Reviews (5)

The title does not exaggerate...
There are two types of 993 owners...the driving enthusiast and the poseur.For the latter group, this book would be a waste of time. For the former, however, this is indeed an "essential companion."Whether the owner's interest in his car is the history, the esoterica of 993 numerology and variation, and/or owner-maintenance and repair, this book covers the ground with alacrity.This is the Porsche equivalent to John Muir's well-known VW book, and as such is an important part of the 993 enthusiast's reference library.

Good info...But
A well written document covering most of the elements a 993'er would be concerned with but a little underwhealming in terms of photos/graphics quality.

Porsche Crazy
I found the EC a super book and a very easy read. I pick it up and read a section of interest and then discover sometime of new interest. This is my second Streather book on Porsche, and he is by far my favorite porsche writer. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive - History    2. Automotive - Pictorial    3. Transportation    4. Automotive technology    5. Motor cars: general interest    6. Transportation / Automotive / General   

Reviews (6)

GERMAN PERFECTION
Let me confess right off, I absolutely love cars designed by Porsche, I have always found the car to be sexy and elegant.When i see someone pull up next to me in a Carerra with the top down, I just sit and stare with envey.As for this book, it is quite simply fantastic, it is easy to read and well researched, almost scholarly and the images are crisp and well placed throughout the book.You see the evolution of the automaker and get a real feel for what has made the company so successful.If you have any interest in Porsche or just cars in general, then I highly recommend this book...pricy yes, but well worth it...the car and this book.

Porsche
I bought this book as my main reference for a paper I am writing about Porsche for business class, but my use for this book will not end there.I found this book not only informative, but interesting, and insightful.The pictures were plentiful, but not over done, beautiful, and well described.I will undoubtedly have this book for the rest of my life, and is a must for every car-enthusiast!!

Find this book for less money......
I found this spectacular book via Yahoo! Shopping for $42.99. No, not used either! I highly recommend this book and I highly recommend Yahoo! Shopping! They got it to me fast too....like my 911 Turbo! This book is a great addition to my coffee table. Enjoy the book and enjoy your Porsche. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive - General    3. Automotive - History    4. Foreign Automobiles - History    5. History    6. Porsche A.G    7. Porsche A.G.    8. Porsche automobile    9. Porsche automobiles    10. Transportation    11. Transportation / Automotive / Foreign / History   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Antique and classic cars    3. Automotive - History    4. Automotive - Pictorial    5. Ford Model A automobile    6. Ford automobile    7. History    8. Transportation    9. Transportation / Automotive / General   

Reviews (1)

The Best Generalist's Book On Classic Cars
No book is perfect for the collector, but this is probably the best for car collectors.With over 1000 of the world's finest models, from over 200 marques, it has certainly captured the best amongst its pages.It also has some strange picks, but it doesn't claim to only list the top cars.And the world doesn't start in 1945 for this author, his team goes back as far as 1891 for their car selections. Excellent colour photos, with some B/W.Godd source of information on cars from the 1930s.With over 500 pages, this is a big book in all dimensions.Great value. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antique and classic cars    2. Automobiles    3. Automotive    4. Automotive - Antique & Classic    5. Automotive - History    6. Automotive - Pictorial    7. Encyclopedias    8. History    9. Transportation    10. Sale Books   

Reviews (3)

Fabulous!
I bought this book for my brother's 50th bday, who happens to own a 50th anniversay corvette.The photography is absolutely fabulous.Page after page of beautiful color photos.Also has all the specs from each year.Very interesting read also.I highly recommend. A great book for an inexpensive price.

wow
if you are a corvette fan, or just an auto fan, you must have this book. it covers corvettes from 1953 to 2003 with entries of the designers and their drawings and models, dream and show cars, race cars, and production models. it covers all these with beautiful color photos and in-detail descriptions. it even has each model years statistics. this being a 50th anniversary edition will only make it more valuable as time goes by.

