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Porsche 911: 50 Years
Best-selling author Randy Leffingwell celebrates a half-century of one of the world's premiere sports cars, focusing on the major themes that have defined Porsche's rear-engined wonder.
Porsche 911: 50 Years tells the whole story— design and development , racing and competition , engineering and technology , style and culture . All the iconic 911 models are included: Beyond telling the story of the cars , Porsche 911: 50 years also spotlights the people behind them : Ferdinand "Butzi" Porsche, the son of legendary Porsche founder Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche , who co-designed the instantly recognizable 911 shape; Peter W. Schutz , the Porsche CEO who saved the 911 from extinction; and Dr. Helmuth Bott , the engineering genius behind many of the groundbreaking technologies that have defined the 911, including fuel injection, turbocharging, and all-wheel-drive.
Leffingwell also tells the story of the 911 community —the clubs and culture that surround the car.
Together, all of these facets make Porsche 911: 50 Years the most essential book in any Porsche owner or fan's library.
Porsche 911: 50 Years tells the whole story— design and development , racing and competition , engineering and technology , style and culture . All the iconic 911 models are included: Beyond telling the story of the cars , Porsche 911: 50 years also spotlights the people behind them : Ferdinand "Butzi" Porsche, the son of legendary Porsche founder Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche , who co-designed the instantly recognizable 911 shape; Peter W. Schutz , the Porsche CEO who saved the 911 from extinction; and Dr. Helmuth Bott , the engineering genius behind many of the groundbreaking technologies that have defined the 911, including fuel injection, turbocharging, and all-wheel-drive.
Leffingwell also tells the story of the 911 community —the clubs and culture that surround the car.
Together, all of these facets make Porsche 911: 50 Years the most essential book in any Porsche owner or fan's library.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2013
19 people are currently reading
362 people want to read
About the author
Randy Leffingwell
165 books52 followers Photographer and writer, Randy Leffingwell, has more than 35 books in print, primarily on Americana subjects. These cover interests and areas as diverse as the American barn and Harley-Davidson motorcycles, California’s wine country and John Deere farm tractors. His awareness of and attraction to moving things goes back as far as he can remember, to the first Dinky Toys and Match Box cars his father and mother gave him. His practical introduction to real sports cars came several years later when his uncle took him to watch a weekend of racing events at Meadowdale International Raceway in suburban Chicago.
Throughout all this time, however, he imagined himself becoming an architect and his life-long admiration of buildings and design began with frequent trips to downtown Chicago. While in undergraduate studies at Kansas University in the architectural engineering sequence, he discovered photography, journalism, and reawakened an earlier passion for writing. He scarcely looked back as he shifted his major studies from architecture, through English, Art History, psychology, and finally to the William Allen White school of Journalism for a BS in photojournalism.
Following graduation from KU, Randy began a successful career as a photojournalist first at the Kansas City TIMES, then joining the staff of the Chicago SUN-TIMES where he remained for nine years. He then worked as associate editor at AutoWeek magazine in Detroit, before being hired by the Los Angeles TIMES as a writer/photographer. He worked for the TIMES for 11 years, covering everything from news stories to personality profiles to food features throughout Italy, film festivals in France and Utah, and live theater in London. It was, he says, a great job and a great place to work.
His latest project is a large history of Harley-Davidson for them. During this project, he photographed 193 motorcycles from the Harley-Davidson Archives Collection and he completed the corresponding text for the book in early April 2007. Release of this 432 page book tentatively is scheduled for early 2008.
Throughout all this time, however, he imagined himself becoming an architect and his life-long admiration of buildings and design began with frequent trips to downtown Chicago. While in undergraduate studies at Kansas University in the architectural engineering sequence, he discovered photography, journalism, and reawakened an earlier passion for writing. He scarcely looked back as he shifted his major studies from architecture, through English, Art History, psychology, and finally to the William Allen White school of Journalism for a BS in photojournalism.
Following graduation from KU, Randy began a successful career as a photojournalist first at the Kansas City TIMES, then joining the staff of the Chicago SUN-TIMES where he remained for nine years. He then worked as associate editor at AutoWeek magazine in Detroit, before being hired by the Los Angeles TIMES as a writer/photographer. He worked for the TIMES for 11 years, covering everything from news stories to personality profiles to food features throughout Italy, film festivals in France and Utah, and live theater in London. It was, he says, a great job and a great place to work.
