Book excerpt: Born in the Bohemian town of Maffersdorf on September 3, 1875, Ferdinand Porsche displayed unparalleled automotive engineering genius from his earliest years. Following stellar work at Austro-Daimler, as well as with his own engineering firm, he formed his own automobile company after World War II, developing a line of sports cars which culminated in the fabled 911, the ultimate expression of Porsche’s original vision for the perfect sports car. The Complete Book of Porsche 911 provides a model-by-model overview for each year of the 911’s production, from the original 901 prototype to the current models. In addition to production cars, the book includes all of the factory's racing, prototype, and special-production cars illustrated with both current and archival photography. This book is the ultimate single-volume resource for the 911 aficionado.