PORSCHE’SMONTE HISTORY

The past two or three years have seen the publication of a remarkable range of high quality books on Porsches, old and new. To be honest, we thought weʼd seen every possible subject covered, but then a knock on the door signalled the delivery of what we think will soon become recognised as one of the most important Porsche history books to date.

It was back in 1968 that Porsche won the legendary Monte Carlo Rally for the very first time, but it was far from being the first time a Porsche had appeared in this famous event. Believe it or not, a Porsche was entered in the rally as far back as 1952, and in 1956 Porsche scored its first class win. Similar class successes occurred in 1962, ʼ63, ʼ65, ʼ66 and ʼ67. A change in regulations, which effectively threw the event wide open, saw Porsche taking number one spot with a 911 driven by Vic Elford and David Stone. This was followed by overall wins in 1969 and 1970, and another in 1978. Further class wins came Porscheʼs way in each year from 1979 to 1982.

This two-volume slip-cased work totals over 900 pages, with no fewer than 535 black and white and 348 colour photos, recording every single Porsche that ran in the Monte Carlo Rally. The majority of the photographs appear for the first time in print, making this a ʻmust haveʼ work for any Porsche enthusiast with an interest in the companyʼs competition history.

The text is fairly minimal, letting the photos and entry data speak for themselves, but it is far from being a dry reference work. Printed in three languages (English, French and German), the boxed set is entitled Porsche on the Monte Carlo Rally 1952–1982 and is written by Patrick Dasse and Maurice Louche. Priced at €175, the ISBN number is 978-3-87166-108-2. Available from www.dingwort-verlag.de and specialised bookshops