Johnny Tipler – författare

The story of the Saab 9-3 is full of twists and turns, from its origins before the 9-3 name even existed to its unexpected rebirth as an electric vehicle decades later. Bizarrely, the first-generation 9-3 was in essence the same car as the Saab 900 built between 1994 and 1998. Equally as bizarre, the second-generation 9-3 lived on well beyond the General Motors era, reappearing in 2013-14 and again from 2019 to 2022. In these later years its familiar Gen2 silhouette concealed an all-electric powertrain, now wearing the badge of new owner NEVS (National Electric Vehicle Sweden) in place of the hallowed Saab Griffin. From 1998 to 2011, the Saab 9-3 was manufactured at the Trollhattan factory in Sweden, carrying the brand's distinctive character into a new era. This book charts the 9-3's evolution under General Motors' stewardship, from the outgoing Saab 900 to the fundamentally similar first-generation 9-3, and on to the redesigned Gen2 model of 2002, this new model being built on GM's Epsilon platform and featuring far more GM-supplied componentry. The Gen1 9-3 came in three guises: four-door Saloon (sedan), two-door Cabriolet convertible and five-door Hatchback. Its Gen2 successor offered Saloon, Cabriolet and SportCombi estate car formats, powered by engines ranging from the 2.0-litre petrol Turbo and 1.9 TiD diesel to the 2.6-litre petrol V6 and the 1.9 TTiD twin-turbo diesel. Stunningly illustrated with over 250 images - many previously unseen - Saab 9-3 includes specially commissioned photography of the high-performance Viggen model, factory archive images, an interview with heroic rallycross legend Per Eklund and a Foreword by Saab insider and photojournalist Kenneth Olausson. It recounts Saab's final decade as a car manufacturer through the development of the 9-3 until its abandonment in 2011 by General Motors, and its brief rebirth as an electric vehicle under NEVS (National Electric Vehicle Sweden), which lingered intermittently until 2022.

Between the 1950s and 1971, the halcyon days of long-distance endurance motor racing, Porsche embodied the up-and-coming manufacturer, progressing inexorably from reliable class-winner to outright victor – a platform they consolidated and never rescinded. This book focuses on the six distinct Porsche models that raced from 1963 to 1971. Porsche created a series of racing cars – the 904, 906, 910, 907, 908 and 917 – to run in the FIA-regulated International Sports Car Championship Group 6 Prototype class, the Group 4 World Sportscar Championship, and European Hillclimb Championship events held during that period. These races lasted either 24 hours, 12 hours or 6 hours, or were categorised by distance: 1,000km, 500km or 500 miles. Events took place annually at European tracks including Le Mans, Nürburgring, Monza, Spa-Francorchamps and Brands Hatch, and in the USA at Daytona and Sebring. Chronicling each season, this visually stunning volume records Porsche’s multitude of successes.With over 300 outstanding images, many previously unseen, including professional photos and factory archive pictures, and featuring interviews with heroic Porsche racing drivers – with the Foreword written by two-times Le Mans winner Gijs van Lennep – this book tells the thrilling story of Porsche’s rise from consistent class-winner to incontrovertible outright victor.

As Lotus’s flagship model for almost three decades, the Esprit was launched in 1976 and remained in production for over a quarter of a century. It received regular refreshment along the way, principally to its original Giorgetto Giugiaro design and, from 1987, to its later Peter Stevens incarnation. Both iterations enabled the Esprit to maintain its position at the forefront of its market segment. Regularly compared to the best available from its German and Italian rivals, the Esprit was equally at home on the race track as it was on the road. A promising return to top-line international GT racing saw the Esprit compete on equal terms with the likes of Ferrari and McLaren, whilst, back in the showrooms, the car was selling for a fraction of their cost. The legacy of the Esprit can clearly be seen in current Lotus models whose core design brief is that they should always be the finest handling vehicle with the deftest of steering, feedback and feel.With over 300 stunning images, including professional photos, factory archive pictures and specially commissioned artworks, and featuring several interviews with Lotus personnel intimately concerned with Esprit production, this volume is a fitting tribute to a masterpiece of design and technology.

One of the most exciting models ever released by Porsche, the first 911 GT3 was introduced in 1999, based on the then-current 996 coupé, suitably modified as a contender in the FIA GT3 championship category. Successive iterations of the 911 GT3 – the 997 GT3, 991 GT3 and present-day 992 GT3 – were similarly adapted from the contemporary production-line model, with mechanical and aerodynamic upgrades, constructed at the Stuttgart-based company’s Zuffenhausen plant, with upgraded performance in RSR, R and Cup versions applied by its nearby Weissach competition department and test track. With over 300 stunning images, most previously unpublished, including professional photos, factory archive pictures and specially commissioned artworks, and featuring several interviews with Porsche heroes intimately concerned with GT3s in build and in competition, this book tells the thrilling story of a masterpiece of design and technology on road and track.

