For more than 60 years, Porsche has been one of the greatest names in the automobile industry. Even before World War II, Ferdinand Porsche was one of the most important auto engineers, having created the VW Beetle, and worked with Mercedes, Auto-Union and Cisitalia. In 1948 his son, Ferry Porsche, built the first car with a Porsche badge, the soon-to- be famous 356.

And exactly 50 years ago, the legendary 911 was presented - still today an icon of a sports car, one of the most famous automobiles in the world. But Porsche also made its name in racing with the great 917 - Built by Ferdinand Piech, the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche - in the '70s, the 956/962 which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans more often than any other car. And then there were the Porsche drivers: James Dean, Steve McQueen, etc...

Today, Porsche is stronger than ever and has a wonderful story to tell. AUTHOR: Until late 2007, Peter Ruch served as editor-in-chief of the renowned Swiss Automobil Revue magazine, and has since been working as a freelance journalist for a wide variety of automobile media. He is a member of the international "Auto of the Year" jury, and is the author of 'Panamericana: Motorbiking from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego', the story of his own travel experience through the Americas, and also of 'Cadillac: The World Standard', and 'Mini: The Story of a Legend'.

170 colour photographs