Porsche Book the Complete History of Types and Models

TITLE Porsche Book the Complete History of Types and Models

AUTHOR Barth, Büsing

ENGLISH

3rd EDITION

ISBN 10 NO ISBN 10

ISBN 13 9781893618930

OUT OF PRINT -- NO LONGER AVAILABLE @ BLOCKS BOOKS

FROM MY REVIEWS IN THE 356 REGISTRY:

3rd edition:

In the late seventies, at exactly the same time the Karl Ludvigsen brought out the first edition of Excellence Was Expected, Boschen and Barth brought the first edition of The Porsche Book, translated from the German Das Grosse Buch der Porsche Typen – or The Big Book of Porsche Types. The Porsche Book was a decent book but at $29.95 was over shadowed by Ludvigsen’s Excellence, even at $64.95. This background is of some importance: the updated second edition (aka ed. 2.1) of edition of Excellence Was Expected has recently come out and now Barth, now with Büsing as co-author, has brought forth his third edition Porsche Book the Complete History of Types and Models. Think of it as a grosser version, much grosser – as with Excellence, Porsche history requires 3 volumes and 1500 pages; more than the new Excellence, although they are smaller pages. At a list price of $299.95, you need to ask yourself “Do I really need it, especially if I already have edition 2.1 or 2.0 of Excellence?” Actually I buy any and all Porsche books. So the question is “Do you really need it, especially if you already have edition 2.1 or 2.0 of Excellence?” The answer is (if you are only interested in 356s) no – the original Frère translation is unchanged. However lots of new, later information has been added. I am especially thrilled by volume 2’s 45 pages of type numbers. While the 356 written chapter is unchanged previously unpublished 356 period Porsche design and type numbers are fascinating. The immediate post war period is, unsurprisingly dominated by designs for Carinthia, in which Gmund is located. These were sometimes so basic the not only did a hand cart get a type number (type 337) but so did a two wheel hand cart (type 340). One an infer what life was like with Porsche reduced to designing a machine to make charcoal briquettes (type 348). Life clearly improved between types 356 and the last listed 356 period design for a VW with Porsche synchromesh for VW (type 820). It must be long enough in the past; Barth feels free to list more than fifty famous manufactures for whom Porsche designed synchromesh or even entire transmissions, including Maserati (type 604), Lancia grand prix car (type 582) – if it’s a European car or truck manufacturer, it’s there.

Not surprisingly, the section on customer race cars is extremely well covered; after all Barth was in charge of it.

Not the first book I’d buy – if you want to read the Barth/Frère on 356s, find a copy of the second edition (they are around inexpensively) – but as an expensive supplement to Excellence, why not?

TITLE Porsche Book a Definitive History

AUTHOR Boschen, Barth

ENGLISH

FIRST EDITON

ISBN 10 0668045760

ISBN 13 NO ISBN 13

OUT OF PRINT -- NO LONGER AVAILABLE @ BLOCKS BOOKS

FROM MY REVIEWS IN THE 356 REGISTRY:

1st English Edition:

The "Porsche Book" by Boschen-Barth is written or translated in the most turgid prose imaginable. Worse it is organized on a year by year basis whereby a new model will be described then the "important" changes will be described in each succeeding year. This would be just deadly dull if it weren't for a peculiar quirk: A 1960 356B Porsche (the first model year for the B) will be described as a 1959, since it was (first) made in 1959. Other-wise good serial number source - Pellow's is a corrected version of this the factory list - and lots of facts - perhaps more facts than anyone can assimilate after 10:00 p.m.

FROM Bob Lawrence's REVIEWS IN THE 356 REGISTRY:

Well thanks to Paul Frère the previously reviewed Das grosse Buch der PORSCHE Typen has been translated into English. The PORSCHE BOOK is subtitled "a definitive illustrated history" and it is just that. THE definitive Porsche book is as we all know by now the Ludvigsen bible, Porsche Excellence Was Expected. This book does have more personality than your Tech Specs but nothing to compare to Ludvigsen’s tome. The writing style is very dry and to the point, sort of Dragnet personality, "nothing but the facts Ma'am". It is a reference book par excellence. Being divided into three main sections; Production Cars, Production Sports Cars and Racing Cars makes for easy reference to any specific model. You'll have to look to R&T road tests and other road tests to get more of the feel of the particular models. All the points that John Calvin pointed out for us in Vol. 3 #5 are readily pertinent when reading the English edition. (See Jerry you thought I couldn't be critical). Never the less the book is well worth having as a heavy handbook (472 well illustrated pages) to take along when purchasing a well-used, multi-owner Porsche or to bring to your P.C.A. meeting to settle some bar talk bets.

