Schlegelmilch: his finest images of Porsche sports cars 

German master Rainer W Shlegelmilch is best known for his photograhic work on the grand prix circuit, but a sumptuous new book, Porsche Racing Moments, collates his finest images from a parallel existence in sports car racing – specifically surrounding his favourite carmaker.

He first began taking pictures of racing drivers and their cars in 1962. “A friend took me to a grand prix because he wanted pictures for racing driver autographs; I was attending a good photo school in Munich and I took good portraits,” he explains.  “I enjoyed it very much. That’s how I met Jim Clark and Graham Hill. They were gentlemen and it was very open.”

Schlegelmilch stood out because he didn’t work for a specific newspaper or magazine. “I just wanted to take good pictures and I enjoyed travelling, from Monte Carlo to Le Mans,” he says. “Travelling was my pleasure. In the week I worked in my studio and made money, which allowed me to travel as a free photographer. I paid my expenses myself and kept all my pictures.  I didn’t want to be a photographer for a magazine full-time and the pictures I wanted to take were just for my personal enjoyment. That was very important.”

Without a dictated brief, Schlegelmilch became known for his artistic approach that led to spectacular results. Throughout the 1960s, he shot only in black and white, sending pictures to prestige magazines to ensure press officers would give him a pass the following year. He switched to colour film on a trip to the Targa Florio in 1968.

“I went to sports car races partly because I enjoyed travelling in my first Porsche,” he writes in the foreword. “At the 1969 Targa, I met Ferdinand Piëch, the head of the Porsche racing team, who advised me on the purchase of my second 911 Targa. My later trips with that car from my home in Frankfurt through Alsace, Paris, Chartres to Le Mans – exclusively on country roads in France – were pure adventure.”

A friendship with Klaus Reichert, Porsche’s in-house photographer, allowed him greater access to the racing team. “Klaus took me along to the Porsche garage in Teloché, while I encouraged him to take pictures under the Dunlop Bridge at sunrise.”

The images span his black and white 1960s, a ’70s colour explosion and some ’80s Group C. “I want to awaken memories of people my age,” he says, “and to motivate an enthusiastic younger generation in their passion for Porsche.”

Le Mans, 1978
Sunrise as a lonely Porsche 935 passes under the Dunlop bridge on its way down to the Esses. The shot has become a Le Mans signature. Note the lack of debris fencing.

Targa Florio, 1969
Competitions chief Rico Steinemann, pointing, and Ferry Porsche, hand in pocket, head to the podium with drivers Udo Schütz, left, and Gerhard Mitter after their victory in a 908.

Targa Florio, 1968
Local Sicilians take a look at the Porsche 907 of Hans Herrmann and Jochen Neerpasch, both of whom are behind the open door. Hand-painted number belies the car’s works status.

Targa Florio, 1970
John Wyer, in black, and Jo Siffert chat at the presentation of the works Porsche team. That’s Vic Elford to the right in blue overalls. Siffert and Brian Redman won the race in the No12 908/03

Le Mans, 1969
Mechanics’ tools of the trade laid out on the Porsche pits worktop. Beyond the crew, the 911 T of Claude Ballot-Léna and Guy Chasseuil begins another lap on its way to 11th overall. The image exemplifies Rainer W Schlegelmilch’s artistic approach

Le Mans, 1985
One of many Schlegelmilch studies of Jacky Ickx, at his final Le Mans where he shared a Rothmans 962C with Jochen Mass. The pair suffered a string of delays and could only finish 10th

Le Mans, 1968
Rolf Stommelen makes a lightning getaway from a wet September running start to lead the 908 squadron. Pedro Rodriguez still has the door open as he prepares for blast-off in the eventual race winner (GT40 No9)

Targa Florio, 1969
Children clap the Porsche 908/02 of Rudi Lins and Gerard Larrousse at that favourite Targa photographer spot, the hairpin on the way into Collesano

Le Mans, 1968
Porsche pair dive into the Esses as a dry line appears after early rain. Neither car made the finish. US duo Joe Buzzetta and Scooter Patrick (No34) had alternator failure, while reserve entries Herbert Linge and Robert Buchet (No67) were disqualified for a mechanical violation

Le Mans, 1985
Rothmans Porsche squad in 1-2-3 pit formation before the start. The team had been absent in 1984 (as was Schlegelmilch) because of a fuel regulation row. It was still an issue as customer team Joest beat the factory for a second successive win

Monza, 1970
Pedro Rodriguez puts his feet up as Wyer team-mates, from left, Jo Siffert, Brian Redman and Leo Kinnunen take a moment besides a 917K . Rodriguez, sharing with Kinnunen, stormed to victory, but Siffert and Redman were severely delayed by damage incurred in the Swiss’s early spin

Zeltweg, 1969
Garlands of victory adorn the Porsche 917 of Jo Siffert and Kurt Ahrens after the 1000Kms in Austria at the majestic new Österreichring. The victory was the first for the model, the result of much work to quell its alarming handling characteristics. But Siffert still had his doubts at this stage

Le Mans, 1970
Porsche Salzburg 917K splashes past the fairground on its way to the Esses and an epochal victory. Richard Attwood and veteran Hans Herrmann were unfancied pre-race, but that didn’t stop them making history and kick-starting Porsche’s run of 19 Le Mans wins (and counting)

Watkins Glen, 1972
A US trip for a taste of Can-Am paid off for Schlegelmilch. Here’s Roger Penske posing with a couple of young fans and his team’s 917/10. Newly obsolete at Le Mans, the Challenge Cup offered a fresh outlet for the 917

Nürburgring, 1969
Vic Elford takes flight in his 908/02 at Brünnchen. It’s no wonder the master was drawn to this spot, like most photographers of this era. Elford, sharing with Kurt Ahrens, finished third in a 908 top-five lock-out at the 1000Kms, a race he won three times

Porsche Racing Moments by Rainer W Schlegelmilch (Taschen, from £850) is limited to a run of 962 copies: there are two art editions and a collectors’ edition.