New for the 2008 edition (first revision since 2003):

257 new or revised pages and 230 new photos and illustrations

Five new full color chapters covering the RS Spyder, the Cayman, the Type 997 production and GT cars, and the Panamera

Updated to include model years through 2008

Updated coverage of the Boxster, the Type 996, the Cayenne and the Carerra GT

Updated Competition Victories appendix

Since 1977 Karl Ludvigsen's Porsche: Excellence Was Expected has been regarded as the definitive work on Porsche history. In this masterwork Ludvigsen presents the inner workings, masterpieces and failures of an independent automaker that has exerted a disproportionately powerful influence on the automotive industry. Remarkable both for its breadth of coverage and its technical depth, Excellence Was Expected covers every Porsche road and racing car from the company's beginnings through the development of the 2009 Panamera. Adding dimension to the Porsche story is Ludvigsen's assessment of the company's designers, chief engineers and top managers over the years.

In this first revision since 2003, Ludvigsen has updated the three-volume set through 2008, including five augmented chapters, five completely new chapters, and 230 new images. The five new chapters feature full-color artwork throughout and bring the total number of photographs, diagrams and illustrations in the set to just over 1800.

At 66 chapters and 1688 pages, this monumental work covers over a century of Porsche history. Ludvigsen's new material includes the continuing evolution of the iconic 911, detailing the design and engineering of the Type 997. He also looks at the market success of the Cayenne, the enthusiastic press and customer responses to the Cayman and Cayman S, and Porsche's expansion into the four-door luxury sedan arena with the Panamera. Competition coverage is expanded to include the domination of the RS Spyder in the ALMS series as well as the on-track success of the 997-based GT racers. And Ludvigsen looks closely at Wendelin Wiedeking's financially savvy stewardship of the Porsche company through the first decade of the twenty-first century.

With this 2008 edition, Excellence Was Expected remains "the definitive archetypal marque history," (Michael Scarlett, Autocar) that it was in its first edition. Karl Ludvigsen continues to set the bar high for automotive historians, just as the company he chronicles continues to shape our very definition of the term "sports car."