A must for C5 owners
As a proud owner of a new C5 Corvette, a friend of mine bought this book for me. After a few hours, I finally set it down only to see his 3 year old daughter spill a glass of milk all over it. So I had no choice but to immediately buy another!
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Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive - History    3. Automotive - Pictorial    4. Corvette automobile    5. History    6. Transportation    7. Sale Books   

Reviews (10)

One of my Favs
It is everything and more than I expected to find in a Mercedes tome. Having read several books on the subject I find this one to be the most informative. The early years are covered well.

Truly Exquisite
This book is a joy to have. Well written and beautifully illustrated, I found this book a pleasure to own. As a dedicated Benz owner, I can appreciate the attention to detail that exists in this book.
Almost as heavy as the car!
The amount of factual material lavished in this tome about the origins of the motor car and the search for excellence via the Mercedes Benz brand should keep the afficianado glued for hours.The pictures are also excellent.Written in about three or four languages within the same book, the descriptions are backed by photographs - good ones charting the evolution of the Merc from the 19th century right to the modern sleek saloon.I think this is very much for the Mercedes buff or collector and I bought it as a gift.I think this book would be good if it showed how the Merc could grow some wings and start being more in harmony with the Earth's environment based on what sort of fuel it burns and fuel efficiency rather than just talk about technical specifications in self congratulatory terms.Still this book is about "man's" achievement with the motor car and there are things in this which you could admire. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive - General    2. Automotive - History    3. Automotive - Pictorial    4. Transportation    5. Automotive technology    6. Road & motor vehicles: general interest   

Reviews (1)

Excellent Service!
The item arrived very well packaged and protected.5 Star service~Great seller ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive - History    3. Automotive - Pictorial    4. Transportation    5. Transportation / Automotive / General   

Reviews (11)

Excellent gift
I bought "The Cobra in the Barn" book for my husband.He loves it!

Good Coffee Table Book
Good book for the waiting room of an upscale independent auto repair shop or the "reading room" in you own home; i.e. circumstances where you don't expect to read a book cover to cover.Some of the vignettes are very well written.Some are not.The latter fact is more noticeable because they all have the same story line.Several of those near the end of the book immerse the reader in minutiae about a particular car's history that only that car's owner could possibly care about.Overall, I enjoyed the portions I read, but will pass it on to a friend confident that he will do the same when he's finished with it.

A fun, light read for a car guy like me
I have scouted, searched, and on occasion bought an old car that has been sitting somewhere without a "for sale" sign on it. This book reads like the journal I'd like to write.The cars and their circumstances are mostly unique situations, and the lost/found and long term pursuit angles are the best.For the most part the buyers have a genuine interest, if not a personal one, in the cars they seek.Thankfully, the megabucks trophy collectors and hoarders who fill their warehouses (and ruin it for most everyone else) don't dominate the book.
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Subjects:  1. Antique and classic cars    2. Automotive - History    3. Cobra automobile    4. History    5. Miscellanea    6. Transportation    7. Automotive technology    8. Motor cars: general interest    9. Transportation / Automotive / Domestic / History   

Subjects:  1. Automotive - History    2. Transportation    3. 20th century    4. History of specific subjects    5. Motor sports    6. Sicily    7. Transportation / Automotive / Foreign / General   

Subjects:  1. Automotive - History    2. Domestic Automobiles - History    3. Transportation    4. Transportation / Automotive / Domestic / History   

Reviews (1)

VERY Good
Have NOT finished but I can see this is a very well thought out book.For instance, the content page contains a thumbnail to identify the car: Great idea, for quick ref. if you do not know the model name/number.The index is full, the trailers show races won in order.The details of each is large and althought I cannot vouch for all accuracy of info. the items I DID know were accurate enough.The book is small, and compact enough to keep along with you....kind of like a bird-watchers field manual.
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Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive - History    3. Automotive - Pictorial    4. Transportation    5. Transportation / Automotive / General   

Reviews (9)

Very Informative
This book is exactly what I was looking.It provides an detailed overview of Lean Manufacturing, from its history to examples of implementation in US manufacturing facilities today.
PRACTICAL
BECOMING LEAN A Data Bound Argument for Lean
This is the real stuff - not academic theory but real examples of "lean" written by the people that made it happen.The concluding chapter on "what we have learned about becoming lean" pulls itall together in a neat package.This is a must read for anyone who enjoyedWomack's book on "Lean Thinking".We have applied theselearnings at this company with great results. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automobile industry and trade    2. Automotive - History    3. Business & Economics    4. Business / Economics / Finance    5. Business/Economics    6. Case studies    7. Corporate & Business History - Strategies    8. Development - Business Development    9. Management    10. Management - General    11. Manufacturing industries    12. Organization Development    13. United States    14. Management & management techniques   

Reviews (11)

Porsche Excellence
The history of Porsche like no other. An absolute MUST HAVE for anyone who wants to everything about the Porsche cars. Wish the 964 chapter was more detailed (since I have one) but that is a minor issue.

The best automobile history ever written
"The best automobile history ever written" -- that's a big claim and is easily misunderstood. But I think it would be exceedingly difficult to find a more thorough, better researched, more comprehensive, and better written automobile history, regardless of topic or marque. One may argue that there are more "important" cars (or not); perhaps the story of Daimler and Maybach's pioneering efforts, or Henry Ford's, are more "important" in a larger historical context than the activities of a relatively small maker of specialist sports and racing cars, but that's not what I claim here. I claim that this is the best WRITTEN, most thorough autombile history ever. Porsche, as an automobile and an enterprise, is a very special phenomenon, and Ludvigsen's book presents both company and car to an audience that may otherwise never appreciate it. If you don't like Porsches, then that doesn't matter. If you do, you need this book. If you're not sure, then this book may be the beginning of a lifelong passion for all things Porsche.
Porsche Through Rose Glasses
If I'd realized Mr. Ludvigsen had a past history of writing for Automotive Quarterly, I would never have wasted this much money buying this set.Just like Automotive Quarterly (which never had a bad thing to say about any automobile) Mr. Ludvigsen glosses over the problems with the 356 and early 911 road cars, the internal power struggles within the company and board, and so on.Read more

Subjects:  1. Automobile racing    2. Automotive - History    3. Automotive - Pictorial    4. History    5. Motor Sports    6. Porsche automobiles    7. Sports & Recreation    8. Transportation    9. Motor cars: general interest   

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive - History    3. Automotive - Repair & Maintenance    4. Chevrolet trucks    5. Domestic Auto And Light Truck Repair    6. Domestic Automobiles - History    7. Handbooks, manuals, etc    8. Maintenance and repair    9. Transportation    10. Transportation / Automotive / General    11. Transportation / General    12. Vehicle workshop manuals   

Reviews (3)

Not a Good Book For Canadian Built Cars
This book is very good if you have a US built Chevelle. Has no Info on Canadian Built Chevelles. You can find more info on the web than what's in this book.

Great for Everything!
We have had this book ever since we restored a 1970 ElCamino.We are currently in the middle of a 1971 Monte Carlo, and although some of the information is different, much of it is accurate for the MC as well.Ourfriends borrow this book so often we have to sign it out to them. Currently it is invaluable in researching a 1975 Nova.As with the MC,most of the information is the same (paint codes, etc.).I highlyrecommend this book to anyone researching their car!

The BEST way to properly identify the validity of a car.
This book gives just the right amount of detail to provide the car owner or a buyer with what the numbers really mean.It will also tell you in a hurry whether the equipment on your car is truly "original"Ihave accurately identified my 71 Elky as well as many others.Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive - General    3. Chevelle automobiles    4. Chevrolet automobile    5. Domestic Automobiles - History    6. El Camino automobile    7. Malibu automobile    8. Reference    9. Serial numbers   

Reviews (1)

WOW!!!
I'd give it 10 stars, if I could. Great book for any Ford or Cobra enthusiast. A MUST HAVE for them. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive - History    2. Automotive - Pictorial    3. Transportation    4. Transportation / Automotive / General   

Reviews (6)

Vintage Beauties
This book has a fine combination of beautiful photos and well written text about an American niche.There are stories and examples from all over America that give a glimpse of the joy of seeing the world from a home away from home.

This is my trailer bible!
I have a weakness for books on architecture and interior decorating anyway. But this is the one I turn to again and again. For those of us with Champaign tastes and beer budgets, a vintage trailer is ulimately doable. Own your own piece of modernist archeture, albeit on wheels, even though you could never touch a Mies or Wright. When ever I try to figure out what to do with my 1957 Sportcraft (a classic silver-clad "canned ham"), I flip through these pages. I always find something inspiring.

A must read
This is an incredible wealth of information for anyone interested in architecture, travel trailers, and Americana in general. Lovely photography is augmented by nicely coordinated text. Some redundancy is my only criticism.
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Subjects:  1. Americana    2. Automotive - History    3. Automotive - Pictorial    4. General    5. History    6. Pictorial works    7. Recreational Vehicles (Engineering Aspects)    8. Transportation    9. Travel trailers    10. United States    11. Art / Calligraphy   

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive - History    3. Automotive - Repair & Maintenance    4. Transportation    5. Motor cars: general interest    6. Transportation / Automotive / Repair & Maintenance / General   

Reviews (4)

Great history of the 911
Although it doesn't have the technical details of Frere's "911 Story", I think for most of us this is a better overall book. I also recommend Leffingwell's "Porsche Legends". If you are a Porsche 911 fan, this is well worth having.

5 stars but...
..only if you are interested in a pictorial evolution of the 911. The pictures inside are awesome and they are not to be found on the internet. The supplementary text is comprehensive and very informative and the book is readable throughout.
Porsche Perfection
This is it! The most comprehensive Porsche 911 publication to date.The photographs are amazing and the background information is very accurate.
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Subjects:  1. Automotive - History    2. Automotive - Pictorial    3. Porsche 911 automobile    4. Transportation    5. Automotive technology    6. Motor cars: general interest    7. Transportation / Automotive / General   

Reviews (3)

I'm a bit prejudiced but....
When my editor and friend Darwin Holmstrom proposed this title, I jumped on the assignment. Several years ago he and I had discussed the idea of looking at the auto business from the perspective of how each car maker motivated the other. It's not exactly copycat engineering. Our book dug deeply into the stories behind the products and the motivation behind Detroit's anxious and enthusiastic adoption of what had been the chief influence of hot rodders: the unfulfilled need for affordable speed. Detroit found it could make the cars, market them, warrantee them, sell them, and reap the profits from them, and for several years - and again now - we all enjoyed a Golden Age. This book puts this particular niche of high-performance, no-compromise automaking into the context of the times and the competitors. Darwin and I worked our photographer friends David Newhardt and Mike Mueller (and there even are a few of my images in there,) to exhaustion finding and shooting rare, significant machines in interesting locations.

Best Muscle Car Book Ever
I've bought all of Randy Leffingwell's muscle car books. The first muscle car book I ever bought was his "American Muscle," which was also one of the best. I even bought his recent book "Porsche 911: Perfection By Design," even though I am not that interested in foriegn cars. It's a great story, with great photography.
I couldn'twait and bought this from Autobooks in Burbank
I'm a cheap bugger and almost always shop at Amazon to save money, but I found a copy of this book at Autobooks when I visited Burbank over the weekend. Owner Doug Stokes said it shipped early. I was going to order it from Amazon, but it looked so great I couldn't wait and bought a copy at full price. It was worth every penny. The photography was so stunning that if you looked at it too long it might burn the corneas of your eyes. Best of all, it included tons of photos of rare and important but seldom-seen muscle cars, images unavailable anywhere else. The text was as good as the photos. In his foreword Jim Wangers calls this one of the best books ever written on the subject. As usual, Mr. Wangers is correct. If you care at all about American performance cars, you must buy this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive - Antique & Classic    3. Automotive - History    4. Automotive - Pictorial    5. Transportation    6. Motor cars: general interest    7. Transportation / Automotive / General    8. USA