Porsche 944 Story
Porsche 944 History & Story The predecessor, the 924, was initially designed for Volkswagen. It was beautifully done by Porsche and the technical concept of front engine and rear transmission was top notch, but it didn’t have the Porsche engine. The natural evolution of the 924 would be to equip it...
Porsche 924 History & Story The Porsche 924 emerged as the result of a Volkswagen engineering order which did not materialize. Volkswagen had two sports cars in its portfolio – the Karmann Ghia since 1955 (until 1974) and the VW-Porsche 914 since 1969 (until 1976), so in the beginning of...
Porsche 914
Porsche 914 History & Story Porsche needed an entry-level car to replace the 912 and Volkswagen needed a sports car to replace its Karmann Ghia, so the forces were joined to build a sports car that would be an affordable Porsche and a modern Volkswagen. Given the type 914 designation,...
The Porsche 718 Story & History Porsche 718 RSK / RS 60 / RS 61 / RS 62 Spyder (1957-1962) Key Accomplishments 250+ class victories and 600+ podium finishes European Hill Climb Champion 1958-1959-1960-1961 SCCA F Modified category champion 1959-1960-1961-1962 SCCA E Modified category champion 1960-1961-1962-1963 Targa Florio winner 1959-1960...
The Porsche 904 Story & History
Porsche’s Type 904, officially called the Carrera GTS because Porsche and Peugeot were in dispute over numeric designations with “0” in them, succeeded the RSK Type 718 as the last sports-racing iteration of the 356 series. Developed after Porsche left Formula One in 1962, the 904 (as it soon became popularly known) was also the last full-competition Porsche that could be readily driven on the street. This is the full story.
1955. 550 Spyders in the Porsche yard in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen
Porsche 550 (1953-1956) Introduction Porsche needed a race car to compete in the roadster class, and that’s just what the 550 Spyder did at a time when production cars could no longer win. In fact, the third 550 prototype and first 550 to race won its first event at 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...
Porsche 928 - The Story
The Porsche 328 Story “A driver’s car built for passengers” In 1971, the design work started on the end-of-the-seventies 911 H-model (that would come after the 911 G-model which was to be launched in 1973). The first plan was to create a wedge-shaped slantnose coupé with a rear-mounted V8 with...
Ferry Porsche with 356 B T5 (produced 1960-1961)
The Porsche 356 Story Porsche engineering company had designed cars for other companies for a long time, but it was finally in 1948 that a first “Porsche” was made under the leadership of Ferdinand Anton Ernst “Ferry” Porsche, the son of Ferdinand Porsche. At that time Porsche company was located...
997 Carrera Depreciation and Buying Guide Buying a Porsche 911 997? Then this is the video to watch. In this depreciation and buying guide of the Porsche 911 997 Carrera, I will show you how much the values changed in the last year and how much the car depreciates per...
Porsche Nürburgring Nordschleife Lap Times
Fastest Porsche Nürburgring Nordschleife Times Some say the Nürburgring Nordschleife experience is better than sex. Every lap is so long that when the driver has covered just half of it, there’s still minutes of excitement, fear and pleasure ahead before the lap ends. It is the longest race track in...
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...
ACO Museum, Le Mans 16 September 2020: As it was the 50th anniversary of Porsche’s first win at Le Mans, a special display was set up featuring several of Porsche’s winning cars In 1971 the first ever Starbucks coffee house was opened in Seattle, Washington. That same year, the fourth...
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...
Molly ready for the Peking to Paris rally in 2007 © David & Julie Harrison She was manufactured in 1958, and much of her early life is unrecorded. But in 2004, a customer of Gantspeed Engineering, Lincolnshire, England, asked the workshop’s owner, Robert Gant, to find him a right-hand drive...
Porsche 904/8 (chassis #008) photographed in the Porsche Museum, September 2020 F.A. ‘Butzi’ Porsche, the eldest son of Ferry and Dorothea Porsche, joined the family business in 1958 having shown great interest in the field of industrial design. Working under the direction of Erwin Komenda, F.A. Porsche set about learning...
Porsche 911 G-Model: The Book 1974-1989 by Andreas Gabriel, Manfred Hering & Tobias Kindermann © Berlin Motor Books Hot off the press, so to speak, is Berlin Motor Books’ latest offering covering the 911 G-Model, and what an impressive publication it is. In line with their other excellent publications in...
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...
