Historic Racer Review - May 2016

May 25, 2016

Historic Racer's review "The Beautiful Carrera Book":

In this digital age of always on internet, Wikipedia, Porsche owners forums and chat groups, you could be forgiven for thinking that there was little point in buying a book about the Carrera 2.7. After all, any statistics, or information you may need can be found by swiping your iPad around Google for a while. You’re missing the point.

While I love the digital age, there’s something about a good quality book that creates a sense of occasion when you sit down to open it. The first time you lift the hard cover, there is a wafting scent of fresh print. A really well produced hard back book is a tactile thing to be enjoyed.

When the book contains a wealth of information and is quite clearly a labour of love by it’s creator, it becomes something that deserves long term book shelf space. Before reading Carrera 2.7, I had always considered the model to be a tiny aspect of the Porsche 911 story, a stop gap model that bridged the gap between the iconic 2.7RS and the start of the EFI 3.0 and 3.2 litre cars.

While that may be one way to consider the model, Ryan Snodgrass’ comprehensive book shows just how pivotal the ‘Euro Carrera’ 2.7 model was, both in the influence over subsequent models and the effect on the 930.

Ryan’s book contains a huge amount of information, but unlike many technical Porsche books, he keeps it flowing and it’s easy to read and understand.

If you’ve ever wanted to know exactly how Mechanical Fuel Injection worked, or how the 915 gearbox goes together, or even the tiny details of the differing wheel arch shapes of the 911 models, then this book will answer your questions. 

Ryan spent an awful lot of time waist deep in the Porsche archives, the result is probably the most thorough book ever on the first of the Impact Bumper Porsche 911s.

Depending upon your mood, the book can either serve as a useful reference tool, or simply be an enjoyable read over a glass of whatever is your favourite. Printed on high quality, silky smooth paper stock and shipping in a stout slip case, the high quality feel of its construction reflects the quality of the content.

Whatever your personal preference in the Darwinian evolution of the Porsche 911, you are remiss if you do not add this book to your collection.