Porsche: Excellence Was Expected?The Comprehensive History of the Company its Cars and its Racing Heritage
by Karl Ludvigsen
1566 pp.
Three volumes
Bentley Publishers

The original, single volume of "Excellence..." was released back in 1977, and it quickly became known as "The Bible." The praise heaped upon Karl Ludvigsen was well deserved, and that praise is still relevant today?but perhaps it should be reserved for the original.

The pre-publication edition arrived to our offices months ago, and I have been wading through all three volumes over that time. Somehow, in the translation of time from Ludvigsen's original effort to the present offering, I can't help but get the feeling that much has changed at Porsche, and not all for the good.

The preface to the new edition is most interesting and honest in its appraisal of the Porsche of today, which simply isn't building a rich history for future generations.

There have been hundreds of articles and books in print that deal with many of the same things found in volumes two and three of the new "Excellence...," but his work opened the gates for others. Ludvigsen was the one who threw the party first, and we were the lucky guests. Still, a proper review of this massive release truly requires three or four devoted pages, and that simply isn't possible. For me to discuss the new "Excellence" in a few hundred words seems criminal.

My suggestion: If you can only get one book for your library on Porsche, this is the one. If you already have the original as part of your ongoing collection of titles dealing with all aspects of Porsche, you are in good shape. Also worthwhile: Take a moment to read an excellent interview with Karl Ludvigsen by Betty Jo Turner; it can be found at www.BentleyPublishers.com.

European Car - May 2004