobiography by a man who enjoyed what many would describe as the perfect job. A talented mechanical engineer, Horsman worked first for Aston Martin under the legendary leadership of John Wyer on such projects as the DP214. After Aston Martin, Horsman moved to Ford Advanced Vehicles where...
WEC Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours, 5 May 2018: Porsche works driver, Gianmaria Bruni, talks candidly to the author during the ‘Meet the Team’ session at the Spa 6 Hour race Born in Rome (you don’t get much more Italian than that!) on 30 May 1981, Gianmaria ‘Gimmi’ Bruni began his racing...
Porsche Junior driver, Julien Andlauer, has made his mark in the Porsche Carrera Cup France series where he drives the #555 Martinet By Alméras. © Alexis Goure (2017) Writer Lucian Sonea sat down at the Le Mans Test day for an interview with Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer. The response from...
IMSA R3 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Long Beach, 13 April 2019: The #911 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR of Patrick Pilet and Nick Tandy leads the #912 of teammates Earl Bamber and Laurens Vanthoor away from the start The week’s preparations started well for the factory Porsche team, as the...