Book details

  • Genre:sports & recreation
  • Sub-genre:Motor Sports / Automobile Racing
  • Language:English
  • Pages:208
  • Hardcover ISBN:9798317847616

Secret Spyder

The Porsche 936 Story

By Jay Gillotti

Overview

"Secret Spyder" is the story of Porsche's under-rated and often overlooked 936. It is one of the rarest and most successful of all Porsche racing cars. Porsche only built four chassis for this model but three of the cars won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 936 has the distinction of being the first turbocharged car to win at Le Mans and the model also won the 1976 World Sportscar Championship. Written with assistance from Derek Bell, Brian Redman and Vern Schuppan, the book also includes a Foreword by Hurley Haywood. Period and more recent quotes from the drivers as well as the engineers add to the story. The book includes an overview of the predecessors, design and development history of the 936 as well as information on all the races in which Porsche entered the 936s. All six 24 Hours of Le Mans races in which the 936s competed are described in detail. The book covers the post-period history of all five 936s that were built and includes numerous images never before published, plus an extensive bibliography. Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Porsche 936 with "Secret Spyder".
Read more

Description

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the rarest and most successful of all Porsche racing cars—the under-rated and often overlooked 936! Porsche only built four chassis for this model, but three of those won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 936 has the distinction of being the first turbocharged car to win at Le Mans and to win the 1976 World Sportscar Championship. "Secret Spyder" is a comprehensive history book packed with both period and recent quotes from drivers and engineers, an overview of the car's predecessors, design and development of the 936, and detailed coverage of all six 24 Hours of Le Mans races in which the 936 competed, plus the 1976 World Sportscar Championship race. It also covers the post-period history of all 936 chassis that were built plus full race-by-race results of each car indexed at the end. Over 175 images were sourced from Porsche AG's Corporate archive as well as numerous other photo libraries and individual contributors—many of which have never before been published—to showcase the 936 over the past 50 years. An extensive bibliography includes further reading recommendations and guidance for any reader who wants to dive further into Porsche and racing history. The result of more than two years of research along with decades of study on Porsche, with insight from Derek Bell, Brian Redman, Hurley Haywood, and Vern Schuppan, "Secret Spyder" covers the full history of the Porsche 936. Perfect for Porsche lovers, motorsports fans, or anyone who loves to learn about adrenaline-pumping history!
Read more

About The Author

Jay Gillotti is an author, musician, songwriter, podcast guest star, and lifelong motorsport enthusiast. Jay is currently the Historian for PCA National. Jay's love of motorsport began as a youngster—seeing Steve McQueen's "Le Mans" followed by working for his father in a VW-Audi dealership in high school. After joining the Porsche Club of America in 2009, Jay began writing for Spiel, the Pacific NW Region newsletter, contributing over 50 features and historical articles. He has also written for the PCA National magazine, Panorama, along with publications such as Forza, Vintage Motorsport, the International Motor Racing Research Center, Collier AutoMedia, Wayne Carini's The Chase, and 000 Magazine. Jay has written contributions to motorsport-related books by Michael Keyser (A French Kiss with Death), Christopher Hilton (1982) and Brian Redman (Daring Drivers, Deadly Tracks). In 2021 Jay assisted the Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance with their presentation of the 917 anniversary class. He has moderated presentations by Brian Redman, John Horsman, Vic Elford, Derek Bell, Hurley Haywood, Patrick Long, Rod Emory and Alwin Springer for the Porsche Club. Jay was invited to assist with curating the Porsche 75 exhibit at America's Car Museum in Tacoma, WA. Jay's first book, "Gulf 917," was the result of three decades and more spent researching and gathering information on the Porsche 917, the golden age of sports car racing and the work of JW Automotive Engineering. His second book, "Porsche Decades," is an introductory overview of Porsche history from 1875 to 2023. "Secret Spyder: The Porsche 936 Story" is Jay's third book, written as a tribute to the car for its 50th anniversary.
Read more