See also Boschen & Barth Porsche Specials

TITLE Porsche Book a Definitive Illustrated History

AUTHOR Boschen, Barth

ENGLISH

2ND EDITION

ISBN 10 0668060034

ISBN 13 NO ISBN 13

OUT OF PRINT -- NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE @ BLOCKS BOOKS

TITLE Das Grosse Buch der Porsche Typen Alle Fahrzuege von 1948 bis heute

AUTHOR Boschen, Barth

GERMAN

EDITION 3 (1989)

ISBN 10 3613012847

ISBN 13 NO ISBN 13

OUT OF PRINT -- NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE @ BLOCKS BOOKS

The two volume German edition 3 was printed in 1989.

English edition 3 was printed in 2009.

TITLE Das Grosse Buch der Porsche Typen Alle Fahrzuege von 1948 bis heute

AUTHOR Boschen, Barth

FIRST EDITION

ISBN 10 0668045760

ISBN 13 NO ISBN 13

OUT OF PRINT -- NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE @ BLOCKS BOOKS

FROM MY REVIEWS IN THE 356 REGISTRY:

Amazingly enough several expected books have actually reached the book sellers. Far and away the most interesting is: DAS GROSSE BUCH DER PORSCHE SONDERTYPEN UND KONSTRUCTION by Boschen and Barth -- whom you may remember as the authors of the DAS GROSSE BUCH DER PORSCHE TYPEN translated as THE PORSCHE BOOK. Obviously, the book's biggest current problem is that it is only available in German. It gives a rather nonselective overview of Porsche obscure, and not so obscure, type numbers. Those of you who know me, know that my Porsche subspecialty is TYPE NUMBERS. Where else can you trace the type 534 from a Klein VW sportwagen -- looking like the offspring of a Crossley and a Porsche, through the type 555 -- looking dumpy, to the 728 -- looking like the immediate predecessor to the VW type 3? Not only are the 911SC aero and blimp engines present but so are the well known 678 flugmotor, the 702 for the Gyrodyne Helicopter, but how about the type 70 32 cylinder and type 72 16 cylinder flugmotors; the latter two supposedly derived from the V-16 type 22 Grand Prix engines. I find it fascinating to see the cross pollination between military projects and racing projects. Note the simultaneous introduction of the type 690 5 speed for the 550RS spyder and the reappearance of the 597 Jagdwagen (Hunting car) as the type 695 Gelandewagen (cross country car) as a military contract, also with a 5 speed. I had inferred some years ago that the factory Gmund coupes used for racing as 356SL carried the factory type number 514 -- and the book confirms this. For reasons that totally escape me the book also shows non Porsche variations. Well known are the B&B variations, but also listed are Apal (unfortunately not the Carrera Abarth like body but a current plastic Speedster) and several Beutler A and B's as well as my favorite, a Stephani pre A with rear wheel spats. Several years ago in reviewing Jenkinson's 356 PORSCHE, I attempted to trace the photograph of a wrecked special bodied roadster. Using Sloniger's 4-CAM BOOK and EXCELLENCE, I thought that I had traced the Targa class winning Spyder 550 through a new body to its destruction at the sports car race accompanying the 1954 French Grand Prix. However, the photograph and my laborious translation show that this was a Speedster Carrera, rebodied by Zagato which was wrecked within a few miles of Zuffenhausen (more research shows that the roadster was repaired only to be wrecked yet again, this time at the 1954 French Grand Prix, killing its owner Stortz). If you really groove on obscure stuff, here it is! This is one of the first books since EXCELLENCE was published in 1978 to actually present something new.

TITLE Das Grosse Buch der Porsche Typen Alle Fahrzuege von 1948 bis heute