Norbert Singer – My Racing Life with Porsche 1970–2004

Norbert Singer – My Racing Life with Porsche 1970–2004

‘The gearbox in the 917 needs to survive the 24 Hours of Le Mans without overheating. But the new cooling system can’t create any additional drag. Okay, off you go.’ That was the first task given to newly-qualified aerospace and automotive engineer Norbert Singer when he joined Porsche’s racing development programme in the spring of 1970.

As we now know the gearbox was reliable, Porsche won the race, and Norbert Singer stayed loyal to the German carmaker for decades to come. To celebrate Singer’s 80th birthday, Sportfahrer Verlag in Düren brings you Norbert Singer-My Racing Life with Porsche 1970–2004 . What started out as a plan to update an older book has, through many conversations between Singer and author Wilfried Müller, grown into a comprehensive and detailed autobiography.

Across 16 chapters and more than 350 pages Singer describes the greatest era of Porsche racing to date from his own unique perspective, that of a visionary race engineer and aerodynamicist, and cunning tactician and interpreter of rules. From the 917 to the 911 Carrera RSR, to the world championship-winning 935, to the lightest (735 kilograms) and fastest (366 km/h) 911 in history. Singer also details the background of the three-time Le Mans-winning Porsche 936.

Like the Carrera Turbo RSR and the 935, Singer was the project manager for the ground-breaking Porsche 956. The car wrote Porsche into the motor racing history books. Singer successfully took the “ground effect” aerodynamic concept used in Formula 1 and applied it to two-seater sportscars. At the time it was pinnacle of Singer’s passionate search for downforce. Drivers like Jacky Ickx, Stefan Bellof, Derek Bell, Jochen Mass and Hans-Joachim Stuck achieved unthinkable cornering speeds in these 800-horsepower cars, collecting five world championships along the way.

In the mid-1980s Porsche ventured into unknown – and, as it turned out, very difficult – territory with its single-seater programme in the American CART series. Singer details the tumultuous saga from the inside. A more enjoyable recollection is the artful transformation of a racing prototype into a Gran Turismo car, the Porsche 962 LM GT1, which conquered Le Mans in 1994. Continuing the GT1 theme, Singer led the development of the first mid-engine 911 in 1996, one of those cars then winning at Le Mans in 1998. It was the 16th triumph for Porsche at the world’s most famous endurance race. Singer was involved in all of them as an engineer, and most of them as a tactician and strategist on the pit wall. His detailed recollections of those 24-hour marathons make up much of the book, from his escape from the CEO, to an improvised air lift for parts.

At the end of the 1990s the man with the reading glasses always sitting low on his nose designed the groundbreaking aerodynamics on the LMP2000 Spyder – only for the car to be resigned to secrecy in a hangar. The famous Carrera GT super sports car also had Singer’s touch in the wind tunnel. As Porsche boss Wendelin Wiedeking said at the time, “Singer will come up with something”. After retiring Singer continued to support customer teams at race tracks until 2010, before passing his knowledge onto the next generation of engineers with a stint as a university lecturer.

Forty years of racing with Porsche, as told by Norbert Singer and written by Wilfried Müller, who is known to motorsport enthusiasts for his Peter Falk and Walter Röhrl biographies.

Hardcover in slipcase

Intermeccanica – The Story of the Prancing Bull

Intermeccanica – The Story of the Prancing Bull

**Updated Edition**

Intermeccanica – The Story of the Prancing Bull is the definitive biography of Frank Reisner and his incredible sports car company, Intermeccanica – responsible for some of the most beautiful sports cars ever built. Frank Reisner, a Hungarian-born, Canadian-educated chemical engineer, turned a youthful passion for cars into one of the most famous small production sports car building companies in the world. From modest beginnings based in the automotive mecca of Turin, Italy, throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s, Intermeccanica conceived, designed and produced a dozen different models that shook the motoring world and went on to find homes in museums and collections from Europe to the United States to Japan. Most notable of these models are the Apollo, the Italia and the Indra.
From there, it was on to California, where Reisner revolutionised the Porsche replicar market with his groundbreaking fiberglass Speedster design, followed by the Roadster RS, which the company continues to produce at its Vancouver, BC, Canada headquarters. Along the way, Reisner and Intermeccanica dealt with, and in one case sued, the largest automotive manufacturers in the world, all the while maintaining an independent streak and maverick spirit that would come to define the man and his company.

If Hemingway Wrote Racing Novel

If Hemingway Wrote Racing Novel

THE BEST OF MOTOR RACING FICTION: 1950-2000. Sixteen short stories and excerpts from the best automotive racing fiction written between 1950 and 2000. IF HEMINGWAY HAD WRITTEN A RACING NOVEL provides behind the scene accounts of the action, adventure and romance ’round the track. Richard Nisley has brought together, in a single book, the most significant automotive writers of the 20th century, for a raucous ride to the checkered flag. Amazon reviewer W. Barker says: RICH NISLEY’S IF HEMINGWAY HAD WRITTEN A RACING NOVEL is a first-class collection of motor racing fiction. Each of these stories, excerpts of course, made me feel like the proverbial kid in the candy store with nose to glass. This is a very well thought out gathering of stories that will inspire you to delve into these great books and enjoy well written novels about racing drivers, cars, and series from around the globe, literally Grands Prix to small-town circle tracks. Mine is a glowing review of Nisley’s excellent collection because the book deserves it. He has done much more than organize a wonderful anthology; he has reawakened avid motor racing readers like myself to a largely untapped treasure chest of great motor racing stories. My encouragement to any reader is don’t miss this racing book. You will not be disappointed. And don’t miss his novel, THE RAGGED EDGE.

Volvo PV444 & PV544 Performance Portfolio 1945-1965

Volvo PV444 & PV544 Performance Portfolio 1945-1965

With the PV444 Volvo broke into the major markets of Europe and the USA thereby establishing the marque outside its home country of Sweden. Full production did not get under way until 1947 and over the next 14 years the PV444 changed gradually, gaining more powerful engines, a larger glass area and a collection of other minor improvements. The 1958 PV544 Volvos were even better. They retained the basic shape of the PV444, but had new interiors and the option of even more power full engines. 44 articles give full coverage to the PV444, K, L, California, PV544, Sport & Special de Luxe with road and comparison tests, specifications, model introductions, performance data, owners report, touring and a buyers guide.

New York City Horsepower – An Oral History of Fast Custom Machines

New York City Horsepower – An Oral History of Fast Custom Machines

New York City custom car and motorcycle culture has long been overshadowed by the left coast designers and machines. In this unprecedented book, urban anthropologist Michael McCabe presents the stories, innovators, and machines behind NYC car and motorcycle builders. He reveals an outsider’s tale filled with passion, creativity, and high-speed thrills. Based on a year’s worth of interviews and photo shoots with nearly 40 custom builders, McCabe offers unique access to their private, creative lives and impressive collections of machines in garages and workshops throughout the five boroughs. Legendary urban personalities like “Big Daddy” George LeBlanc, Mel Bernstein, and Dick Zigun tell the history of NYC horsepower, including nostalgia for the days of the NASCAR-sanctioned Weissglass Speedway on Staten Island, illegal street racing, car clubs, and shows. Voices from the groundswell of younger builders, like John Copeland, Sal Pepi, and Pete Ranko, complete this collection of oral histories and images and show respect for the city’s hands-on narrative. With nearly 800 images of custom cars and motorcycle, this history is ideal for builders, car collectors, and urban historians.