Book Review

February 1, 2012 | By Ted Kade

PORSCHE 911

Anyone who has more than a passing interest in automobiles knows that the Porsche 911 found in dealerships over the decades is a special breed of car…basically a racing vehicle that also is street legal for use as a daily driver.

And if you’ve ever driven one, you know that you can feel that racing heritage from the minute you settle into the bolstered seats that are designed to hold you securely in place during whatever extreme high-performance driving maneuvers you may have in mind. In fact, you can almost hear the car telling you, “I sincerely hope that you are a trained enthusiast, or better still, a seasoned professional because no matter how hard you push me, I’ll still have some left in reserve…and I’ll test your limits before you can possibly reach mine.”

Shown above is the 1977 911S Coupe. In the final year for the 911S model, this legendary car received interior additions such as air vents in the center of the dash and door lock buttons that disappeared into the door sills to help thwart thieves armed with coat hangers. The 1975 911S Targa

sold for about $14,400 at the time and went from 0-100 kilometers in 7.6 seconds.

In other words, the Porsche 911 is not a car for someone who just thoroughly enjoys driving; it was put on this earth for those who literally live to be behind the wheel and, furthermore, as the old saying goes, have “the need for speed.”

If you are among those folks who feel that the 911 is the world’s perfect ride, this is a book you’ll want to read because it covers the evolution of this uncommon vehicle in well-researched,thorough detail.

How thorough? Well, consider that for 1973 Porsche Decided to offer Light weight and Touring versions of the 911 Carrera RS. The Touring version had such creature comforts as inner door panels, a glove box cover, radio,sun visors and reclining seats. The Lightweight version, among other things, removed the clock and glove box cover and was equipped with leather pull straps to close the door from the inside. In return, the Touring cars accelerated from 0 to 100 kilometers(62 mph)in 6.3 seconds while the Lightweight cars trimmed that time to 5.8 seconds.

If you think that gaining that half-second was more than worth the sacrifice, promise yourself that someday you’ll own a Porsche 911. —Ted Kade

Motorbooks—motorbooks.com; ($45)