Motorworld Book Award 2026 – These Are the Best Car Books of the Year

TEXTSeptember 15, 2026 · 3 min

Motorworld Group, automatically translated

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The nominated books are displayed on the reading table, including the winners in the English Books category, “A Century of Concours d’Elegance” and “Maserati 250F.”

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The Motorworld Book Prize trophies before the awards ceremony—a sculptural representation of an open book, with plaques on its base listing the winning titles

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Three of the award-winning volumes are on display under the hall lights—“Mercedes-Benz 170 V/170 S/220” won the History category, while “Denzel Sports Cars” and “BMW M and BMW in Formula 1” received honorable mentions.

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Two award winners with their trophies in the lobby of Motorworld Munich—the book sculpture is awarded for every category win and every honorable mention

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A cocktail reception before the awards ceremony—the authors of the approximately fifty submitted titles and their publishers were invited

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Welcome at the bar table in front of the Lotus Store at Motorworld Munich

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A relaxed atmosphere ahead of the awards ceremony—the book prize is seen as an industry gathering for publishers and authors

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Guests in front of the Carrera barrier in the center of the arena

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A professional discussion at the bar table in front of the Lotus Store

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On stage with a bookshelf and a filing cabinet—the set design evokes a library rather than a showroom

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Jury Chairman Jürgen Lewandowski hosted the program; Stefan Piëch, Ferdinand Rudolf Porsche, Jochen Neerpasch, and Felix Timmer served as presenters.

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The biography “Jochen Mass – A Racing Icon” by Jörg-Thomas Födisch and Achim Schlang won the biography category

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Presentation of the trophy for first place in the Biography category—the award went to “Jochen Mass—A Racing Icon”

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Honorary Biography Award for “Ferdinand Porsche—Man, Visionary, Family Entrepreneur” by Thomas Ammann and Karl Ludvigsen, published by Delius Klasing

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The award recipients with their certificates for the Honorary Biography Award—behind them, the cover of the Porsche biography published by Delius Klasing Verlag

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"Motor Legends – The Rolling Stones" by Siegfried Tesche received an honorary award in the biography category

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Audience seated in a semicircle—the Motorworld tote bags containing the book award materials are stored under the seats

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Applause from the front row during the laudatory speech

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Motorsports Category Win for “The Nürburgring’s Comeback,” published by provaedition

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Final group photo of all the award winners—from among approximately fifty submitted publications, the jury selected winners in six categories

Im Hallenlicht liegen drei der ausgezeichneten Bände – „Mercedes-Benz 170 V/170 S/220“ gewann die Kategorie Historie, „Denzel Sportwagen“ und „BMW M und BMW in der Formel 1“ erhielten Ehrenpreise

Zwei Ausgezeichnete mit ihren Trophäen im Foyer der Motorworld München – die Buchskulptur gibt es für jeden Kategoriensieg und jeden Ehrenpreis

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Apéro vor der Preisverleihung – geladen waren Autorinnen und Autoren der rund fünfzig eingereichten Titel sowie ihre Verlage

Begrüssung am Stehtisch vor dem Lotus-Store der Motorworld München

Gelöste Stimmung vor der Verleihung – der Buchpreis versteht sich als Branchentreff von Verlagen und Autoren

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Gäste vor der Carrera-Bande in der Hallenmitte

Munich, September 10, 2026. Motorworld Munich became a hub for the book scene: From among some 50 recent publications, the expert jury—chaired by automotive journalist Jürgen Lewandowski—selected the best titles in six categories. Prominent guests such as Dr. Stefan Piëch, Ferdinand Rudolf Porsche, motorsports pioneer Jochen Neerpasch, and Felix Timmer, grandson of Austrian sports car manufacturer Wolfgang Denzel, added a touch of glamour to the event.

Final group photo of all the award winners—from among approximately fifty submitted publications, the jury selected winners in six categories

The winners:

Biography: Jörg-Thomas Födisch / Achim Schlang – Jochen Mass – A Racing Icon
Motorsports: Födisch / Behrndt / Roßbach / Ruwisch – The Nürburgring’s Comeback
History: Hans Peter Würsten / Günter Engelen – Mercedes-Benz 170 V/170 S/220
Design: Frank Rocholl – Under the Sun Vol. 2 Ferrari
English Books: Cabart / Cohignac / Rollet / Sen – A Century of Concours d'Elegance

The Motorworld Book Prize trophies before the awards ceremony—a sculptural representation of an open book, with plaques on its base listing the winning titles

The fact that the Mass biography, of all things, took home the win in the biography category has a bittersweet undertone: Jochen Mass passed away in May 2025 at the age of 78 as a result of a stroke. The Bavarian-born driver celebrated his greatest triumph with Swiss involvement. In 1989, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Sauber-Mercedes C9, alongside Manuel Reuter and Stanley Dickens. The C9 was designed by Peter Sauber’s Swiss racing team and was the first Silver Arrow to win since 1955. An award-winning book that thus also recounts a chapter of Swiss racing history.

The honorary awards took on special significance thanks to their presenters. Speaking on behalf of Frank Kuhlemann’s BMW M and BMW in Formula 1 was Jochen Neerpasch, a man who had personally shaped the history described: The founder of BMW Motorsport GmbH emphasized that he had witnessed and helped shape many of the developments detailed in the book.

The Porsche biography by Thomas Ammann and Karl Ludvigsen, in turn, was honored by two great-grandsons of Ferdinand Porsche, Dr. Stefan Piëch and Ferdinand Rudolf Porsche, who highlighted the personal, human perspective of the company.

The biography “Jochen Mass – A Racing Icon” by Jörg-Thomas Födisch and Achim Schlang won the biography category

Also noteworthy is the composition of the jury, which extends far beyond the automotive industry. Alongside Lewandowski and Motorworld CCO Sarah Dünkel, the panel included Christian Bauer (HYMER), Frank Marrenbach (Althoff Hotels), Michael Stoschek (Brose Fahrzeugteile), and Andreas Kaufmann (Leica Camera AG)—representing the motorhome manufacturing, hospitality, automotive supply, and optics sectors—were also at the table, forming a cross-industry “who’s who” rather than a purely technical panel.

Three of the award-winning volumes are on display under the hall lights—“Mercedes-Benz 170 V/170 S/220” won the History category, while “Denzel Sports Cars” and “BMW M and BMW in Formula 1” received honorable mentions.

The event organizer remains of interest to readers: The Motorworld Group is considered the world’s largest brand-independent sports car and classic car center and, in addition to locations in Stuttgart, Cologne, and Munich, also operates a facility in Zurich. Motorworld Cologne is also home to one of the most significant motorsports collections in existence: the private collection of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher.

Honorable mentions were also awarded—with a direct connection to Austrian sports car history—to Alexander Diego Fritz for “Denzel Sportwagen”; Denzel’s grandson, Felix Timmer, personally thanked the jury. The “From Around the World” category was awarded exclusively honorary prizes, including Stephen Bayley’s *Death Drive* and Ulrich Biene’s *Siku: The World of Cars in the Children’s Room*.

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