His latest project is a large history of Harley-Davidson for them. During this project, he photographed 193 motorcycles from the Harley-Davidson Archives Collection and he completed the corresponding text for the book in early April 2007. Release of this 432 page book tentatively is scheduled for early 2008.
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April 7, 2022Porsche 911: 50 Years by Randy Leffingwell
Non-Fiction
In the book Porsche 911: 50 Years, Randy Leffingwell goes into great detail about the history and the evolution of one of the most iconic sports cars of all time falling just short of the Mercedes SL series and the Chevrolet Corvette. From the moment Ferdinand Porsche sketched the first mashup of the 911, and even in the years and decades leading up to it, automobiles as a concept continuously evolved in order to make future automobiles a step-up from years prior. Continuing through the long, elegant history of the Porsche 911, Leffingwell inscribes the origin of the Porsche 911 with its predecessor: the Porsche 356. With an elegant design coupled with a racing pedigree Porsche engine under the hood, the 356 proved to be a vehicle destined to be iconic; however, the impracticality of the convertible two-seater sports car made it hard for the historical family-man to convince his wife it would be a wise purchase. Given this information, the 356s’ lives spent a rather large portion sitting in showrooms watching dreamers gaze upon them in awe. After three different iterations, seventeen years, and around seventy-six thousand sold, Ferdinand Porsche scrapped the 356 and began the process of reintroducing Porsche to the world. With this new rebrand came the 911. This new 911 had a powerful at-the-time engine mounted in the rear with one of the most engaging driving experiences on the market which, like a magnet, attracted any enthusiast into the Porsche showroom. Unlike the 356, however, the new 911 had the added practicality of four seats, a fixed bubble roof, and a relatively roomy front trunk that could make the argument that it was a family car. These statistics made the Porsche 911 essentially fly off the shelves and into the consumers’ driveways. Over the course of the more than half a century run, every new generation of the Porsche 911 made a technological advancement making it a statistically better car than the model year preceding it. Up until the year 1995, the Porsche 911 fell under the category of street-exclusive sports car apart from the small-scale races that Porsche continuously dominated over the span of several decades. Additionally, in every Porsche 911 up until this 1995 model, the engine was cooled by the movement of air over the body lines and into the rear-mounted engine. The concept of a water-cooled Porsche 911 would alter the driving experience of the iconic sports car and lose a select group of enthusiasts. Having made this proclamation, Porsche finally entered the GT1 racing class in 1996 with the water-cooled Porsche 911 GT1. The initial race of the new GT1 race car debuted in the Twenty-four Hours of Le Mans, one of the most popular races in the entire world. After an unfathomable 354 laps, drivers Davy Jones, Manuel Reuter, and Le Mans rookie Alexander Wurz completed the race in the first-place position. The winning of this world-renowned race gave Porsche connoisseurs alike a new hope for the potential of Porsche. For the next two years, the roadgoing 911 remained powered by the three-and-a-half-liter air-cooled engine. In 1998, however, Porsche made the transition to make the 911 exclusively water-cooled. For this new generation of the 911, Porsche favored a bolder design veering from the predecessors. This new 911 did not go over well with consumers and lost a great deal of respect towards the brand. With the next generation in 2005, dubbed the 997, the Porsche 911 gained back its momentum with its eccentric body lines and lightning-fast dual-clutch transmission. This car was considered one of the most solid vehicles by Top Gear and was referred to as having saved the brand from going bankrupt. Towards the end of the model run, Porsche designed the 911 GT3rs 4.0 which, when new, sold for the large lump of money of just shy of one-hundred sixty-five thousand dollars. Though that may appear high to just the average-Joe, this vehicle would go on to sell in the seven figures just a decade later. In every year proceeding, the 911 has remained the one of the top two fastest cars 0-60 mph under a million dollars and one of the most iconic appearances of an automobile throughout history.
