Porter Press International

Porter Press International

Porter Press International Limited is based in West Worcestershire in the UK Midlands. It was formed by Philip and Julie Porter in 2005..

Philip Porter is the author of more than 30 motoring and motor racing books, having worked with publishers from the smallest to the largest. He has won a number of Book of the Year awards and been a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers since the 1980s.

Porter Press began by publishing the Stirling Moss Scrapbook, with Sir Stirling Moss. This led Bette Hill, mother of Damon Hill, to invite Porter to write and publish the Graham Hill Scrapbook. This was followed by the Murray Walker Scrapbook, which remains the company’s highest-selling title so far.

Three further Scrapbooks were published with Stirling Moss covering 1961, 1929-1954 and 1956-1960. Scrapbooks were also published on Jaguar, Land Rover and the Porsche 911.

History

In 2008, a book of paintings by leading motoring artist Alan Fearnley was followed a year later by Stage Whispers, the Memoirs of Douglas Wilmer. Wilmer had a 40-year acting career that embraced the silver screen, theatre and small screen. He is fondly remembered as the pre-eminent Sherlock Holmes from his BBC series in the mid-sixties. Another non-motoring book, released in 2009, was the Barry Cryer Comedy Scrapbook.

The following year, Porter Press published Range Rover, The Anniversary Guide for Land Rover. A departure for the company was its first practical book: Jaguar E-type DIY Restoration & Maintenance.

In 2011, to celebrate the Jaguar E-type’s 50th anniversary, Philip Porter wrote Ultimate E-type, The Competition Cars. This 200,000-word, 530-page tome was chosen as Motorsport Book of the Year by the British Sports Book Awards, and Book of the Year by the International Historic Motoring Awards.

A year later, Porter revised and considerably enlarged his book Original Jaguar XK. This was followed by the Martin Brundle Scrapbook.

In 2014 Porter Press launched the “Great Cars” series, each book devoted to one very special example of an important competition car. Subjects so far include: the prototype Jaguar Lightweight E-type 4 WPD, 1970 Le Mans-winning Porsche 917, the most-raced Jaguar D-type, the 1960 Tourist Trophy-winning.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB (for owner Ross Brawn), ex-Fangio Maserati 250F, the most famous ERA - R4D, the Tour de France-winning Ferrari 250 GTO (sold in 2018 for $70m), low-drag Lightweight E-type 49 FXN, the 1953 Le Mans-winning Jaguar C-type, the 1961 Monaco and German GP-winning Rob Walker Lotus 18, the double Le Mans-winning Ford GT40 and the ex-Brian Lewis/John Cobb Alfa Romeo Monza 8C 2300. Titles in preparation include Daytona Cobra, Bugatti Type 50 and Bugatti Type 53. Also in 2014 Mark Hughes, former Editor of Autosport and Classic & Sports Car, and Editorial Director of Haynes, joined the PPI team as Senior Editor. Subsequently, he would be assisted by Ray Hutton, former Editor of Autocar, and James Page, former Editor of Classic & Sports Car. The majority of Porter Press books are designed by Andy Garman, who has worked closely with Porter for 20 years.

The year 2015 saw Porter Press reprint the heavily-revised edition of Porter’s 300,000-word Jaguar E-type, The Definitive History, originally published by Haynes in 1986, and winner of The Montagu Trophy, awarded by Lord Montagu and the Guild of Motoring Writers for best Motoring Book of the Year. In the same year, the company published Jaguar Design by Nick Hull and Saving Jaguar by Sir John Egan, which was reprinted in softback in 2018.

In 2016 the company published the first in its new “Exceptional Cars” series. Titles have been published on the Le Mans class-winning Bizzarrini, the most versatile and historic Jaguar XK120 JWK 651, 1016 the Ford GT40 which finished third at Le Mans in 1966, the first three AC Cobras and the most active Aston Martin Ulster. Titles in preparation include Ferrari 250 LM and Maserati 4CLT.

A year later, PPI published Jaguar XK DIY Restoration, Philip Porter’s Stirling Moss, The Definitive Biography Vol 1, and the Le Mans Model Car Collection, a three-book set covering every car that raced at Le Mans between 1949 and 2009.

In 2017 the company launched the first in its Porter Profiles series, beginning with a book on the famous racing Austin Healey DD 300. Also a second one to come on a Jaguar XK120 with an extraordinary history including being used by an undercover British agent in Malaya.

The year 2018 saw the publication of the company’s first children’s book, The XK Files - 120, and Derek Bell - All My Porsche Races.

Porter Press also took over production in 2018 of the monthly magazine of the Midland Automobile Club, the second oldest British motoring club after the RAC and organisers of Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb.

The Fords You Always Promised Yourself will be published in October, 2018.

Books in production include One Formula – 50 Years of Car Design - Gordon Murray, the Aston Martin DB4GT Continuation Cars (for Aston Martin), The RofGo Gulf Car Collection, a history of the Eagle company, the story of Briggs Cunningham and his first competition Jaguar E-type, and the restoration of Land Rover production chassis number one.

A new series entitled “Coachbuilt Cars” will be launched in 2019, commencing with the Ghia Jaguar XK120 Supersonic.

A further new series entitled “Ultimate Cars” will also be launched in 2019. These will be large format, limited edition, one- and two-volume sets in slipcases. They will consist of a definitive history of the subject and the individual history of each example made. Titles in preparation include Ferrari 250 GTO, the Bugatti Type 59s, The Works Porsche 956s, The John Fitzpatrick Porsches and The Works Porsche 962s.

