PORSCHE 911: THE DEFINITIVE HISTORY; 1997 TO 2005

Brian Long Enlarged second edition, published 2017 by Veloce, which supplied the review copy ISBN 978-1-845848-97-2 Reviewed by Mark Holman

I bet that when Porsche introduced the 901 (quickly renamed ‘911’, thanks to Peugeot), no one imagined how long the model and its direct successors would last — or that Brian Long would be on to the fifth volume of his Definitive History!

This book centres on the 996, the first of the water-cooled models. The author first gives a potted history of the marque, and then takes the reader on a detailed and interesting tour of all things 996: how it was developed, the many variations and options over its nine-year life, competition models and racing successes, and how the car was promoted in its key markets. While the look of the 996 remained much the same, many changes were introduced over its lifetime; some as major as four-wheel drive and other minor ones like the colour of the badging — although I think that the reference to the Club Sport GT2 being equipped with “bucket seats trimmed in flammable cloth” is a misprint! The introduction of the 997 brings the book to a close.

Illustrated throughout with factory photos, plus a neat selection of ads from the US, Europe, and Japan, this 224page book should be enjoyed by the many fans of this evergreen Porsche model.