Page 34 - Sample pages "Forty Six: The Birth of Porsche Motorsport"

CHAPTER 10
THE RESTORATION
on examination of Jerry’s scrapbook ASAP was necessary.
The scrapbook arrived in the shop a couple of days later. It was unlike anything we have ever seen in all our years in the Porsche world. It was obviously a handmade souvenir of black and white photos of Porsche race cars from the early 1950s. I could only speculate as to the reason for its existence. Still, it had been prepared with some diligence by or for a Porsche enthusiast because it featured an early Porsche emblem on the front cover that took some time to create. Along with images of SL 063, there were several other cars that were new to us. Jerry’s scrapbook is one of the most important archives of early Porsche racing exploits that we know of. It is rad!
Chris Greenwood examined the scrapbook for clues that might help. I was full steam ahead in finalizing the restoration. After some quick analysis of the engine bay photos and one of the Porsche Corporate Archive images, the team concluded that the scrapbook engine image was of some other, possibly a later car, although it had a few components in common with ours. This was a massive relief because there was not time to completely rework the engine bay just weeks before the concours. Decisions about the placement of various brackets for the oil filter, spare coil, and regulator were made based on the best information available and we forged ahead.
The scrapbook included previously unseen images of crash-damaged SLs, notably the number 47 (SL 054) Le Mans combatant. This is the car that Rudolph Sauerwein totaled during evening practice and did not start the race. We had only
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FORTY SIX The Birth of Porsche Motorsport
One Porsche collector helps another; a very unexpected discovery of a rare scrapbook sheds light on a few outstanding concerns during the restoration, and at a very timely moment. Cameron Healy (front) and Rod Emory examine the Seinfeld scrapbook.
© DALTON WATSON FINE B
© DALTON WATSON FINE BOOKS © DALTON WATSON FINE BOOKS DALTON WATSON FINE BOOKS TON WATSON FINE B