5 really expensive Porsche books, but worth every penny

Expensive as hell, but it works. Many of us in the German-speaking world know this advertising slogan from days long past. Whether the dandruff shampoo addressed back then actually worked is something we cannot prove. But we dare to say that the slogan, which is admittedly a bit dusty, is absolutely true for the Porsche book recommendation that now follow. They are indeed expensive, but they work. And how! Please do not take our recommendations regarding the following Porsche books as a ranking. Each Porsche book has its own special features in terms of content and design, and it would not be possible to make a judgmental ranking here.

1. Porsche Book: Turbo 3.0 -Limited Edition von Ryan Snodgrass

Anyone interested in the history of Porsche simply cannot avoid the subject of the 911 Turbo. The truly excellent book Turbo 3.0 by Ryan Snodgrass delves deep into the development, production, and mystery of the three years of Porsche’s groundbreaking 3.0-liter Turbo models produced from 1975 to 1977.

The book is the result of the most meticulous research and intensive studies in the Porsche factory archive.

This extremely comprehensive compendium attempts to cover everything an owner, restorer, historian, or enthusiast would want to know about the beginning of Porsche’s turbocharged supercar. With a foreword by Jürgen Barth, the Turbo 3.0 book explores the history of the first production turbocharged 911 and delves into the development of turbo road and race cars through great interviews with factory engineers, development drivers, and race drivers. 536 pages, each of them exciting and informative, and 1,508 photos, 754 of them never before published, make the Porsche heart beat faster.

Turbo 3.0 – Limited Edition

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2. RUF – The very very limited one

Admittedly, the first thing to clarify here is: Is a RUF a Porsche and is a book about RUF therefore a Porsche book? We keep it this way: A RUF is a RUF. Thus everything is clarified. However, the link between RUF and Porsche is undisputed. Whoever loves Porsche, in our opinion, must also love RUF. And then this book anyway.

This illustrated book, limited to just 356 copies, shows the life and work of the world-famous Porsche tuner Alois Ruf.

Very personal insights in pictures and texts. The first part includes Alois and friends. The enticing story of Alois Ruf, his family, his company, his passion, his great successes and small defeats, his adventures, his vision and some secrets that hardly anyone knew. With countless historical pictures. Part 2, Yellowbird and friends. All cars. Around 35 models, one more powerful than the other, including numerous historical pictures and relevant technical details. Special highlight: all 356 copies are hand-signed by the maestro himself. The two parts of the book come in a luxurious slipcase covered with the well-known Pepita Ruf seat fabric. The book number and the RUF logo are embroidered on this fabric.

3. The Carrera RS Book

There are Porsche books that you page through once and then put on the shelf. And there are Porsche books like the Carrera RS book. Almost a quarter of a century after the highly successful and long out-of-print first book from 1992, authors and editors Dr. Thomas Gruber and Dr. Georg Konradsheim surprised the Porsche scene in 2015 with the new edition of their legendary “Carrera RS” book. The Porsche 911 Carrera RS is the ideal image of a sports car, its unique beauty has endured for generations. The characteristic duck rump, the thin sheet metal parts or the glaverbel windows all contribute to this. Company founder Ferry Porsche’s idea was a “small, lightweight sports car that would succeed in leaving much larger and more powerful cars behind.” Motorsport played a major role in the Porsche legend from the very beginning.

So this excellent Porsche book “Carrera RS” also begins with a foray through the motorsport history of the Carrera legends.

The first chapter is devoted entirely to the Carrera Panamericana; the second and third chapters present the Carrera’s predecessors-from the Type 365 to the Type 550, the 904/Carrera GTS, and the Porsche 916 prototype, which was worth a chapter of its own to the authors. The model paved the way for the Carrera RS with its signature ducktail. This wonderful Carrera RS collector’s book, 434 pages thick and weighing four kilograms, is published in English and German. The edition of this book is limited and individually numbered. A total of only 3000 copies were printed in each language.

Carrera RS Book

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4. RGruppe Limited Edition 700

This amazing Porsche book is actually more a piece of furniture than a book in the conventional sense. You fall in love without even opening the book, don’t you? But now to the content. Ever heard of the RGroup? It was founded in 1999 by Freeman Thomas and Cris Huergas, two die-hard Porsche 911 enthusiasts. What should a classic air-cooled Porsche 911 look like? The members of RGroup have a very clear but also unconventional opinion on this. Slogans like

“R Group is not an automobile club, but a brotherhood”.

or “It’s about the cars and the people … leave the ego behind” and “We’re called the RGroup, we don’t live by anyone else’s rules” describe the spirit of the group. By modifying their early Porsche 911s, inspired by role models such as Steve McQueen, Porsche’s lightweight sports cars, and the California hotrod scene, the club paved its own way and today enjoys a particularly good reputation worldwide. For over 15 months, German photographer and filmmaker Frank Kayser and his team researched, documented, photographed and filmed for one of America’s most legendary car clubs. A journey into the club’s 20-year history. Never before has an automobile club been portrayed in this way as in this book. This masterpiece comes all in black ( black cover – black embossed lettering- black paper exterior ) and comes with a special numbered sticker for your car and a beautiful embossed slipcase. Limited to only 700 pieces.

Porsche Book: RGruppe Limited Edition 700

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5. Porsche 911R: The Book

As with the legendary Carrera RS book, the authors Christoph Mäder, Georg Konradsheim and Thomas Gruber spared no effort. They spent a year and a half researching and tracking down details and anecdotes, no matter how small. The book really lets the reader delve very deeply into the subject matter. And we are talking here, please, about the original father of all motorsport offshoots of the 911. The book is divided into two parts: the 911R with 210 hp from 1967 and the 2016 model with 500 hp. The first part documents the development of the 911 R in the mid-1960s, the factory entries of the lightweight 911, the engines that were used at the time (including the Type 916 4-camshaft engine), and the world records that the car set at Monza.

The second part of the book looks at the 911 R model year 2016, the background to its creation, the basic GT3 and GT3RS models, and all the equipment options.

A special feature is the listing of all 991 911Rs built with information on color, rims, interior as well as country-specific equipment. The “911R” book is the perfect reference work for Porsche lovers and collectors. No expense was spared for this book and so elaborate 3D illustrations were created, which allow a look under the “sheet metal” dress by means of transparent foils, whereby sheet metal refers collectively to the materials aluminum, carbon fiber, magnesium and plastic. The book quotes the 911R with its leather houndstooth look including double topstitching. It is protected by a silver slipcase in which the car’s characteristic stripes are embedded. The German version is adorned with green stripes, the English version with red.

Porsche 911R: The Book

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