Book Review
AGAINST ALL THE OTHERS
AGAINST ALL THE OTHERS
PORSCHE’S RACING HISTORY, VOLUME 1 – 1968
PORSCHE PORN
“If Ferrari sold cars to go racing, Porsche went racing to sell cars.”
You’d be forgiven if, as a fan or motorsport, you found the 1968 season anticlimactic. From 1964 through 1967 the war between Ferrari and Ford had been determined by Ford’s total dominance in 1966 and the Le Mans victory by Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt (in their GT40 MkIV) in 1967. With its point made, Dearborn turned over its well-developed machinery to privateers, while its executive team and engineers did battle with the new and expanded reach of the U.S. government in both auto emissions and auto safety. But with Ford’s retreat those same fans saw Porsche’s rise, going all too quickly from taking class wins to finding its place on the podiums. In his book AGAINST ALL THE OTHERS, author Randy Leffingwell documents the races, the racers and the racecars responsible for Porsche’s singular success.
Founded in 1948, and not entering motorsport competition until 1951, the Porsche enterprise was not yet an ‘adult’ in 1968. But the seeds for victory had already been planted with the 911 winning in production classes, while sports prototypes such as the 908 were pushing for the podiums in endurance racing. Leffingwell, well known among Porsche enthusiasts – and whose work can be seen on numerous Porsche titles – has taken an expansive look at the Porsche effort throughout the ’68 season. And that effort was varied, and included the production 911 (in sports car racing, rallying, hill climbs and – get this – the American Trans Am series) and numerous sports racing prototypes, including Porsche’s 906, 907, 908 and 910.
If seeing a 911 from the ‘60s parked next to the 911’s evolved sibling from the last ten years, you’re amazed at how diminutive the 911s of that era are. Despite, however, having only 2.0 liters of displacement they packed a powerful punch. None were more capable than Porsche’s 911 R. With weight aggressively shaved, and receiving a 2.0 liter transplant from the 906 prototype, Porsche had a pole sitter within just a few short years from the model’s global introduction. And the ‘R’ – for Rennsport – meant racing. Not only does Leffingwell detail the inspiration behind the 911 R and the engineering used to create it, but there’s an extensive (and exhaustive) look at its competition history.
If Porsche’s 911 remains an outlier for all of its production and competition history, with a reduction in allowable displacement for 1968 the prototype category headed in Porsche’s direction. Porsche’s 907 was there to take the bait and gave Porsche overall wins, while falling just short when battling John Wyer’s Fords at Le Mans. Of course, Porsche’s mixed success in the prototype category would lead directly to the development of the 917, and indirectly to Steve McQueen’s iconic – albeit fictionalized – filmed tribute to the 24 hours, known simply as Le Mans.
Beyond Leffingwell’s extensive history of Porsche’s efforts in 1968 is his look at Porsche’s various competitors – ‘the others’. Eric Broadley’s Lola T70s are referenced, as is Jim Hall’s Chaparral, Enzo’s Ferrari and – in a nod to what was transpiring in Formula 1 – Colin Chapman and his Lotus. Just one generation after the Berlin Airlift, it’s remarkable to see virtually all of Europe coming together on the racetrack.
Beyond the machinery and the many men behind it, the scope of Randy Leffingwell’s undertaking is amazing – as is the confidence shown in the project by publisher David Bull. This, we’re told, is Volume 1 of AGAINST ALL THE OTHERS. If you enjoy the info, photos and perspective, you can anticipate subsequent editions…but you’re gonna’ need more shelf space. Or garage space.
The review copy was provided by the publisher. It’s available for $99 U.S. at www.bullpublishing.com, from Autobooks/Aerobooks in Burbank or – of course – your local book retailer.