The writing style utilized by Randy Leffingwell falls under the informative category. Unless the reader had a long track record with the history of Porsche, they will more than likely be left confused and have an abundance of questions. His novel consists of a timeline of rising action in which continuously builds upon itself with the end goal of one day reaching the perfect sportscar in what he perceives to materialize in Porsche’s distant future. The novel is unmistakably intended for those with a lengthy background in Porsche or who are able to grasp the far-fetched automotive related terms sprinkled in throughout. This is made clear by the format and the lack of figurative language and dressing up of the text. With this deeming true, a small dose of humor in regard to competitors and history makes its way occasionally into the book like when Leffingwell alludes that “Mazda Miata… is the… budget 911” yet he would “pay the premium for a Porsche 911” any day of the week given that he believes a consumer receives what he/she pays for (Leffingwell 54). To the typical reader whose desire is mostly to find joyous fulfillment will more than likely finish the book disappointed and in a state of confusion; however, those readers whose desire is to gain knowledge and stretch the limits of their mind’s capacity will close the book with satisfaction and will think about the long, strenuous history of the Porsche 911 the next time they see one on the streets of their hometown.
Non-Fiction
In the book Porsche 911: 50 Years, Randy Leffingwell goes into great detail about the history and the evolution of one of the most iconic sports cars of all time falling just short of the Mercedes SL series and the Chevrolet Corvette. From the moment Ferdinand Porsche sketched the first mashup of the 911, and even in the years and decades leading up to it, automobiles as a concept continuously evolved in order to make future automobiles a step-up from years prior. Continuing through the long, elegant history of the Porsche 911, Leffingwell inscribes the origin of the Porsche 911 with its predecessor: the Porsche 356. With an elegant design coupled with a racing pedigree Porsche engine under the hood, the 356 proved to be a vehicle destined to be iconic; however, the impracticality of the convertible two-seater sports car made it hard for the historical family-man to convince his wife it would be a wise purchase. Given this information, the 356s’ lives spent a rather large portion sitting in showrooms watching dreamers gaze upon them in awe. After three different iterations, seventeen years, and around seventy-six thousand sold, Ferdinand Porsche scrapped the 356 and began the process of reintroducing Porsche to the world. With this new rebrand came the 911. This new 911 had a powerful at-the-time engine mounted in the rear with one of the most engaging driving experiences on the market which, like a magnet, attracted any enthusiast into the Porsche showroom. Unlike the 356, however, the new 911 had the added practicality of four seats, a fixed bubble roof, and a relatively roomy front trunk that could make the argument that it was a family car. These statistics made the Porsche 911 essentially fly off the shelves and into the consumers’ driveways. Over the course of the more than half a century run, every new generation of the Porsche 911 made a technological advancement making it a statistically better car than the model year preceding it. Up until the year 1995, the Porsche 911 fell under the category of street-exclusive sports car apart from the small-scale races that Porsche continuously dominated over the span of several decades. Additionally, in every Porsche 911 up until this 1995 model, the engine was cooled by the movement of air over the body lines and into the rear-mounted engine. The concept of a water-cooled Porsche 911 would alter the driving experience of the iconic sports car and lose a select group of enthusiasts. Having made this proclamation, Porsche finally entered the GT1 racing class in 1996 with the water-cooled Porsche 911 GT1. The initial race of the new GT1 race car debuted in the Twenty-four Hours of Le Mans, one of the most popular races in the entire world. After an unfathomable 354 laps, drivers Davy Jones, Manuel Reuter, and Le Mans rookie Alexander Wurz completed the race in the first-place position. The winning of this world-renowned race gave Porsche connoisseurs alike a new hope for the potential of Porsche. For the next two years, the roadgoing 911 remained powered by the three-and-a-half-liter air-cooled engine. In 1998, however, Porsche made the transition to make the 911 exclusively water-cooled. For this new generation of the 911, Porsche favored a bolder design veering from the predecessors. This new 911 did not go over well with consumers and lost a great deal of respect towards the brand. With the next generation in 2005, dubbed the 997, the Porsche 911 gained back its momentum with its eccentric body lines and lightning-fast dual-clutch transmission. This car was considered one of the most solid vehicles by Top Gear and was referred to as having saved the brand from going bankrupt. Towards the end of the model run, Porsche designed the 911 GT3rs 4.0 which, when new, sold for the large lump of money of just shy of one-hundred sixty-five thousand dollars. Though that may appear high to just the average-Joe, this vehicle would go on to sell in the seven figures just a decade later. In every year proceeding, the 911 has remained the one of the top two fastest cars 0-60 mph under a million dollars and one of the most iconic appearances of an automobile throughout history.
