Johnny Tipler - Porsche Carrera: The Air-Cooled Era, 1953-1998

My father Don went through a hedge backwards in a 356, and Ive been a Porsche fan since. I even managed to emulate him four decades later, aquaplaning off at the ton in my 964. Happily, in neither case was the car badly damaged.

I have also managed to scrape a living as a freelance writer specializing in the marque, having written regularly for the independent 911 & Porsche World magazine since 2000. Other titles dedicated to the marque followed, including Classic Porsche, Excellence, Total 911, Porsche Lifestyle Megascene, and the PCGB publication Porsche Post; and then a couple of years ago The Crowood Press, for whom I have written half-a-dozen books, invited me to write this one.

I would especially like to thank 911 & Porsche Worlds editors, firstly Chris Horton and, since 2005, Steve Bennett (aka The Dear Leader), for commissioning me to write the relevant features, in the course of which Ive attended and reported on many big-time events, driven lots of fabulous Porsches, and interviewed legendary Porsche racing drivers, as well as specialist tuners, builders and garagistes. You will read about and hear from many of them here, with relevance to the Carrera saga, and Im most grateful to Steve for permission to quote from, and to refer to, related features and interviews.

The Peppermint Pig pauses at Reims pits, en route to Monte Carlo, covering the Historic Rally with Fran Newman, January 2012. JOHNNY TIPLER

Referring to the contemporary report in Motor Sport magazine, Sir Stirling Moss recounts racing the 718 RS60 in the 1961 Targa Florio to Johnny Tipler. The Porsches transmission failed on the last lap when Moss had a comfortable lead. ANTONY FRASER

As for the photographs, over the years I have mainly worked with two professional photographers on my Porsche features: Peter Robain in the early days and, since 2005, Antony Fraser. I learned a lot from watching these maestros at work and can produce a decent picture myself when covering historic races and rallies for the specialist press (though a good camera certainly helps!). Antony has extremely kindly and unstintingly provided the bulk of the modern photographs for the book, and is credited accordingly on the cover. My friend Andreas Beyer also came up with some exciting shots from covering La Carrera Panamericana. Another PanAm friend as well as 930 owner and Ronnie Peterson confederate Kenneth Olausson, supplied Porsche Carrera shots from his own considerable library.

The archivist at Porsches Zuffenhausen HQ, Jens Torner, was extremely diligent in picking out an amazing variety of Carrera photos, most of which are new to me, going back to 1953. As far as the text is concerned, my sidekick sub-editor at the comet-like Car Week newspaper, mid-1990s, John Dalton, diligently subbed the whole thing, with no threat of the punishment that we endured in the bad old days. Pete Robain delved back in time to produce some lovely shots which feature here and there in the text, and my daughter Zo helped locate the images throughout the script.

I would also like to mention some of my contacts and friends who have been involved in some context or another, in no particular order, and however fleetingly: Laurie Caddell, Johan Dirickx, Mike van Dingenen, Laura Drysdale, Peter (PeeJay) Jonkers, Andrea Kerr, Ian Heward, Ed Poland, Jude Haig, Alois Ruf, Paul Stephens, Fran Newman, Sarah Bennett-Baggs, John Hawkins, Pedro Diogo, Kenneth Olausson, Roman Caresani, Adrian Crawford, Caroline Llong, Willy Brombacher, Sarah Rope, Jon Kent, Andy Prill, Adam Lichtig, Angelica Fuentes, Jules Tipler, Ruth Wright, Kobus Cantraine, Stephen Mummery, Lars Eise, Mauritz Lange, Natalie Cook, Wayne Parker, Keith Seume, Mick Pacey, Dirk Sadlowski, Thomas Schnarr, Lee Sibley, Bill Hemmer, Jared Sindt, James Puttock, Matthew and Martin at Au-towerke, Nick Perry at Porsche GB, Gina Purcell, Lasse Hansen, Emma Stuart and Thadoa Lecrinier.

Interesting factory shot featuring the saw-tooth north light construction, and in the foreground a Porsche 356B 1600 GS Carrera GTL Abarth, in 1961. PORSCHE MUSEUM ARCHIVES

By Jrgen Barth

The names Porsche and Carrera are bonded like a really long love affair: like a young couple who formed an inexorable partnership that has blossomed over fifty years.

The man responsible for the match was Huschke von Hanstein, who, in the early days of the Porsche Factory in the 1950s, was a close friend of Ferry Porsche and fulfilled multiple roles, advertising and press officer as well as sport and competitions director. He instigated Porsches international racing history by entering cars in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Mexican Carrera Panamericana. The fantastic results achieved in those early races formed the basis of the companys Customer Racing Department, and provided the springboard for the first Carrera engine, the four-cam, 4-cylinder engine designed by Professor Fuhrmann. The love affair took off when these engines were installed in the 550 Spyders in 1953.

Jrgen Barth at home, surrounded by Porsche treasures and souvenirs from events such as the East African Safari Rally. ANTONY FRASER