Just remember the other guys are just jealous.


Too many anectdoes; not enough meat!   June 15, 1999
 26 out of 29 found this review helpful

To me, this book seems inadequate. The book describes Vic's career, and that's fine: he's an accomplished driver. The pictures are neat, and the older exotics he drove are interesting. It's a neat history describing Porsche's racing heritage.

But it offers so little advice on driving, the book feels like a waste for someone who wants to learn performance driving.

It's not a driving manual: there's little theory, and sometimes the anectdotes lead nowhere: they don't provide a lesson!

And it's not a Porsche manual, in that the author offers very little advice on setting up the kinds of Porsches that entry-level drivers race today.

I think you're better off with Bob Bondurant's book, or one of the similar titles.


A driving primer for rich folk who can afford Porsches ...   February 16, 2000
 24 out of 40 found this review helpful

When I bought this book, I thought it would be a Handbook (manual with lots of practical advice) on Performance Driving (speeding on the street in everyday use) for Porsche DRIVERS (exclusively). I was wrong. It was heavy on anecdote, but weak on 'how to'. It stressed racetrack work but failed to emphasise how to apply this to street driving. Worst of all, it told about the author's experience with old Porsche racing cars but only paid lip service to modern Porsches and how to get the best out of them. The word 'Porsche' could have been deleted from the entire book without changing the content ! That's disappointing for us hardcore Porsche drivers (?fanatics) who want to know more from such a Porsche legend about how to best set up our 911s, 944s, 928s and drive 'em hard ...

However, after reading and rereading the book (the anecdotes ARE quite interesting reading despite lacking in practical help), I found that I was only disappointed because I wrongly assumed it was something it never set out to be. This book actually should have been titled 'A primer to driving for rich folk who can afford Porsches (but who are complete incompetents at driving)'. It's true that a large number of rich people buy Porsches for the pose value but are mediocre drivers at best. It may be embarassing for them to show up in their gleaming new Targa Turbo only to be stumped when friends ask about the car's 'oversteer characteristics' or 'how to heel-and-toe' the car. This book gives an easily digestible introduction to the basic principles of car handling which will allow these rich folk to bluff their way in conversations on high performance driving. It will allow its readers to talk the talk, just don't expect them to walk the walk ! I only realized that this book was aimed at these readers when Vic Elford suggests in one of his chapters that many readers probably owned or flew their own private aircraft ...


An Excellent Beginning to Serious Driving   September 20, 2000
 17 out of 17 found this review helpful

Vic's book is an excellent starting point for any Porsche driver of any model. Nicely balanced between technical concepts and real-life examples, it stays interesting throughout. His emphasis on smoothness throughout the book echoes what you'll hear again and again at any instructed PCA Driving Event. It is a great preparation to becoming seriously involved in driving events and is equally valuable for having fun and being safe on the street. By no means is it the most complete or exhaustive book on the topic; rather, it is a marvelous and exciting introduction.


Nice, complete base to begin your studies.   March 10, 1998
 8 out of 9 found this review helpful

Elford's style is easy to follow and fun to read. Nice balance of anecdotes and applications. Easy to follow diagrams and well suited to those not looking for track advice. Good, practical advice for the everyday situations. Good value for money.