HARDBACK PORSCHE REFERENCE

British publisher Pen & Sword has released a splendid book on Porsche's iconic 911, and it offers heaps of visual cues for auto modellers.

HARDBACK PORSCHE REFERENCE

One of the most successful and desirable sports car marques ever, Porsche’s most revered product is certainly the 911. While there have been seemingly countless books on the subject over the years, many go out of print. However, there’s always a different ‘take’ and fresh source material to be enjoyed.

Porsche Passion 911 Heaven and Beyond, Pen & Sword’s new image-laden examination of the type, offers plenty of reference for anyone contemplating builds of the 911 and its wider family. And narrative on more distant relatives, both old and new, bookend the main content to give full context and expand on the story. Author Lance Cole, a noted subject specialist, begins with the initial Porsche sports prototypes and charismatic Porsche 356, before plunging the reader into the 911 proper, and a wealth of reference lies within these pages.

HARDBACK PORSCHE REFERENCE

Weather you wish to portray road or race versions, the quality colour imagery shows many facets of the vehicles, and those nuances – some subtle, others more overt – that must be appreciated if building a truly accurate replica (on that note, for coverage of Revell’s recent 1/24 911, see here)

Photo captions vary in length… the shorter texts mostly letting the relevant images speak for themselves, while wordier explanations provide vital dates, technical details and more. Even official Porsche paint colours are named, which is helpful in these days of colour-matching for modellers.

HARDBACK PORSCHE REFERENCE

The big plus-point of this book is how it shows the many 911 sub-types and their details, and much fun can be had in choosing a particular vehicle to build, then identifying the correct kit and aftermarket products that might be required. And it becomes apparent rather quickly just how the family has changed over the years. Besides excellent images of the cars as a whole, there are exterior and interior close-ups, including engines, as well as period shots. Other types, such as the Porsche 956, 928, 959, 924/944, and much more modern iterations of the 911 (GT3 etc) also feature, linking the story and the developing technologies involved.

HARDBACK PORSCHE REFERENCE

With kits from Fujimi, Revell-Monogram, ESCI, Profil-24, Otaki, NuNu, Tamiya and others being available (new and from auction sites), as well as a plethora of decals and accessories, you can have a field day building members of the 911 family. Porsche Passion will be a valuable tool in your armoury if embarking on such a quest, and it’s good value at £25, available from: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk

Porsche Passion 911 Heaven and Beyond
By: Lance Cole
Format: 256 x 288mm, landscape
ISBN: 978-1-52678-569-5

HARDBACK PORSCHE REFERENCE