Porsche 911: 50 Years Author: Visit Amazon's Randy Leffingwell Page | Language: English | ISBN:
0760344019 | Format: PDF
Porsche 911: 50 Years Description
Book Description
Add this special edition of our definitive tribute to Porsche’s flagship machine, printed in a limited run of just 600 copies, to your Porsche library.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Inside Flap
Porsche 911: 50 Years provides the Porsche fan with everything he or she could possibly want in a book. All the iconic 911 models are here: the original 901 prototype that set the standard; the legendary RS models that made the Porsche a dominant force on the world's race tracks; the infamous Turbo, the car that kept the peformance flame alight during the dark, dismal 1970s; the fabled 959, the Porsche that redefined the term “supercar”; the 993, last of the original air-cooled models; and the 996, 997, and 991, the liquid-cooled cars that brought the 911 into a new millenium. But more than just telling the story of these cars, author Randy Leffingwell tells the story of the people behind their creation: Ferdinand “Butzi” Porsche, the son of legendary Porsche founder Ferdinand “Ferry” Porsche who, along with Erwin Komenda, designed the instantly recognizable 911 shape; Peter W. Schutz, the Porsche CEO who saved the 911 from extinction; and Dr. Helmuth Bott, the mad engineering genius behind many of the groundbreaking technologies that have defined the 911, like fuel injection, turbocharging, and all-wheel-drive. This book also tells the story of the 911 community—the clubs and culture that surround the car. No Porsche fan will want to miss this fantastic book.
Author bio: Randy Leffingwell, best-selling Motorbooks author and renowned photographer, has earned a reputation as one of the most thorough Porsche historians working today. He has written and photographed over two dozen books on topics ranging from farm tractors to motorcycles to cars to barns.
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- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Motorbooks; First Edition, First edition (October 20, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0760344019
- ISBN-13: 978-0760344019
- Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 10.2 x 1.3 inches
- Shipping Weight: 5.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
A newly released book is taking a prominent position on my Porsche Book Shelf. I have plenty of coffee table books that are good for lots of pretty pictures, but this one is between them and my hard core references such as Karl Ludvigsen’s. There are two areas where it excels, the use of quotes from Porsche people at and below the department heads, and the other is why each generation of the 911 was changed, especially the 991 generation.
The author, Randy Leffingwell, has written dozens of books on transportation, including photographic duties. Porsche 911: 50 Years is 256 pages with 300 photos, including many photos and drawings from Porsche’s archives. It is well worth it.
It starts with the 356 era, and Erwin Komenda’s shop’s design for variations and replacements. Randy had access to interviews, new and old, with the less familiar names such as Eugen Kolb, Gerhard Schröder, and Heinrich Klie. You get a much better feeling of how executives such as Ferry and Komenda got along. You also discovered how these lesser known names should be credited with some well-known designs or ideas.
This kind of depth continues through each generation of the 911. You get a better understanding of how Porsche kept getting smarter with their designs. From a 901 design with no thoughts of a convertible, and very little thought of racing it, to designing the 991 for 22 models and racing versions before it hit the auto shows. I was surprised to learn they wanted to water cool the 993, but there was too much to do in little time.
The 911 street generations are followed by a racing chapter. It starts with the 911 hill-climbers, and proceeds through 935s, 959s, and GT series.
The book ends with a statement from Peter Schutz.
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