Porsche: The Road from Zuffenhausen

A lavishly illustrated history of the most recognized sports-car maker in the world—Porsche—a story that began more than a century ago.

Porsche: The Road from Zuffenhausen is the first book in more than twenty-five years to chronicle in such meticulous detail the early years of the renowned automobile company. Perfect for the more than 500,000 Porsche owners and the millions of Porsche enthusiasts, Porsche is a lively narrative of the cars and the people who created them. In the opening chapters, the reader will find the true heart of Porsche and its dedication to design and engineering, and then move on to the pre–World War II development of the first Porsche prototypes, as well as the development of the Volkswagen by Professor Ferdinand Porsche in the late 1930s. The story of the company’s early postwar years in Austria is a tale of commitment to an idea, an idea that resulted in the first 356 model and in a very short time established Porsche as one of Germany’s leading car makers.

Here is the entire history not only of the 356 but also of the development of competition versions, and of the evolution of the 550 RSK and the legendary 904 Carrera GTS. The story of the 911 occupies half the book, as this model has survived for nearly four decades—the longest production of any single postwar automobile design.

The narrative is brilliantly complemented by wonderful historical documents and photographs from the factory archives, provided through the cooperation of Porsche AG and the Porsche family, as well as original color photography by the author.

Dennis Adler is the editor in chief of Car Collector magazine and the author of more than twenty books on automotive history and vintage firearms. He has written award-winning books on Packard, Chrysler, and Mercedes-Benz.