TITLE Illustrated Porsche Buyer’s Guide 1st edition
AUTHOR Batchelor
ENGLISH
1st edition
ISBN 10 0879381590
ISBN 13 No ISBN 13
PRICE $25.00
OUT OF PRINT -- AVAILABLE @ BLOCKS BOOKS
From my Reviews in the 356 Registry:
The illustrated Porsche Buyers Guide by Dean Batchelor is living proof that even decent scholarship can not replace familiarity in writing. Dean Batchelor had previously written a similar format illustrated Ferrari's Buyers Guide, which was useful and according to my fanatic Ferrari friends is decent evaluation of the
beasts. The Porsche Book has a pretty fair history and description but no feeling for significance. The 356/1 roadster is rated as a very desirable model!! Actually, I guess that's true but is trivial from the buyer's point of view. The Gümnd coupe is grossly undervalued -- funny considering he uses Bob Roucher's car as an example. He considers the original steel body 356 to be worth only 2 stars (out of a possible 5) -- which unfortunately is probably true, but also rates them as good cars to drive and enjoy: it would probably take some one as fanatical as I to really understand and mean that statement. He also down rates the original 356 on the basis of quantity produced! And believe it or not the 75 Carrera is considered a 4 star automobile while the 356 Carreras are only 3.5. All of you with 916 Porsches will be delighted to know
they are 5 star collectable as is the 2000 GS-GT - none of which were ever sold by the factory - (to my knowledge). But the Troutman Barnes 4 door 911 is only 3 stars. Larry Braun should save his Glöckler since it's 5 stars and the 2 original (wrong there too) pushrod Spyders are 5 stars. The book is not even a near miss as a collector's guide, and is poor on post 356 stuff -- in the space two paragraphs he describes
the 924 as having an aluminum then cast iron engine.
