After 15 years, Karl Ludvigsen has published his most comprehensive work to date. In "Power Unleashed", the 91-year-old tells the story of the supercharger and turbo in 1950 pages - from the very beginning to the present day. This is an enormous undertaking, as the history of engine supercharging spans more than 120 years. Nowadays, when around half of all cars on European roads are fitted with a turbo, Ludvigsen's trilogy opens up a new perspective on a piece of technology that has long since become commonplace.
How it all began
The idea of forcing more air into an engine than would flow in by itself dates back to the early days of engine construction. In its simplest form, this is done using a compressor driven by the crankshaft. Even more fascinating, however, is the turbocharger, which uses the exhaust gas pressure for this purpose. There are even said to be people who have a tattoo of a turbo ...
The history of engine turbocharging is closely linked to aviation. Engineers realized early on that they could fly higher with their aircraft engines if they fitted them with a compressor to counteract the decreasing air density - a great advantage for military aircraft.
Ludvigsen also mentions ship engines, but the majority of his three-part work focuses on automotive engineering. For example, he tells the story of how Porsche turned the racing world of the 1970s upside down with the 911 Turbo. He often gives a voice to the pioneers of turbocharging, many of whom he knew personally.
Now available
Ludvigsen's stories are illustrated with 3500 pictures. The scope and quality of his monumental work justify the retail price of £ 395 / EUR 500 / CHF 435. The trilogy is now available in the publisher's store - but so far only in English.