Between 1982 and 1992, the World Sportscar Championship embraced the FIA’s Group C regulations, spawning a generation of long-distance racing sports prototypes representing manufacturer teams such as Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Mazda, Peugeot, Nissan and Toyota, as well as a host of specialists such as Spice and Tiga. Driven by top-line drivers, these cars competed in one of the most exciting epochs in the annals of endurance racing. This book focuses on the cars, drivers and races of the era.

The Lotus Elan perfectly captured the spirit of the Swinging Sixties. Light, agile and brilliantly engineered around the groundbreaking Lotus-Ford Twin Cam engine, it evolved between 1963 and 1968 from the simple Series 1 roadster to the refined Series 4 convertible, amid factory moves, Team Lotus victories, Formula 1 World Championships and the landmark JPS sponsorship era. In 1967, it was joined by the elegant four-seat Plus 2, as Colin Chapman elevated the Lotus brand into the world of sophisticated Grand Tourers. The Elan name returned briefly in 1989 with the Isuzu-powered, front-wheel-drive M100. Including more than 250 photographs, many of them previously unpublished.

Porsche Boxster and Cayman follows the design and development of this mid-engined sports car and coupe family, from their origins in the company's concerted racing activities in the 1950s and 1960s, to the drawing board, launch and systematic evolution through successive model ranges from 1996 to 2016. There are detailed profiles and evaluation of all Boxster and Cayman derivatives, including 986, 987, 981 and 718. Specifications of the various models are given including entry-level, S, GTS and GT-4. The special Limited Editions, such as the 550 Spyder 40th Anniversary models are also included. The book covers some of the author's international driving experiences at the wheel of Boxster and Cayman including the Bilster Berg race circuit and Tour Auto. There is also an intriguing interview with successful racer Rebecca Jackson, who describes the techniques of Boxster racing and demonstrates the versatility of this best-handling of all Porsche sports cars.

The complete story of the innovative, iconic and enduring Porsche Carrera. This book takes the reader on a journey from the development of its audacious water-cooled design through its racing success and continued production today, to practical maintenance and modification. This book is a true homage to the Porsche Carrera and covers the concept, design and evolution of the 996,997 and 991, including an interview with harm Lagaaji, stylist in the Porsche design studios. Other interviews include racing drivers - past and present - Mike Wilds, Timo Bernhard, Richard Attwood, Richard Westbrook, Mario Andretti, Hans-Joachim Stuck, Wolf Henzler, Brendon Hartley and Peter Dumbreck. There is also a section on how to buy, maintain and modify a Porsche Carrera.

Porsche applied turbocharging to its racing cars in 1972 and, within a year, this technology had crossed over into it's production cars: the first road-going 911 Turbo was unveilled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1973. This books describes the evolution of turbocharging from racing to road cars. It details the technical and design development of the air-cooled models from 930 to 993 along with exclusive interviews with Klaus Ludwig, Jochen Mass and Nick Heidfeld. Includes full specification tables for each key model type and 300 photographs including many taken specially for this book by renowned photographer Antony Fraser.

Named after Elisa, the granddaughter of Lotus's owner at the time, Romano Artioli of Bugatti fame, the Lotus Elise was launched at the Frankfurt Show in 1995. In the subsequent twenty-five years it has not only established itself as the embodiment of what Lotus stands for, it retains a unique place in the international sports car market. No other manufacturer came up with a car to seriously rival the Elise, nor the Exige, in terms of handling dexterity on both road and racetrack, and it aptly characterizes the definition of a sports car. Written in Johnny Tipler's inimitable style this book includes a detailed evolution of the Elise and Exige, including full specification tables; interviews with key individuals involved in their design and development, including Richard Rackham, Gavan Kershaw, Neil Thomas, Russell Carr, Barney Hatt and Andy Pleavin; Elisa Artioli on her namesake, its past and future; motor sport adaptions and successes and finally, driving experiences on road and track. The production of the Elise and Exige was sustained through four corporate upheavals. Now in Geely ownership, the future for Lotus looks bright.

Now in paperback! This book covers all the shapely and collectible Giulia coupés, including the fabulous lightweight GTA racer. Recognised the world over as THE book of the Alfa GT and GTA models, it tells the story of the Giulia from Giugiaro's drawing board to the showrooms, roads and racetracks of the world. Also included is practical advice from leading experts on buying, restoring and caring for Alfa's classic Coupé together with production figures, road test data, homologation papers, addresses of clubs and specialists, reproductions of contemporary ads and brochure pages and much, much, more. Reissued due to popular demand, this book is now available in paperback.

