Porsche Prototype Era: 1964-1973 in Photographs

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Porsche Prototype 1964-1973 in Photographs recounts an epic period in the history of Porsche motorsports. During this time the German manufacturer transformed itself from being a small-bore GT class leader into becoming the dominant player on the world stage of prototype and sports car competition. Beginning with the first of the modern midengine Porsches, the 904, and carrying on through the awesome 917 endurance coupes and the thrilling 1,500-horsepower turbocharged 917 Can-Am spyders, this beautiful photographic history brings back these trendsetting sports prototypes in all their glory, as well as highlighting the drivers who raced them and the classic circuits that were host to their legendary competitions. During this period Porsche waged fierce battles against archrival Ferrari, which dominated nearly all aspects of the sports car and prototype scene during the majority of the 1960s and into the early ’70s until dethroned by Zuffenhausen’s 908s and 917s. Porsche’s success was bolstered by the efforts of liaisons with such key semiprivate teams as Martini and Porsche Salzburg, as well as its official representatives, John Wyer and Roger Penske. Equally, the drivers who raced Porsches for either the factory or its anointed clients read like a who’s who of motorsports. Among these elite were the likes of Jo Siffert, Pedro Rodriguez, Vic Elford, Brian Redman, Mark Donohue, George Follmer, Jackie Oliver, Peter Gregg, Hurley Haywood, Helmut Marko, Gijs van Lennep, Gerhard Mitter, Herbert Muller, David Piper, Rolf Stommelen, Leo Kinnunen, Gerard Larrousse, Dick Attwood, Hans Herrmann, Derek Bell, Tony Dean, Joe Buzzetta, Udo Shutz, and Willy Kauhsen. The races themselves were fought! over the challenging ultra-high-speed circuits of Le Mans, Daytona, Monza, and Spa as well as on the punishing Sebring and Targa Florio courses, where survival, much less winning, was a triumph. This phenomenal display of driving talent coincided with an exciting revolution in technology, as ever-increasing tire widths and improved aerodynamics brought about huge increases in speed, performance, and handling, the likes of which had not been seen before in the history of racing. At this time sports car racing was hugely popular and on par with Formula 1. From the sheer size of the crowds shown here, it is easy to see how important winning the World Championship was to manufacturers. Replete with fascinating detail, Porsche Prototype Era captures the most compelling images of the men and machines of this ten-year period in one volume, including insights on drivers, technical developments, and race details.