Porsche: The Legend

Porsche, the marque that has won the Le Mans 24 hour race on a record 12 occasions, is one of the world's legendary sporting car manufacturers. Yet its origins are inauspicious - the Volkswagen Beetle-based 356 having first appeared in war-ravaged Europe in 1948. But its aerodynamically refined bodywork and rear-located, air-cooled, horizontally opposed engine established an unorthodox specification that endures to this day. The 356, in turn, paved the way for the seemingly evergreen 911 that still remains in production 30 years after it first appeared.

This fascinating book, illustrated throughout with superb colour photographs, not only features these legendary German sports cars but such awesome racing models as the formative 550, the mighty 917 that gave Porsche its first Le Mans victory and the even more successful 962.

The Porsche story is brought right up to date with the open two-seater, mid-engined Boxster that will propel this formidable marque into the 21st century.