My Car Heaven, February 2022
'This incredibly detailed guide conveys an image of every single vehicle raced at the indomitable French rally track. Over 3,000 cars are therefore presented, accompanied by details on each driver, race result, and manufacturing information. The book is elegantly constructed, bound in fine calfskin, leather, and embossed with silver lettering and edging gilt.'
Motorsport Magazine, March 2017
'This hefty trilogy drips with Porter Press’s hallmark values, with high-quality art paper and crisp reproduction, but one has to wonder about the target audience. In essence, this is little more than a very expensive catalogue of arch collector Claude Nahum’s bewildering collection of 1:43 scale Le Mans models, in this case every single car that started the 24 Hours from the race’s post-war resumption to the end of 2009. That equates to more than 3,000 racing miniatures, each photographed from the same three angles, with occasional flourishes of prose to provide sketchy historical context.
'It’s not clear whether this was designed primarily as a celebration of the modeller’s art – and most of them are exquisite – but it has greater potential as a comprehensive (though slightly impractical) work of reference.' SA
Model Collector, March 2017
'A new three-book set entitled The Le Mans Model Collection 1949-2009, published by Porter Press International, showcases the incredible collection of Claude Nahum. The books cover every car to have raced at Le Mans between 1949 and 2009, from the famous to the obscure, and matches them with their scaled down counterparts. As well as over 9,000 photographs, including period images of the 1:1 cars and 61 specially commissioned paintings, you will find details of all the races, owners, drivers and individual performances.
'Priced at £200, this trilogy doesn’t come cheap, but it does offer an invaluable reference point for the serious Le Mans collector.'
Classic Driver, April 2017
'For what may be the ultimate Le Mans book, check out www.porterpress.co.uk for their three-volume masterpiece which features three photos for each of the 1:43 scale models of every car that raced at la Sarthe between 1949 and 2009, plus original watercolours, race summaries and details on each car’s performance in the event. It’s a bit hard for me to say too much because I had a hand in the book. However, it’s a superb quality publication of which only 300 sets have been printed, at £200 each. It features over 9,000 photographs across almost 1,000 pages, and is truly original. A book of this quality comes along very rarely.'
Austro Classic, April 2017 (original in German)
'The author collects historical racing cars and races with them. Le Mans has made a special impression on the collector – he has four (!) Ford GT40s in his collection and a model car collection of all Le Mans starters from the years 1949-2009. And now, with this book, he gives readers access to the incredible collection. In three volumes with a total of 974 pages, the books present each of the more than 3,000 cars that were launched in the 60 years – each with three photos and the most important basic data. Short summary of each race and additional pictures complete the trilogy.'
Classic & Sports Car, April 2017
'This is simply astonishing, cataloguing over three volumes – and 974 pages – a collection of 1:43 models of every car that raced at Le Mans from 1949 to 2009/ Christophe Lemoigne had the task of capturing all 3,000 models in triplicate for Claude Nahum who bought the late Ron Pegg’s collection. You wonder who would shell out £200 for a book that should appeal only to the collection’s owner, but with occasional action shots and 61 specially commissioned paintings, plus race summaries, it is actually an intriguing and novel reference work.'
Historic Racing Technology, Spring 2017
'I have to begin this review by saying that I have never seen anything quite like this book, or trio of books that come in a box set. To say that it is a labour of love is a gigantic understatement because it is a phenomenal achievement.
'To start with, Claude Nahum has collected models of every single car that has raced at Le Mans from 1949 to 2009. Not necessarily a big deal, you might think, until you begin to realise that this means more than 3,000 cars. The immediate thought is where on earth did he put them?
'As if that was not an achievement in itself, he has had every one professionally photographed from three different angles, so that alone means that this trilogy of books contains over 9,000 photographs. So that is the raw material, so to speak. Add in the fact that the details of the owners, drivers and performances of each one are also included as well and you begin to understand just what has gone into these volumes.
'Book 1 covers 1949 to 1969, book 2 1970 to 1980 and book 3 1990 to 2009. Each year has a chapter to itself with a description of the race, with each one having a specially commissioned painting.
'The attention to detail, the superb design, the paper quality are of the very highest quality. £200 is a lot of money, but when you consider the incredible amount of work that has gone into these books, the huge amount of information therein and everything else, it is tremendous value for money.'
