Key information
Author: Glen Smale
RRP: £20.00
(free P&P in the UK)
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 215
Published by: Haynes Publishing
BUY: Signed copy available from author
In tracing the heritage of the name Carrera, Porsche – The Carrera Dynasty takes the reader around the world on a journey through Porsche’s history over more than 50 years. This book explains how the royal heritage of the title Carrera has followed an ever-changing path through the company’s history from an early engine reference to the whole 911 range today. The name Carrera was even dropped from the Porsche range on a couple of occasions.
Porsche – The Carrera Dynasty illustrates how the famous Carrera lettering came about and how this helped to lift Porsche’s profile during the 1970s. It looks at Porsche from a different angle, explaining some of things you didn’t know about the famous marque.
At the sound of the name Carrera, one is filled with images of gritty racing drivers, battling away at the wheel through the harsh and dry hinterland of Mexico, in sweat-stained overalls with little in the way of support. These were the treacherous conditions into which the fledgling Porsche company thrust its 550 Spyder during those tortuous days of La Carrera Panamericana in the early 1950s.
The Porsche Carrera has come a long way in the past 50 plus years, as today’s Carrera driver is more likely to be wearing a three-piece business suit or even high heeled stilettos. So much has been written on the subject of Porsche to date, but little research had been done into the origins and significance of the name Carrera. It is this name which forms the basis for the book, as the origins and heritage of this royal title can be traced back to that Mexican race in 1953.
Porsche has used the name Carrera as a loose reference for its first four-cam engine, but through time it has been applied to models ranging from its top performer to the whole Porsche 911 range.
Few names conjure up images of such hard-won achievements and determination in the motoring world more than Carrera does. This is not just a story of motor sport victories, but also of adapting to changes in the market and most importantly, the proud personnel who made up the company of Porsche.
Glen Smale is a life-long motoring enthusiast whose writing in this field has covered magazine features, books and automotive marketing. Graduating with a marketing degree from Rhodes University, South Africa, he has a strong interest in motor cars and people and how the two interact.
