History

For half a century, Porsche automobiles have been favorites of race fans and drivers in endurance events, rallies, hill climbs, Trans Am, Can-Am, and GT racing. This photohistory chronicles more than 100 racing Porsches that have been campaigned at circuits the world over, including Le Mans, Daytona, Sebring, Spa, Nurburgring, and Leguna Seca, to name a few. In addition to color photography of the cars today and archival race images depicting the cars and top drivers from the annals of motorsport, the author presents the histories of such legendary Porsches as the 550 Spyder, a customer version of which gained notoriety as the car in which James Dean died; the open-wheel 718/2 with which Porsche unsuccessfully contested Formula 1 in 1959 and 1960; the 904 GTS that dominated European circuits in 1964 and 1965; the 917's which in 1972 and 1973 halted McLaren's Can-Am cakewalk; the 1976 Martini-liveried 935; the pair of Rothman-sponsored 959's that easily swept Paris-Dakar in 1986; and today's successful 911 GT cars.