Obviously these two attractive models from the lingerie manufacturer Triumph (München) like this Porsche 914/6 – Rutesheim Athletics Club, Baden-Württemberg, Germany (1969) Very different from previous production Porsches, the 914 was an attempt by Zuffenhausen to introduce a lower cost model. Commercially it was only a moderate success, but it’s...
50 Years Porsche 914 by Jürgen Lewandowski, published by Delius Klasing Verlag – © Virtual Motorpix/Glen Smale Whether you love it or hate it, the 914 served as a very important family member in the Porsche model line-up of the day. To appreciate this fully, you need to understand the...
DBR 9 – The Definitive History by Christoph Mäder and Thomas Gruber © T.A.G. Motor Books GmbH At Porsche Road & Race, we receive many books for review, and these include books on all manner of high performance roadgoing sports cars and motorsport. So, when the Aston Martin book, DBR...
Porsche 964: The Modern Classic by Paul Koebrugge – © Paul Koebrugge The history of Porsche sportscars is peppered with iconic models that stand out as special, from the earliest models to the very latest. One of the most notable achievements by Porsche’s designers is how they have retained the...
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...
Porsche 935 JLP-4 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, 2014 JLP-4 was the final race car in the line of Porsche 935 specials built for the John Paul father and son team. Using this final ‘weapon’, the Pauls notched up several outright victories in IMSA races and, in combination with...
Porsche Unseen by Jan Karl Baedeker & Stefan Bogner – © Delius Klasing Verlag Consider what it would be like to be given the opportunity to glimpse behind the scenes, into Porsche’s inner design sanctum, where the Porsche designers imagine the models of the future. There are 120 designers who...
ROFGO Collection by Doug Nye – © Porter Press International Most motorsport enthusiasts will have attended historic races, events such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed or Revival, or similar events in the USA, where the familiar and much-admired Gulf orange and blue race cars have competed or been on...
An Automotive Icon One of the most iconic Porsches of all time is the 356A Cabriolet and now you have a chance to own one if you want it bad enough. The 356A Cabriolet you see here is currently for sale at Bring A Trailer.  The car is a 1958...
1979 Porsche 935 chassis #009 0004 – Willow Springs International Raceway © Robert Graham Junior The phone rang, it was my old friend Carlos de Quesada. “I’ve just bought a 935 to restore,” he told me. “Great,” I replied, “which one?” “#009 0004,” announced Carlos. Chassis #009 0004? I had...
Don’t Wait for the New GT3 Just a little bit ago, I published a story about the new GT3 from Porsche, but the simple fact of the matter is that you can buy a really great GT3 right now. This particular 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 is currently for sale on...
Two old friends – André Loubser hands a copy of his book ‘Kyalami’ to Sir Stirling Moss in the Drivers’ Club Lounge at the 2011 Goodwood Revival © Tony Willitt It is with great sadness that we bring you the news of André’s passing this last weekend. André was an...
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 Speedster: Legends 1954–2020 by Andreas Gabriel, Manfred Hering & Achim Kubiak © Berlin Motor Books There is a model in Porsche’s family line-up that receives little coverage and, as a result, it does not enjoy the attention it so richly deserves. The Speedster played an extremely important role in...
The Car You Need Say hello to your next Porsche. This 1991 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 is a gorgeous example. Painted red over a tan leather interior, the car is in fantastic condition and is currently for sale on Bring a Trailer.  Featuring a 3.6-liter flat six-cylinder engine with a...
A Beautiful Piece of Porsche History The 1960 Porsche 356B Roadster is an automotive icon. The vehicle is one of those highly sought after cars by collectors. That makes this particular one that’s for sale on Bring A Trailer special. The car has low miles (about 6,000) and looks absolutely...
Arno Bohn at Weissach with the 968 Cabriolet (1991) Arno Bohn was managing director of Porsche from 1990-92. An outsider who came from the computer industry, he arrived at a company seared by falling sales and riven by internal division about future direction. He left a Porsche which though still...
Kremer Porsche 935 K3/80 (chassis #0013) In the mid-70s, Porsche developed the 935 model, a race car homologated on the 930 road car and aimed at the Group 5 ‘silhouette’ series created by the FIA for the 1976 season. As the records will show, the 935 was a formidable race...
Twice Around the Clock: The Yanks at Le Mans by Tim Considine © Toll Hall Sexton Books Over the years, there has been a lot written on the history of the Le Mans 24 Hours, a race which has earned the reputation as one of the most challenging endurance races...
