Randy Leffingwell wrote his first book,
American Muscle, while still on staff at the
Los Angeles Times. The book examined
Times’ publisher Otis Chandler’s growing collection of muscle cars.
American Muscle published in September 1990, jump-started a love of book creation that ultimately led Leffingwell to leave the
Times in 1995. By then, he and Motorbooks had published
Porsche Legends, and six other books. Since 1990, Leffingwell has authored more than 60 titles, most of them automotive-oriented. Over 30-plus years, these include a dozen Porsche titles ranging from general overviews—
Porsche 75 Years: Expect the Unexpected, and
The Complete Book of Porsche 911—to deeper explorations in
Porsche Turbo and
Porsche 911: 50 Years. During this time, he has regularly traveled to Germany to continue his research regarding Porsche’s history. To date, Leffingwell has interviewed more than 200 Porsche engineers, stylists, model makers, racers, and managers. While he has tackled other subjects including John Deere tractors, Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and West Coast lighthouses, Leffingwell admits he is almost addicted to the Porsche story. In addition to his book work, he is historical editor for
000 magazine and
PorschePanorama. And for the past decade he has been researching and writing an encyclopedic history of Porsche’s motorsports endeavors. Leffingwell lives near Santa Barbara, California.
Tom Loeser has worked as a Firefighter for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (now known as CAL Fire), as a graphic designer and photographer, and as chief photographer for the Long Beach Grand Prix. Since 2012 he has worked full-time as a book photographer provided images for Motorbooks titles Art of the Corvette, Art of the Mustang, Wide-Open Muscle, and Classic Motorcycles: Art of the Speed. His next book, The Art of Mopar: Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth Muscle Cars, is in production.
