Books published by Porter Press International

From 1980 to 2000, Camel Trophy took more than 500 amateur competitors from 35 countries on extraordinary and challenging adventures. On most of these events, teams drove specially prepared Land Rovers to the limit and beyond in locations as varied as Borneo, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea and Tanzania. Camel Trophy charts the history of the event and tells the legendary stories of endurance born of the constant challenge to both man and machine. An official photographer on the last four events, author Nick Dimbleby combines his first-hand account with experiences shared by competitors, contemporary reports and extensive new interviews of key players, to tell a gripping tale of adventure, adversity, technological change and logistical challenge. Beautifully illustrated throughout with a stunning collection of evocative official photography and unofficial behind-the-scenes shots, this extensively researched publication can legitimately claim to be the definitive history of the Camel Trophy.

This guide provides an insight into the design and construction of the Model T and many of its numerous variants, and the uses to which they were put, along with details of the background to Henry Ford himself and the car.

The First Three Shelby Cobras, the third book in the acclaimed Exceptional Cars series, tells the story of three remarkable cars, the first AC Cobras created by the legendary Carroll Shelby in 1962 and now favorites of sports-car enthusiasts throughout the world. The prototype CSX2000 has been described as the “most important American car”, although it was built on a British AC Ace chassis with an American Ford V8 engine. It was retained by the Shelby family until 2016, when it sold at auction for a record $13.75 million. CSX2001 was the first production Cobra, and was delivered to American racing driver Ed Hugus. It was later sold to Frenchman Jean-Marie Vincent, who raced in the Tour de France and in numerous European hillclimbs.  CSX2002 was the first Cobra to race and nearly won its inaugural outing at Riverside, driven by Bill Krause, until sidelined by a broken rear hub. It did take the first ever Cobra win, with Dave MacDonald at Tucson in March 1963. Its success led to a series of competition wins that made Shelby's Cobras famous and admired across the globe. All three cars are now the pride of car collections in the United States of America. CSX2000 and CSX2002 are part of the Larry Miller Collection, and CSX2001 belongs to California-based motorsport aficionado Bruce Meyer.

The Audi R8 was the first in a line of world-beating sports-prototype cars from the Ingolstadt marque which would dominate Le Mans, and would see Audi remain at the forefront of international sports-car racing for over 15 years. If such an award could go to a machine, Audi 'R8-405' - the car featuring in this book - was surely the 'Man of the Match' for the 2000 Le Mans 24 Hours. In the end it would finish second, behind one of its team mates which had a far less-troubled run, but it was not for want of trying by Allan McNish, his co-drivers Stéphane Ortelli and Laurent Aïello and their mechanics. The Audi R8s would go on to dominate endurance racing for a further five years. The cars had already shown what they were capable of by finishing first and second on their debut, in the 12 Hours of Sebring in March 2000. At Le Mans, apart from a brief aberration when a Panoz led under a full course yellow, 'R8-405' led the race for six hours. Trouble then intervened, but the car's drivers never gave up, McNish setting fastest lap of the race in the morning still chasing his team mates Frank Biela, Tom Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro in the eventual winning sister car. That car would soon be on its way to Audi's museum, but 'R8-405' would race on in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), driven later that year by Biela and Pirro and winning at Texas Motor Speedway and Las Vegas. By the end of the season, '405' and the other 4-series 2000-season R8s would be rendered almost obsolete by Audi's introduction of a direct-injection engine for its new 5-series R8. That did not stop '405' from competing for a further year in the ALMS, albeit in private - Champion Racing - hands, with regular drivers including Andy Wallace and Johnny Herbert. Despite its tender years, it would later go on to qualify as an historic car, and a host of new opportunities opened up as it became one of the most raced of all the R8s. In 2020 the car was acquired by enthusiast Martin Halusa with every intention of taking it back to Le Mans in the future for the biannual Classic races. The enthralling story of 'R8-405' is told in fascinating detail in this book, supported by a stunning array of photographs showing the car in action in its two years of 'period' competition, together with a gallery of fine studio images showing this 'Great Car' as it is today.

Published in support of cancer charity Hope for Tomorrow, Drivers on Drivers features some of the greatest names in motor racing speaking candidly about their biggest rivals as well as their heroes, teammates and friends. It is a unique concept, with those interviewed ranging from legends of the 1950s such as Tony Brooks and 1960s rally icon Paddy Hopkirk, to Derek Bell, Mika Häkkinen, and current superstars such as Sir Lewis Hamilton.

Concept cars are meant to break moulds and explore new ideas; to forecast or establish trends. They afford designers the opportunity to let rip; to use their imaginations and envisage the sort of vehicle that we will be driving in years - perhaps decades - to come. The fact is that some concept cars are displayed at an event and never seen again, while others cross continents and become media darlings, only to be placed in storage - or worse - once they are no longer of use. The 1960s witnessed the emergence of countless memorable showstoppers, and this book presents a year-by-year rundown of the most memorable concept cars of the 1960s with several obscurities thrown in for good measure. Some have long since earned legendary status, foretelling the future, while others fell a long way short. Here is fascinating glimpse into how the future of motoring looked in the 1960s, from the sublime to the frankly ridiculous.

Built as a Ferrari 250 GT Short Wheelbase Competizione, chassis number 2819 GT has become famous as the instantly recognisable 'Breadvan' - a fan favourite around the world. This latest book from Porter Press tells its full story, from being delivered new to sports car ace Olivier Gendebien and its 1962 conversion into the Breadvan by Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata, to its recent appearances at Goodwood and Le Mans.

