The 27th publishing of this superb edition of Porsche Sport 2019 by Gruppe C Verlag, opens with this paragraph, “The year 2019 marked exactly half a century since a new competition sports car from Porsche was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. It ranks among Porsche’s most legendary sports cars ever. Of course, we are talking about the Porsche 917, the car that gave the brand … [Read more...]
Book Reviews
Le Mans: The Official History 1960–69
This edition of Quentin Spurring’s fabulous series covering the Le Mans 24 Hours decade-by-decade, concerns the 1960s. Many will agree that the decade, 1960 to 1969, saw some of the most innovative race cars, and with relatively free technical regulations, the motorsport world witnessed the birth of some of the most iconic race car designs of all time. It is with this … [Read more...]
24 Stunden Nürburgring Nordschleife 2019
It must rank as one of the most awesome races in the world. This year was my first visit to the famed 24 Stunden Nürburgring Nordschleife, the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring, and what a baptism it was. Having covered the Le Mans 24 Hours for many years, and numerous other endurance races in the UK and Europe, nothing comes even close to the spectacle, the atmosphere, the vastness, … [Read more...]
Classic Car Auction Yearbook 2018-2019 Edition
It’s a case of, more of the same for the 2018-2019 Edition of the Classic Car Auction Yearbook. Once again, the authors Adolfo Orsi and Raffaele Gazzi, have delivered an excellent publication providing good quality, industry-leading, analytical information on the classic car auction market for the twelve months September 2018 to August 2019. But it isn’t just a case of … [Read more...]
Porsche: Excellence Was Expected
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 working in the automotive world all his life, as author and historian, co-author, editor, consultant and as an executive with GM, Fiat … [Read more...]
The Ford that beat Ferrari – A Racing History of the GT40
In 1963 Enzo Ferrari made a decision that had far-reaching consequences, when he snubbed an attempt by Ford to buy his company. The effect of this decision was not what he was expecting, but Henry Ford II was not someone who liked to be led down the garden path, and so he and Lee Iacocca set about devising a plan to beat Ferrari at their own game. As anyone who has worked in … [Read more...]
The Ultimate Book of the Porsche 356
Brian Long’s original book on the Porsche 356 was published in 1996, and this was later printed in softback form. A few years later a revised version of this book was published which included more colour and detail. That, though, was still a bit of a lightweight according to the author. This issue, now the third edition covering the 356, has been totally overhauled from start … [Read more...]
Porsche 917 – Zuffenhausen’s Le Mans and Can-Am Champion
Porsche 917 – Zuffenhausen’s Le Mans and Can-Am Champion, is the third title we have reviewed in the Ludvigsen Library Series. The other two have been Porsche Spyders 1956-1964: Type 550A, RSK and 718 models, and the White Racers from Zuffenhausen: Porsche models 904, 906, 907, 908, 909 and 910. As with the other titles we have reviewed in this series, the Porsche 917 book also … [Read more...]
Works Porsche 956 – The Definitive History
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 Corvette GT team in Europe. As a fellow-Porsche author, we had often shared with each other some of the interesting processes of researching and writing books on matters relating to the Stuttgart … [Read more...]
Motor Racing – The Pursuit of Victory 1963-1972
The age of motorsport, when an aspiring photographer could amble around the paddock snapping world championship drivers, team personnel and stripped race cars, is long gone. Today, even with the required media accreditation, you have to elbow your way to the front of a crowd of spectators all brandishing mobile phones and point ‘n squirt cameras, only to find your progress … [Read more...]
