Yet another in Leffingwell’s interminable series of “complete” 911 books.  Combination of Porsche supported and MBI results in superior photography, reproduction and a low price.

Decent history with occasional errors.  Combination of Porsche supported and MBI results in superior photography, reproduction and a low price.  Unique and fascinating proposition is tying in Porsche’s progress with German and global economics -- including references to standard texts.

You might expect to be a update to Leffingwell's Porsche 60 Years -- but it’s a completely new book.  Interestingly the earlier book requires 344 pages to cover 60 yeas while the new book does 75 years in 255 pages.  Genesis of prewar type 64 and postwar Cisitalia are remarkably well covered -- including transferring the concept of buildinga an expensive sports car based on VW parts as already done by Cisitalia using FIAT parts.  I appreciate the photos of the earliest postwar projects including a electric which for the provincial government of Carintia (Type 353 I think) and the 312 tractor.  Peculiarly and totally in error I think, Leffingwell claims Gmund factory “Wm. Meineke Holzgossidustrie, Berlin Werk Gmund Karnerau” was so named to convince customers it was the family sawmill.

The first 73 pages are devoted to pre 911 and 177 before we hit water-cooled Porsches.  A combination of sloppy proof reading -- a 356B roadster identified as a cabriolet -- apparent lack of knowledge -- stating the Karman hardtop appeared with the 356A -- occasionally mar book.  Porsche’s attempted take over of VW, the single most significant event in the company’s history is cogently covered, explained in an understandable  fashion.  Befitting a brand new book just about the best coverage of Porsche’s electrification is provided.

Porsche 75th Anniversary -- Expect the Unexpected is large format 30 x 25 cm(12 x 10”) very nicely printed book and is reasonably priced.

Randy Leffingwell’s strengths are his superb photographic skills and his ability to find the right person to interview, linked to his factory arkiv access.  An unfortunate corollary is his failure to check facts.  Porsche 911: 50 Years is the best of the flood of 911 anniversary books and compare favorably with the 10 year old, out of print Aichele Porsche 911 Forever Young.  What is not found in any of the 911 histories are the photos, sketches, and technical drawings leading up to the 911 -- typ 534, typ 644  (who knew this wasn’t just 356A-T2 changes?), typ 656, typ 695 T7, typ 754 T7 & T8, motor typ 745.  Unfortunately the difference in price between the Ltd edition and the regular edition is extreme.  The Ltd. edition is leather bound and in a box with an envelope  containing “postcards” and after my complaint will have a signature plate.  An extra $100.00 on the list price is still excessive.

Randy Leffingwell's PORSCHE LEGENDS is what the Christophorus book PORSCHE:  PORTRAIT OF A LEGEND should have been.  In both, Porsche history is told as remembrances of an engineer or driver.  There are five or six interviews in PORTRAIT which make it worth buying, but mainly it's disappointing because it is too clearly a self-serving product of the advertising department.

In PORSCHE LEGENDS, the full page (10 x 10") color photographs and their reproduction are technically within kissing distance of Henry Rasmussen at his best, and Randy Leffingwell has a spectacular sense of place.  Though, as usual, whomever wrote the captions was apparently not actually shown the photographs.  Much like Rasmussen's books, each chapter features a specific car.  Unlike Henry's PORSCHES FOR THE ROAD the legends are not only the cars themselves and the Horatio Alger types who own them, rather an engineer or driver who was there and knew what was happening, frequently why, or at least appreciated the irony of some of the situations.  While Ferry Porsche and Bernhard Blank are shortly quoted, the real meat comes from interviews with Ernst Fuhrmann, Johnny von Neuman, Paul Frère, and Paul Ernst Strähle.  Of necessity, the Spyder chapters rely heavily on quotes from von

Frankenburg writing in CHRISTOPHORUS, but even these fit seamlessly.

One additional pleasure of the book is its assumption that we are already familiar with the basic stories.  It's well known that Ernst Fuhrmann not only designed the 4 cam engine but he also designed it so that it would fit in a 356.  It is not commonly known that he had the first engine in his personal 356.  Or that von Hanstein phoned from Paris with the directive that Führmann's car should be sent for some important customers to drive.  Fuhrmann says that he, "simply refused ...'Dr. Porsche then called on me... He was very friendly, but he would like me to send the car.'" As Fuhrmann feared, the engine was destroyed.  "So Dr. Porsche came to me ... in Paris, on the Porsche stand, was the first Carrera production car.  And of course, this was the nicest one. It had leather seats, and gold letters on the outside ... Everything was special.  And so Dr. Porsche said, 'OK, this car now goes to Dr. Fuhrmann.'  So I had, even before Dr. Porsche himself, the finest Carrera in the company."