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...
Ferrari 333 SP – A Pictorial History 1993-2003: by Terry O’Neil © Dalton Watson Fine Books I first caught sight of the Ferrari 333 SP at Kyalami in Johannesburg, South Africa, in December 1998. It was hot, as Johannesburg is at that time of the year, but the track action...
Le Mans: The Official History 1970–79 by Quentin Spurring © Virtual Motorpix/Glen Smale This edition of Quentin Spurring’s fabulous series covers the 1970s in his well-known and valuable decade-by-decade history of the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race. The decade from 1970 to 1979, certainly saw some of the most...
Porsche mourns the death of Hans Mezger – this photo was taken in 2007 It was with great sadness that the motoring and motorsport world learned last week of the passing of Hans Mezger, Porsche engineer extraordinaire. He died at the age of 90 years, having grown up and lived...
1981 Porsche Kremer 935 K4 – chassis #K4-01 In the mid-1970s, Porsche developed the 911 for racing, and in the process, it created the all-conquering 935. In 1978, Norbert Singer was responsible for building the ultimate factory 935, the Moby Dick 935/78, and although this race car had a very...
SportErfolge: by Tony Adriaensens – page photographs by © Virtual Motorpix/Glen Smale Simply titled, SportErfolge (English: Success in Sport), this book came my way quite by surprise. It is not a book I knew anything about until I spotted it on the internet, and decided to look for a copy....
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...
Porsche 904 by Jürgen Lewandowski © Delius Klasing Verlag The introduction of the Porsche 904 Carrera GTS, to give it its full name, marked the beginning of an unprecedented period of race car development for the Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen factory. Not only did every year from 1964 to 1969 see a new...
Shelby Cobra book
Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe: The autobiography of CSX2300 by Rinsey Mills – © Porter Press International Most motorsport enthusiasts are agreed on the fact that the 1960s was one of the most innovative and exciting decades of the twentieth century in motor racing. In fact, there was such diversity and...
Porsche 356 Cabriolet competing at an aerodrome race in the USA, ca. 1952/1953 America has for decades been Porsche’s biggest market, and this was important for the young and growing company. In some ways, the importance of this market even influenced the development of certain models. In this feature, Porsche...
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...
PORSCHE 993 “25 YEARS” 1994–2019: by Andreas Gabriel, Manfred Hering & Thomas Nehlert © Berlin Motor Books Berlin Motor Books, a boutique book publisher located not far from the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate) in Berlin, has been steadily raising its profile on the quality automotive book scene since its inception...
Porsche Sport 2019 – © Gruppe C Motorsport Verlag 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....
Le Mans 24 Hour, 16-17 June 2012: The #55 JWA-Avila Porsche 997 GT3 RSR driven by Paul Daniels, Joël Camathias and Markus Palttala gets the full attention of the team in the pits. This car would finish 33rd overall and eighth in the GTE Am class This feature, the second...
Le Mans: The Official History 1960–69 by Quentin Spurring © Virtual Motorpix/Glen Smale 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...
1961 Porsche 718 W-RS Spyder ‘Grossmutter’ (chassis #047) photographed at the Porsche Museum, May 2019 The word unique is a much-overused word today, as it is applied, it seems, to just about anything that is produced in small numbers, or even just to enhance a claim about something unusual. In...
24 Stunden Nürburgring Nordschleife 2019 © Gruppe C Motorsport Verlag 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...
Classic Car Auction Yearbook 2018-2019 Edition © Historica Selecta 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...
1956 Porsche 356 A Carrera 1500 GS – 752 LMA For many years now, the name ‘Carrera’ has been associated with Porsche sports cars. But the story of how the fledgling 356 first got its ‘Carrera’ name is a fascinating one. This required the far-sightedness of the company founder, Ferry...
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...
Kremer Porsche 935 K3 – chassis #930 890 0021 The Porsche 935 was the Stuttgart manufacturer’s answer to the FIA’s Group 5 class regulations, making it eligible for the World Championship of Makes. The first Porsche car in this so-called ‘Silhouette’ series, was introduced for the start of the 1976...
Lined up in the pit lane before the 1994 Le Mans 24-Hours, is from the left: #36 962 Dauer Le Mans GT driven by Mauri Baldi, Yannick Dalmas and Hurley Haywood; centre is the street-legal 962 Dauer with rather appropriate Boeblingen region (Weissach) registration plate ‘P 962’; on the right...
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...