TITLE Porsche Spyder 550
Author Bogner, Smale
ENGLISH/GERMAN
ISBN 10 No ISBN 10
ISBN 13 9783667119797
Price $150.00
List Price $180.00 + $30.00 shipping from Germany
AVAILABLE @ BLOCKS BOOKS
First you need know Edition Porsche Museum books are prestige. They are on the highest-quality paper, best available reproduction and contain arkiv material not previously published.
As with the previous 904 and 959 books Porsche Spyder 550 consists of two books:
90 page soft-bound history -- half in German— with an decent history of the 550, including- model and body builder by serial number as well as major races entered also by serial number. Keyed to the large-format photography book are histories of several Porsche 550s: 550-0016 (owned by Wolfgang Porsche) and 550-00123 as 550-0047 detail shots and Mays' winged 550-00031 and finally 550-0050.
A second large-format hard cover book starts with period photos of the 3 Glöckers.
Following entitled ARKIV (first of several) the technical of the 550. Next we hit chapter
MEXICO, including more than 10 pages of spectacular studio shots of 550-002 coupe.
Again chapter ARKIV - this time a dozen factory 550 victory posters, almost all by Erich
Strenger. Again MEXICO, this time the 550-01 pushrod Spyder, but this time with 6
additional period photos. RACING AROUND THE WORLD/NUMEROUS VICTORIES is
almost entirely comprised of really evocative period photographs including one of
Gilberte Thiron of 356SL fame - looking much more comely than usual.
AUSTRIA/CONTINUING FAMILY TRADITION starts with a single b&w photo of the
Porsche factory hierarchy delivery a 550 Kurt Ahrens Sr. The remaining photographs
reprises Bogner's Curves series with not one but two 550s belonging to Wolfgang
Porsche and his son Ferdi driving the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse. Both 550s have
identical license plates ZELL 550. I wonder if they are saving on registrations. The
photos are spectacular. 5550 SPYDER GOES GLOBAL has fascinating shots of the
Werks shop as well as the Karosserie Wendler frontage - the show room behind a 550 at the curb surprisingly filled with motorcycles. The chapter has my all time favorite
photograph of a 550 framed by a golden Deutches Post horn.
Yet another ARKIV with PORSCHE MUSEUM STUTTGART.. not only manuals and design
drawings but 550 file folders filling cabinets. Following are spectacular studio and
artist's photographs of the Carrera PanAmerica pushrod 550 and later 4-cam 550s. I had never previously seen a 550 in Max Hoffmann's dealership - or James Dean's Salinas entry form.
LIFE OF A RACE CAR illogically titled consists 10 Bogner photographs of 550-0023
Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse. Just like those of Wolfgang and Ferdi, but a different
550.
Again ARKIV PORSCHE MUSEUM STUTTGART this time the wooden one fifth scale
model of the Buckelwagen used to register the 550.
I m particularly taken by the presentation book front cover showing the blue 550 00123 entering a mountain cure and the rear cover showing it exiting. It consists of previously unpublished period factory arkiv photographs and drawings.
Following Bogner's usual photographic style are a series of photographs of of the four 550s described tin the history book
BAYERN AN ARTIST'S IMPRESSION features 550-0050 once Claude Picasso's car.
Yet more beautiful studio and en plein air photographs.
550 AS AN ART OBJECT consists of images by New Zealand artist Jeffrey Docket using images, many from known photographs but simplification and bright blue-green color of the background identical to that of the Spyder.
A truly beautiful 300-page book, limited to 1250 copies, filled with photos and drawings you will not see elsewhere.