With religious reverence, photographer René Staud has spent decades training his lens at fast cars. In his work, every generation of the 911 is shiny and present from the fragile early prototypes through to today’s turbocharged behemoths. The pictures are confirmation that German engineering borders on obsession. The lighting is immaculate and reflections controlled. It looks like if you stroked the cars they’d purr.
All of them have been put together in an impressively beefy new book. There are coffee-table books and there’s this. An automotive slab of visual horsepower that could double as a barbell. Porsche 911: The Art of Speed is a thing of beauty. Page after page of glossy bodywork, slick curves and exhaust-fume fuelled fantasies. It’s the kind of book you don’t read so much as tear out the pages and ogle on your bedroom wall. Halfway through viewing my eyes felt sore.
Jürgen Lewandowski’s commentary supports the photography. It’s equal parts technical guide and love letter, charting the 911’s turbulent evolution from the missteps, the regulations that forced design detours and the endless tinkering that kept the shape iconic while the engines became more advanced. It’s a visual history lesson in horsepower, one that veers between racing triumphs, cultural cachet and engineering brinkmanship.
Page 294 offers a chance to pull over, a glimpse into the making of the book itself, the art and pain of photographing cars. It’s a welcome nod to the craft behind the gloss. It reminds us that these photographs don’t simply materialise (yet), they’re engineered with as much precision as the vehicles they depict.
Its not a subtle book. Like the 911 it screams excess, from its oversized format to its high-octane subject matter. For devotees, it’s nirvana bound in cloth. For sceptics, it’s a warning: prolonged exposure may lead to irrational cravings for leather seats, wide rear spoilers and lottery wins.
The Art of Speed knows what it wants to do and does exactly what it promises. A full-throttle, petrol-soaked visual tribute to the world’s most enduring sports car.
Porsche 911: The Art of Speed is published by Prestel and is available to buy now. ISBN: 9783791391816
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