Deluxe leather-bound limited editions are produced of all books in the Great Cars series and other important titles.

Authors include Doug Nye, Murray Walker OBE, Ian Wagstaff, Sir Stirling Moss, Keith Bluemel, Mick Walsh, Martin Brundle, Richard Heseltine, Derek Bell MBE, Mark Cole, James Page, Chas Parker, Mac Hulbert, Phillip Bingham, Ray Hutton, Simon Ham, Stephen Archer, Mike Gould, Cris Bertschi, Rinsey Mills, Martin Port, Serge Vanbockryck, Gordon Bruce and Philip Porter.

US distribution is handled by Quarto

Publications

Great Cars

• Jaguar Lightweight E - the autobiography of 4 WPD. ISBN 978-1-907085-17-8.
• Porsche 917 - The Autobiography of 917-023. ISBN 978-1-907085-21-5.
• Jaguar D-type - The Autobiography of XKD 504. ISBN 978-1-907085-25-3.
• Ferrari 250 GT Short Wheelbase - The Autobiography of 2119 GT. ISBN 978-1-907085-23-9.
• Maserati 250F - The Autobiography of 2528. ISBN 978-1-907085-38-3.
• ERA - The Autobiography of R4D. ISBN 978-1-907085-40-6.
• Ferrari 250 GTO - The Autobiography of 4153 GT. ISBN 978-1-907085-27-7.
• Jaguar Lightweight E-type - the autobiography of 49 FXN. ISBN 978-1-907085-20-8.
• Jaguar C-type - The Autobiography of XKC 051. ISBN 978-1-907085-46-8.
• Lotus 18 - The autobiography of Stirling Moss’s ‘912’. ISBN 978-1-907085-03-1.
• GT40 - The autobiography of 1075. ISBN 978-1-907085-68-0.
• Alfa Romeo Monza - The autobiography of a celebrated 8C 2300. ISBN 978-1-907085-44-4.

Exceptional Cars

• Iso Bizzarrini - The remarkable history of A3/C 0222. ISBN 978-1-907085-54-3.
• Jaguar XK 120 - The remarkable history of JWK 651. ISBN 978-1-907085-56-7.
• Ford GT40 Mk II -The remarkable history of 1016. ISBN 978-1-907085-64-2.
• The First Three Shelby Cobras - The sports cars that changed the game. ISBN 978-1-907085-55-0.
• Aston Marton Ulster - The remarkable history of CMC 614. ISBN 978-1-907085-32-1.

Porter Profiles

• Austin Healey - The Story of DD 300. ISBN 978-1-907085-70-3.

Jaguar Portfolio

• E-type DIY Restoration (Revised edition). ISBN 978-1-907085-06-2.
• Ultimate E-type - The Competition Cars. ISBN 978-1-907085-07-9.
• The Iconic E-type, Celebrating 50 years of the E-type Jaguar. ISBN 978-1-907085-09-3.
• Original Jaguar XK: The Restorer's Guide (3rd edition). ISBN 978-1-907085-10-9.
• Iconic Jaguar Xk: A Celebration of 120s, 140s and 150s. ISBN 978-1-907085-14-7.
• Jaguar E-Type: The Definitive History (2nd edition). ISBN 978-1-907085-19-2.
• Jaguar Design - A Story of Style. ISBN 978-1-907085-29-1.
• Saving Jaguar - John Egan. ISBN 978-1-907085-31-4.
• Jaguar XK DIY Restoration & Maintenance. ISBN 978-1-907085-35-2.

Scrapbook Series

• Stirling Moss Scrapbook 1929-54. ISBN 978-0-9550068-8-3.
• Stirling Moss Scrapbook 1955. ISBN 978-0-9550068-0-7.
• Stirling Moss 1956-60. ISBN 978-1-907085-00-0.
• Stirling Moss Scrapbook 1961. ISBN 978-0-9550068-2-1.
• Jaguar Scrapbook. ISBN 978-0-9550068-4-5.
• Graham Hill Scrapbook 1929-66. ISBN 978-0-9550068-6-9.
• Barry Cryer Comedy Scrapbook. ISBN 978-1-907085-04-8.
• Land Rover Scrapbook. ISBN 978-0-9556564-0-8.
• Murray Walker Scrapbook. ISBN 978-0-9556564-5-3.
• The Automotive Art of Alan Fearnley. ISBN 978-0-9556564-7-7.
• Porsche 911 Scrapbook. ISBN 978-0-9556564-2-2.
• Martin Brundle Scrapbook. ISBN 978-1-907085-12-3.

Children Books

• The XK Files 120. ISBN 978-1-907085-72-7.

General Motoring Titles

• Range Rover, Anniversary Guide. ISBN 978-1-907085-05-5.
• Mr. Bob - The Life and Times of Bob Gerard. ISBN 978-1-907085-15-4.
• Stirling Moss - Definitive Biography Volume I. ISBN 978-1-907085-33-8.
• Le Mans Models - book one. ISBN 978-1-907085-57-4.
• Le Mans Models - book two. ISBN 978-1-907085-58-1.
• Le Mans Models - book three. ISBN 978-1-907085-59-8.
• Derek Bell - All My Porsche races. ISBN 978-1-907085-65-9.

General Titles

• Stage Whispers: Douglas Wilmer, the Memoirs. ISBN 978-0-9556564-9-1.

References

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