The writing style utilized by Randy Leffingwell falls under the informative category. Unless the reader had a long track record with the history of Porsche, they will more than likely be left confused and have an abundance of questions. His novel consists of a timeline of rising action in which continuously builds upon itself with the end goal of one day reaching the perfect sportscar in what he perceives to materialize in Porsche’s distant future. The novel is unmistakably intended for those with a lengthy background in Porsche or who are able to grasp the far-fetched automotive related terms sprinkled in throughout. This is made clear by the format and the lack of figurative language and dressing up of the text. With this deeming true, a small dose of humor in regard to competitors and history makes its way occasionally into the book like when Leffingwell alludes that “Mazda Miata… is the… budget 911” yet he would “pay the premium for a Porsche 911” any day of the week given that he believes a consumer receives what he/she pays for (Leffingwell 54). To the typical reader whose desire is mostly to find joyous fulfillment will more than likely finish the book disappointed and in a state of confusion; however, those readers whose desire is to gain knowledge and stretch the limits of their mind’s capacity will close the book with satisfaction and will think about the long, strenuous history of the Porsche 911 the next time they see one on the streets of their hometown.
August 19, 2013
Won this on a Goodreads giveaway, didn't know much about the cars, learned a lot about how they are designed, the process of modeling all the way to production, very informative. Will recommend to a friend that is a car fanatic, I was actually surprised to win this, since I liked the cover and wanted to see more.
September 30, 2013
I received a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
The book, itself, is beautiful: the layout, design, and quality of the photographs. But this book is so much more than that. The photograph on the front cover, that of the iconic 911 body, seemingly emerging from the shadows, hints at a captivating legacy of this much-adored sports car - and Randy Leffingwell does not disappoint.
The entire legacy of the 911, half a century at that, is divulged in detailed writing and insightful interviews. The back cover of this book says it best, "He tells the whole story- design and development, racing and competition, engineering and technology, style and culture -providing an inside look into every aspect of the 911." After reading this book, you may as well add "Porsche Historian" to your resume.
Anyone who has seen a 911 "in the flesh", so to speak, knows of it's breathtaking beauty, and one might think no photograph could ever do it justice. That would be the wrong assumption, and this book has over 250 pages of proof. The archival photographs of the early models of the 911 will provoke nostalgia in those who may have known the 911 from the beginning, and admiration from those who initially (and rather willingly) fell under the spell of the 911 of the new millennium.
If you can't drive a 911, take a spin in "Porsche 911: 50 years" - the entertainment value of which probably comes in at a close second to that of the car itself.
The book, itself, is beautiful: the layout, design, and quality of the photographs. But this book is so much more than that. The photograph on the front cover, that of the iconic 911 body, seemingly emerging from the shadows, hints at a captivating legacy of this much-adored sports car - and Randy Leffingwell does not disappoint.
The entire legacy of the 911, half a century at that, is divulged in detailed writing and insightful interviews. The back cover of this book says it best, "He tells the whole story- design and development, racing and competition, engineering and technology, style and culture -providing an inside look into every aspect of the 911." After reading this book, you may as well add "Porsche Historian" to your resume.
Anyone who has seen a 911 "in the flesh", so to speak, knows of it's breathtaking beauty, and one might think no photograph could ever do it justice. That would be the wrong assumption, and this book has over 250 pages of proof. The archival photographs of the early models of the 911 will provoke nostalgia in those who may have known the 911 from the beginning, and admiration from those who initially (and rather willingly) fell under the spell of the 911 of the new millennium.
If you can't drive a 911, take a spin in "Porsche 911: 50 years" - the entertainment value of which probably comes in at a close second to that of the car itself.
October 4, 2013
This is a beautiful big coffee table book about the Porsche 911 with great pictures and a comprehensive history including not only stories about the car but the people behind the making and marketing of it.
I would highly recommend this book as a great gift for the Porsche lover or owner in your life.
January 17, 2023
A beautiful book about one of the most significant sports cars ever.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews