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   

Subjects:  1. Automotive - Pictorial    2. Motor Sports    3. Photoessays & Documentaries    4. Sports    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Ferrari (Team)    7. Sports & Recreation / Motor Sports   

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   

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)

Great Porsche Book
This book is a must read for anyone who owns or even just admires an early, mid, or late year 911 and enjoys its performance.
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Subjects:  1. Automobile Engine    2. Automotive    3. Automotive - Foreign - High Performance & Engine Rebuilding    4. Automotive - General    5. Transportation    6. Transportation / Automotive / General   

Subjects:  1. Motor cars: general interest   

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 (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   

Reviews (7)

Beautiful book , short on technical details
This is a beautifully produced book, with many high-quality photographs and drawings. A perfect gift for the F1 enthusiast, especially as an introduction. It devotes a chapter to every aspect of an F1 race car, and is lavishly illustrated and well written. The author, having designed F1 cars himself. obviously knows his topic.
A book for every Formula One enthusiast
This book is very well put together with a right blend of images & text. Covers every aspect involved in designing & building a formula one car with a focus on the Ferrari F1-2000.
Coffee table material for the engineer
First, what this book isn't:an engineering textbook with step by step blueprints for the Ferrari F1-2000.What this book is:a great compilation of the technical elements of Formula 1 and Ferrari.The best secrets of F1 still remain secrets in this book.But it does offer glimpses into a hodgepodge of technical and sporting topics:Ferrari's F1 history, monocoque design, safety considerations, fuel technology, tires, aerodynamics, and the Ferrari team structure itself.Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive - General    2. Transportation    3. Motor cars: general interest   

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)

Informative Beautifully photographed rendering of the history of Cadillac
Mr. Van Bogart has captured the classic beauty of Cadillac design and composed a brief history of the marque packaged in an immensely readable tome that does not require the strength of Hercules to lift.

Great photography, concise, cleverly organized
This is a great book for the casual Cadillac enthusiast who seeks a solid, well-rounded book about the marque; it's also good for the die-hard types like me who simply like to have as many beautiful color photos of Cadillacs as they can contain on their bookshelves. A highly recommended study for any Cadillac enthusiast
Fans of Cadillacs and old-style cars will find Angelo Van Bogart's Cadillac a lovely pictorial survey of 100 years of changing Cadillac style, surveying the car's style, changes, and century of success. While Cadillac lends to coffee-table coverage with its gorgeous color photos, it also rounds out the pictures with plenty of historical text, making it a highly recommended study for any Cadillac enthusiast. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive - History    3. Automotive - Pictorial    4. Cadillac automobile    5. Domestic Automobiles - History    6. General    7. History    8. Transportation    9. History of engineering & technology    10. Motor cars: general interest    11. USA   

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

Subjects:  1. Automotive - History    2. Motor Sports    3. Transportation   

Reviews (1)

Insightful !
This is a great manufacturing love story in which Toyota, an automaker clearly in love with its product, decides to go after the U.S. luxury car buyer, a suitor who has repeatedly ignored its advances. To get America's attention, Toyota must first re-invent itself. It must make itself more handsome (through better styling), improve its physique (be faster, stronger and need less maintenance) and prove its financial management skill (by selling great cars for less). Because time is fleeting and the buyer has many other suitors (Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, Nissan, Volvo), Toyota must work fast before its intended lover makes an irrevocable decision and buys someone else's car. Like some other love stories, this is repetitive and suffers from some plain old sloppy editing. But it makes you want to test-drive a Lexus to see what causes such a sensation. We recommend this book to CEOs and sales and marketing executives who dream of producing revolutionary, successful products for the global marketplace. And who would mind getting a little consumer love? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automobile Industries (Economic Aspects)    2. Automotive - General    3. Business & Economics    4. Business / Economics / Finance    5. Business/Economics    6. Chemistry - Organic    7. Corporate & Business History - Strategies    8. Foreign Automobiles - History    9. General    10. Industries - Automobile Industry    11. Industries - General    12. Business & Economics / General    13. Business & Management    14. Road vehicle manufacturing industry   

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

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Motorcycles - History    3. Transportation    4. Motorcycles: general interest    5. Transportation / Motorcycles / History   

Reviews (1)

A Must Buy for Jaguar Enthusiasts
One of the best, if not the best, book on the Jaguar XK8/R series by a top expert on Jaguars. Great information if you own one, and you absolutely must buy this book if you are thinking about buying a used one. Also many good photos that I have not seen published elsewhere. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive - Buyer's Guides    3. Transportation    4. Motor cars: general interest    5. Transportation / Automotive / General    6. Vehicle maintenance   

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive - History    3. Automotive - Pictorial    4. Transportation    5. Car racing    6. Transportation / Automotive / General   

Features

• Box set

Reviews (5)

A Lexus Enthusiasts Dream Book
I am a huge Lexus fan and this book satisfied my every expectation! I now value my Lexus even more than I did prior to reading it. Lexus went above and beyond that of its competitors to ensure their first vehicle, the LS, would be a success and appealing to the luxury car buyer. Their precedence in approach to customer service is outstanding and I believe it to be a large part of their success today. I have a new understanding of Lexus' slogan "The Passionate Pursuit of Perfection" and have determined Lexus to be a redefinition of luxury.I highly recommend this beautiful coffee table edition book to the enthusiast, owner, or individual interested in how Lexus has come to be a leading dominate force in the U.S. luxury car market.

LExus really changed the car industry
The story of LExus is a case in the history of car market ,globalization and strategic implementation.
Very nice book and informative
Nice book to look at, even has a real lexus emblem on the cover! Amazing how Lexus started with $1 billion and a dream to change the luxury car market and the way dealers treat their customers.To give you an idea, GM's Saturn started with $3.5 billion investment that it still has not recouped.Before Lexus everyone, including bmw & benz owners were treated like crap and they cars sucked, I remember when a 1991 Benz 300E was 55K and a fully loaded LS was $40K.
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Subjects:  1. Automobile industry and trade    2. Automotive - History    3. General    4. History    5. Lexus automobile    6. Transportation    7. United States    8. Transportation / Automotive / General    9. Transportation / General   

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive (motor mechanic) skills    3. Automotive - General    4. Road & motor vehicles: general interest    5. Transportation    6. Vehicle maintenance    7. c 1980 to c 1990    8. c 1990 to c 2000    9. Motor cars: general interest    10. Transportation / Automotive / General