Carrera GT

Definitely worth the 125 GBP (about US$200)

Though his name is synonymous with arguably the mostly widely loved and revered single engine design in history, he's always mentioned, but I had never really appreciated the monumental accomplishments of Hans Mezger. He is one literally indispensable person in the history of Porsche is Hans Mezger.

Surely a perfect gift to anyone with the good fortune to have that engine behind them. This book sits pride of place next to "Excellence was Expected."

A rather tragic let down is the "autographed" edition being nothing more than a flimsy postcard glued to the inside front cover. Peter Morgan correctly signs and numbers each of the limited edition copies, but somehow I guess penny-pinching and logistics of the publisher took over and Herr Mezger is not properly involved in this important event. If you ask me, the person making that decision needs to be taken outside and given a stern talking to; and then compelled to drive a Toyota minivan for a year.

I have to mention the autographed nonsense because I paid extra for a hardcover with the autograph and I think others might feel disappointed, too.

The content will be just as much the real journey back in time, but the book itself is truly splendid and the experience of it is all the more special by being a hard cover. Excellent paper and image quality. You might ask the seller to be sure to pack with extra padding to survive the gentle touch of the freight company -- mine arrived with all four corners compressed and one corner of the book somewhat blemished. This is no concern to me, I expect this book to be experienced hands-on for generations to come, copied for school projects, referenced for inspiration during the rebuilding of a '73 911 with 2.7 MFI, one of these days, but for the avid collector and white-glove devotee, extra precautions will be worthwhile.

As for a book review, I'll leave that to others with better knowledge to add their perspective to the history in these pages. I took a quick thumb through to peruse the contents page and the index, just to note some interesting, unexpected entries, which I look forward to reading after I open this "holiday gift" with due surprise, joy, appreciation and excitement to share with my six year-old daughter, for whom Santa is a fat-bellied, cheery old gift-giver -- but in this case, not the one famous for fitting his fulsomeness down the flue.

I wish it was accompanied by a stack of blu-rays with historical videos. It would also be nice to have captured the hours of interviews (historical and the those used to create this book) on blu-ray. Having just attended the Rennsport Renunion at Laguna Seca for three days, plus the day at Quail Lodge on the grass, it's been a very enjoyable walk down the lanes of other peoples' memories of Porsche.

Here's a quick intro by Mr Peter Morgan:

Bill_C4S

Superb answer CGT. Much appreciate you taking the time to compose.

Adds to my eagerness for a copy. Bravo!

GT9111

CGT, thanks for the your writeup!

911SLOW

Adam thanks for the write up.


After spending the last two days reading about the new 991, I really need something to make me feel better about Porsche.

I am waiting for the autographed edition. Perhaps some of the books have the real thing and not a glued paper..? In any case, I agree, this was not a classy gesture.. : (

Nizer

If I had it to do over I would wait for the non-autographed edition. The premium is unjustified IMHO.

911SLOW

Number 97 is here (at last).



A few comments.
They charged my card 60 days before delivery.

The packaging was pathetic, I've bought 1dollar stuff from ebay and their packaging was superior. As a result it came with a few small dents around.



The quality of the paper is not on par with the price of the book. Printing is average too. For example a black printed page leaves traces to the following white page..

As Adam noted, the sticker on the front page is ridiculous and in fact looks worse than I imagined. It's like a POST-IT note.


Still.. I can't wait to read it.


And a small spoiler. Our engines are mainly covered in 1 page. That's one page more than any other current Porsche engine though.. : )

aussie jimmy

ah well, at least no coolant loss.

i'm still waiting for my amazonian.

FFaust

Finally got around to reading this thread and, as I was reading each post, have been flip-flopping between keeping my current order, or canceling and getting the autographed one. Think I'll stick with the one without the sticky.

I'll just try to get Herr M. to autograph my copy at some event

Nizer

Smart move. I second all of 911Slow's comments.

Aerokitted

i'm less interested in the man and more interested in the actual "mezger" inspired engine design or what exactly makes the engine in my car so special. anyone got a lead on an article or book addressing some or all parts of my inquiry? tia

Nugget

For what it's worth, amazon just updated my order.

Fisher

Also my order from Amazon.

The item(s) listed below will actually ship sooner than we originally expected based on the new release date:

Hans Mezger "Porsche And Me: Hans Mezger with Peter Morgan"
Previous estimated arrival date: February 21, 2012 - February 23, 2012
New estimated arrival date: January 12, 2012 - January 17, 2012

Glock Guru

I have waited so long I have no idea how long I have been waiting.

Glock Guru

Looks like it will ship on Jan. 11th. We will see.

Serge944

Good luck finding that, but I'll give you a reader's digest version:

It's raced a whole lot and doesn't blow up too often.