Porsche: The Road from Zuffenhausen

by Dennis Adler

A lavishly illustrated history of the most recognized sports-car maker in the world—Porsche—a story that began more than a century ago.

The Road from Zuffenhausen is the first book in more than twenty-five years to chronicle in such meticulous detail the early years of the renowned automobile company. Perfect for the more than 500,000 Porsche owners and the millions of Porsche enthusiasts, Porsche is a lively narrative of the cars and the people who created them. In the opening chapters, the reader will find the true heart of Porsche and its dedication to design and engineering, and then move on to the pre–World War II development of the first Porsche prototypes, as well as the development of the Volkswagen by Professor Ferdinand Porsche in the late 1930s. The story of the company’s early postwar years in Austria is a tale of commitment to an idea, an idea that resulted in the first 356 model and in a very short time established Porsche as one of Germany’s leading car makers.

Here is the entire history not only of the 356 but also of the development of competition versions, and of the evolution of the 550 RSK and the legendary 904 Carrera GTS. The story of the 911 occupies half the book, as this model has survived for nearly four decades—the longest production of any single postwar automobile design.

The narrative is brilliantly complemented by wonderful historical documents and photographs from the factory archives, provided through the cooperation of Porsche AG and the Porsche family, as well as original color photography by the author.

348 pages, Hardcover

First published November 4, 2003

About the author

Dennis Adler is the editor in chief of Car Collector magazine and consultant/historian/author for four publishers and organizations, including senior contributing editor of The Star -- the official publication of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America. He serves on the Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance Selection Committee and as a chief class judge at the Meadow Brook and Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. He is a noted portraitist of automotive collectors and their collections and is the author of twenty automotive books, including The Art of the Sports Car and The Art of the Automobile.

In addition to his works on automobiles Award-winning author Dennis Adler is one of America’s most published historians on western guns and collectible firearms. Author and photographer for more than three dozen books and thousands of magazine articles, Dennis has published work in such publications as American Rifleman, Guns of the Old West, and The Robb Report.


He lives in western Pennsylvania.