Motoring and aviation enthusiast Vic Norman has led a remarkable life. A trip to the 1954 British Grand Prix left an indelible mark, and he went on to own some of the most coveted road and racing cars of all time. He also founded Rosso Racing, which restored and prepared competition Ferraris, but in the early 1980s his passion for aeroplanes took over and he became one of the UK's top aerobatic pilots.

This book is an unabashed celebration of one of Great Britain's greatest engineering names and the remarkable machines that can be seen in action all over the world. From the first trailer, produced from post-war scrap metal in 1945 to the latest award-winning electric mini-digger - the story of JCB is told through a remarkable collection of images from the company's own archives.

Few, Jaguar XK120s can have enjoyed a more fascinating and varied life than chassis number 660725. Just under two-thirds of the total production was allocated to the Roadster, which had caused such a stir at the 1948 London Motor Show.

The Light Car Company Rocket was the brainchild of former racing driver Chris Craft and design genius Gordon Murray, who relentlessly chased his goal of building the lightest production road car of all time.

The Alfa Romeo T33/TT/3 was produced by Alfa’s Autodelta racing department, under the guidance of Carlo Chiti, to compete in the 1972 World Championship for Makes.

This is an extraordinary story, beginning with a bare-foot colonial childhood, and indeed not speaking English until he was four, yet ending up at Cambridge, ultimately dealing at the highest levels of the Russian aviation industry. Richard Goode's life has been a fascinating series of activities, both social and business, dealing with an incredible range of people from the notorious Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin, to whom he was selling banknotes (legally) to a car dealer who was embroiled in the Brinks-Mat gold robbery (illegally); dealing with Russian spies at the behest of MI5; international corporate headhunting and aerobatics at the highest levels. And all this with a huge zest for living life to the full.

First seen by the wider world at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show, the Jaguar E-type redefined perceptions of how a sports car could – and perhaps should – look.

A new addition to the Exceptional Car series, Ferrari 857S explores the history of this classic road racing car.

Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe tells the fascinating history of the Daytona Coupe version of Carroll Shelby’s fabled Cobra with special focus on one of the six cars built. The fabulous Daytona Coupe, brutally purposeful in both looks and performance, was created to win the FIA World Sportscar Championship and duly did so in 1965, beating Ferrari in the large-capacity class – the category that really counted as it fired the public’s imagination. The specific car covered in detail in this book, CSX2300, took part in five championship rounds (one in 1964, four in 1965) and played its part in Shelby American’s unique team success. Truly one of the ‘Great Cars’, the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe is a most worthy addition to this acclaimed series of books. The expert text is supplemented by 300 period photographs, many previously unpublished, supported by a portfolio of commissioned special photography.

The second installment of the Porter Profiles, Jaguar D-type tells the story of the XKD 526 in Australia.

Author Richard Heseltine untangles the Ghia Jaguar XK 120 Supersonic’s complicated backstory of British design brilliance and Italian design artistry. He reveals how Ghia wowed the car world with its jet-age styling, and introduces several fascinating characters whose names have peppered the post-war story of Italian car design, engineering and racing. Readers will discover how the original Supersonic was the work of Giovanni Sovanuzzi – the genius designer-engineer famous for the Cisitalia 202. Meanwhile, race team legend Virgilio Conrero was first to put fire in the Supersonic’s belly, while fiery Ghia chief Luigi Segre used the car to woo North America. In-depth background on Carrozzeria Ghia examines the Italian coachbuilder’s efforts to spread across Europe and ‘crack’ the US market. The birth of Supersonic design as an Alfa Romeo-powered GT is covered in great detail, and a fascinating line-up of other Italian-bodied Jaguar XK sports cars are examined and illustrated, as a way to compare and contrast the Supersonic with the work of other accomplished Italian designers. The history of chassis number 679768, is chronicled, recounting its elusive first owner, its lengthy periods hidden from public view, and its status today as the prized centrepiece in a private collection. Stunning contemporary photography of the car is mixed with rare and fascinating archive images.

The latest in the Exceptional Cars series tells the story of one of the two cars bought by The Automovil Club Argentino (ACA). Painted in the bright blue and yellow Argentine racing colours, 1600 was to play an important role in the Argentine team's international expeditions to Europe. Fangio won two races in the car, the most important being at Pau in 1950, where he repeated his win in the ACA sister car a year earlier. As well as a detailed chronicle of the car’s highs and lows, the text includes profiles of the drivers who raced in 1600 and a personal account of driving and running the car by a former owner who describes the daunting task of re-creating a Maserati 4CLT engine from scratch. 

The story of the Bugatti Type 50, which heralded a new era with the introduction of the Molsheim marque’s first twin-cam engine, a supercharged 4.9-litre straight eight of prodigious power

Whilst at a holiday cottage in Cornwall, nine-year-old Bill makes a fantastic discovery hidden at the back of the garage – a Jaguar XK 120. What’s more, an XK 120 that can talk! Bill and the car soon become firm friends. Bill names the car ‘XK’ and introduces him to his Grandpa. Together they realise that magic happens when Bill sits in the car. The engine starts, XK transforms into a new car, and they are magically transported back in time. XK takes them to Grandpa’s childhood home in London, in 1948. Bill sees his Grandpa and Great Aunt Charlotte, as children, and watches the London of the late 40s being rebuilt after the war. The next time they visit, they witness the Great Smog of 1952 first-hand. Bill realises just how different things were for his Grandpa growing up. When they visit again, it is the day of Princess Elizabeth’s Coronation in 1953. At the street party outside Grandpa’s house, Bill overhears a conversation between three gentlemen – spies – which sets him, XK and Grandpa a mystery to solve. Their adventures take them across London, with the events of the Coronation day taking place all around them. They must find out what is going on, with XK, young Grandpa and Charlotte’s help – and save the day!