Porsche Racing History: The Book

Starting that tale 50 years earlier — in 1899 and not in 1948 — presented some problems. Research materials were scarce, and no one was around for first-person interviews and recollections from that era. But, doing so proved to be not only essential but also absolutely fascinating. What’s more, understanding Ferdinand Porsche’s history in the fifty years from 1948-1998 — at Lohner in Vienna, Austria; Austro Daimler in Wiener Neustadt, Austria; Daimler in Stuttgart, Germany; Auto Union in Zwickau, Germany; and Volkswagen in Wolfsburg — lends important perspective in the reporting of such a significant history.

This new information generated more than a hundred more additional interviews, each of which revealed further insights and fascinating stories. Many of these are on these pages.

The series title is to the point: Against All The Others — Porsche Racing History 1899-1999 The First One Hundred Years shows how Porsche’s racing powerhouse developed not in isolation or even in single-marque club events but in week-to-week response to innovations from other teams and drivers. My approach to telling this story remains purely chronological. Automobile companies work on projects for years; people come and go (and some come back). It seemed to me most accurate to relate the sometimes chaotic layering of race cars, their technical development, testing and racing, and events as they unfolded on top of each other. Many of the racing years, especially those in Stuttgart and Weissach, are told in four to six chapters, depending on the length and complexity of the season, the series, and the regulations changes. Typically, these are “Racing Year Preview”; “Racing Year Part I” (January 1 through June 30); “Racing Year Part II” (July 1 through 31 December); and “Racing Year Review.” Any significant technical advances will emerge in chapters that fit between parts one and two and again between three and four. In chapters covering the halves of the racing year, I provide race reports of the most significant contests, as well as behind-the-scenes activities in testing and development. Some of these are as brief as a paragraph or two; others run twenty or more pages. While Porsche cars have won hundreds of races in single-marque series, Porsche Cup or Porsche club events, I mention only the most important of these, because the title – and the premise of this series of volumes — is Porsche “Against All The Others.” This history includes nearly 3,000 specific race reports. Each volume includes an index to help when searching the history.

David Bull Publishing is on board to publish this multi-volume set. With a word count of more than 2,000,000 words, it will span nearly 5,000 pages and include more than 5,000 photos, drawings, diagrams, notes, and documents from Porsche Archiv and more than a dozen other resources. Porsche Archiv director Frank Jung and colleague Jörg Thilow, who manages the Porsche Museum store and coordinates all books published as Edition PORSCHE Museum, will work with Bull Publishing for simultaneous release as a museum edition.