Porsche by Mailander
By Karl Ludvigsen
Rodolfo Mailander was a German photographer whose work had already achieved a degree of international recognition by the time he met author Ludvigsen in 1958. Although by that time he was working for Daimler-Benz, Mailander had been fortunate enough to be on the scene with his camera during the early years of Porsche’s ascendance as a motor sports power, and these images tell that tale.
They may cover but six of those early years, 1950-1955, yet they provide a detailed photographic chronicle of that time period, focusing on the people and personalities involved, as much as the cars.
The images—which form the core of the Ludvigsen Library—are superb, many never published before, and Ludvigsen’s accompanying text places them in their proper perspective. This book is not meant to be an assessment of the successes and failures of Porsche’s early racing efforts, but rather takes one into the heart of the story and provides a glimpse of what they could have seen had they been there themselves.
Available for US$150/£95 from enthusiast bookstores or direct from publisher Dalton Watson Fine Books at (847) 945-0568, or by visiting www.daltonwatson.com