This history of the Lotus Evora traces the genesis, context, manufacture and evolution of the Type 122 Evora and its derivative models.The Evora’s prowess as a grand touring sports car is demonstrated with the author's international road trips, and its essence is detailed through in-depth interviews with leading personalities at Lotus involved with the design, development, construction and marketing programmes. The book concludes with the launch of the Evora's successor, the Type 131 Emira in 2021.Johnny Tipler has a long association with the Lotus marque, having run the John Player Team Lotus Motorsport Press Office during the halcyon JPS era, as recounted in his 2019 book ‘Black and Gold’. He has authored many automotive books, notably on the Lotus Elise, and also wrote for the Club Lotus International publication between 2005 and 2011. He is a good friend of Classic Team Lotus boss Clive Chapman (son of the Lotus founder Colin Chapman) and regularly attends historic races such as the Goodwood Revival where CTL's F1 Lotuses are in action.

The Carrera Panamericana was first run to celebrate the inauguration of the Panamerican Highway, and traversed the length of Mexico, from Tuxtla in the south to Juárez near the Texas border. Firms like Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Porsche took advantage, and as class winners, Porsche even applied the event''s Carrera name to its sportier models. Since its 1987 revival, it''s been run rally-style with half-a-dozen special stages a day. Just as it did in the early-''50s, half the entry comprises brash American stock cars, today mostly Panamericana specials based on spaceframe chassis and 600bhp NASCAR V8 engines and running gear, lurking beneath period Studebaker, Hudson, Lincoln or Oldsmobile bodywork. The ''50s and ''60s European classics are no less heavily modified. Mexicans love a fiesta, and the arrival of La Carrera Panamericana at each of the provincial towns on its seven-day, 2000-mile progress through central Mexico last November provided an excuse for wild celebrations. As Johnny Tipler and his co-piloto Sarah Bennett-Baggs experienced when they drove the race in 2011 in a Porsche 914/4, everywhere the entourage is mobbed by enthusiastic spectators, waving, cheering and demanding souvenirs. Crowds throng, brass bands play salsa, and the tequila overflows. Includes over 400 images, maps of the modern and original 1950s routes, plus results of original events.

Today, Fiat''s superbly stylish 124 Spider is accepted internationally as a desirable classic car and its stablemate, the elegant 124 CoupE, is quickly gaining similar acceptance. That this recognition is deserved cannot be disputed, for both cars have all the right ingredients for lasting fame: original style, original engineering and real driver-pleasing performance, together with the one essential quality that makes a real ''classic car'' - deep-seated individual character.???In production from 1966 to 1985, the Pininfarina-designed 124 Spider was a huge export success for Fiat with over 170,000 examples being sold in the USA alone, whilst the 124 CoupE, styled by Boano, also enjoyed sales success throughout the world between 1967 and 1975. Both cars used Fiat''s willing and technically advanced twin-cam engine in sizes ranging from 1400 to 2000cc. Towards the end of production the Spider even enjoyed supercharged performance in its Volumex form.???Not to be forgotten is the 124 Spider''s important rÙle in international rallying during the 1970s, when the cars created and homologated by Abarth were very successful and always newsworthy. Over 1000 examples of the legendary Fiat-Abarth 124 Spider were built and today, deservedly, these traditionally black-bonneted/hooded cars enjoy great status amongst serious collectors.???Here, from an enthusiast author, is the complete history of these important cars, including motorsport. Also within these covers the enthusiast will find expert advice on which model to choose, restoration, clubs, specialists and what it''s like to live with a Fiat 124 Spider or CoupE.

Available again after a long absence! In production from 1966 to 1985, the Pininfarina-designed 124 Spider was a huge export success for Fiat with over 170,000 examples being sold in the USA alone, whilst the 124 Coupé, styled by Boano, also enjoyed sales success throughout the world between 1967 and 1975. Both cars used Fiat's willing and technically advanced twin-cam engine in sizes ranging from 1400 to 2000cc. Towards the end of production the Spider even enjoyed supercharged performance in its Volumex form.Not to be forgotten is the 124 Spider's important rule in international rallying during the 1970s, when the cars created and homologated by Abarth were very successful and always newsworthy. Over 1000 examples of the legendary Fiat-Abarth 124 Spider were built and today, deservedly, these traditionally black-bonneted/hooded cars enjoy great status amongst serious collectors.Here, from an enthusiast author, is the complete history of these important cars, including motorsport. Also within these covers the enthusiast will find expert advice on which model to choose, restoration, clubs, specialists and what it's like to live with a Fiat 124 Spider or Coupé.