Paul Frère remembers that his first drive for Porsche was also his first at LeMans. His first practice in the Spyder prototype, which "instead of having trailing arms, which toed the rear wheels slightly in, we have forward-facing arms which made them toe out," was in the dark!  Frère almost lost the car at the first corner of the first lap!

There were two Sauters? Heinrich's "interest was in rallying and his involvement was temporary, although the results did have a lasting impact." The Heinrich Sauter roadster preceded the type 540 Roadster America which in turn was the prototype for the Speedster. Kurt Sauter was a coach builder. "His involvement was career long, but his impact was fleeting." The Kurt Sauter bergspyder is shown for the first time, as is an extensive examination of the 1959 Beutler cabriolet.

Chapters on the Beutler 356A cabriolet and the Bertone 911 cabriolet paint a clear picture of the change in Porsche's relationships with independent body builders since the Gmund days.  Most of us are aware of the stories of Max Hoffman sketching out the Speedster on a napkin for Ferry Porsche.  But to me, this story has never really rung true. Max Hoffman was dedicated to selling expensive European cars to American "nobility". His idea of a lightweight Porsche was the America Roadster, which cost considerably more than an XK Jaguar, von Neumann wanted a car in which Californians could troll for girls on Saturday night.  "It's a boulevard race car.  Who needs roll-up windows.  I swear, the first time I told them about a car without roll-up windows, they thought I was nuts.  Who needs roll-up windows in California?"'

Randy Leffingwell's PORSCHE LEGENDS is the surprise hit of the year combining new information through fascinating interviews and superb photographs. Even the post-356 stuff is fascinating. 

FROM MY REVIEWS FOR THE 356 REGISTRY

Porsche Sixty Years is Randy Leffingwell’s latest reasonably priced lush coffee table entry.  At $60.00 for 346 pages of beautifully photographed, reproduced and printed images, it is a steal on a pound per dollar basis.  Even better at least half of the photographs are new.  Randy himself is one of the big time Porsche photographers and the opening of the factory Arkivs continues.  However, the photographs are separated by words. As first seen in his Porsche Legends, the words are best when expressed as quotes.  

In spite of two closely printed pages of acknowledgements the history is replete with errors some blatant – the Typ 60 10K was the 10 car built – actually it was VW’s 10th design derived from the Typ 60 and was Porsche’s Typ 64.  Or that it originally was to have a V-10 – that was the Porsche Typ 114, which was mid-engine – not even Porsche would try to stuff a V-10 behind a VW axle.  On the other hand, without any prior expert to contradict, we have a fascinating, previously untold account of Porsche’s first external financing.  Bernhard Blank, among other things a hotelier, advanced his architect Richard von Senger 50,000 Swiss Franks; which von Senger used to buy 10 Porsches, establishing himself as the Swiss importer for Porsche.  Anton Piech met Blank and deduced the money source (Porsche had probably drained von Senger) and Blank became Porsche’s world-wide distributor.  Blank “didn’t like to drive the bloody things” but even had car bodies refinished by Pilatus, an aircraft manufacturer.  Having no luck at Geneva in 1950, Blank did not book for 1951.  August Veuillet set several speed records in 1951 at Monthlery.  It was too late for Blank to book Geneva, but he did rent a nearby showroom.  Porsche set more records Monthlery.  Veuillet displayed the 1500cc Gmund coupe on his stand in Paris and became importer for France.  Max Hoffmann (still with two nn’s) saw the car and applied for the US rights.  What about Blank?  He had failed to display Porsches at Geneva and lost his world-wide rights.

Given that many fascinating stories are told by a now dead raconteur (Bott, Fuhrmann) it is not surprising that some have previously been printed in Randy’s prior books.  Still they are worth telling and perhaps retelling.  Again the photographs make the book – including those of the photographers taking some of the famous photographs.  Just don’t get me started on the old canard of Zagato building the Carrera Abarth.  If Ferrari, who wasn’t using Zagato during this period, in any event, didn’t complain when Aston Martin, with whom they were in direct GT competition, used Zagato, they certainly didn’t care if Porsche did – they didn’t.  Almost as bad, is the confusion between the Dreikantschaber (a special bodied Carrera GS/GT coupe – hence rear engined) and the contemporary Spyder (mid engine) coupe.

The first 79 pages of 346 pages total are devoted to the 356 period.  In spite of concerns about the accuracy – and that does improve as Randy deals with later periods, Porsche Sixty Years is an absolutely beautiful book.  It is well worth the $60.00 list price and well belongs on your coffee table, if not as your first line reference.