Time for good books: ramp reading tips for the holidays

The Myth Behind the Myth

There’s nothing wrong with focusing on the essentials – and Enzo Ferrari certainly mastered that art. “I have no real interest in a life outside racing cars,” he once said of his passion. The result: a myth that bears his name. Sports journalist Pino Allievi recounts the stories behind Ferrari’s key figures and triumphs, drawing on photos and documents from the company archives and private collections. Originally released as a strictly limited edition, the book is now available without restriction.

A Friend, a Good Friend

The Beetle. The Bus. The Golf. The Polo. All good friends. Which is exactly what their electric successors are meant to be as well. Says VW Head of Design Andreas Mindt. How that works? Mindt and his team invited us to Wolfsburg to find out. Into the VW Design Studio – normally sealed off from public view. Naturally, we didn’t need to be asked twice. There we watched the ID. CROSS CONCEPT for IAA 2025 take shape. And because we don’t like keeping things from you, here it is: what we think is the ultimate VW design book – from ramp.

Creating Memories. A Volkswagen Design Book. 

A ramp book. €35,00 (in German)

→ ramp.space

Ulf Poschardt: Über Sportwagen[On Sports Cars]

2025. ulfposhbooks Berlin. €39,00 (in German)

→ merve.de

Final Chapter

A fascinating setup: a photographer who spent ten years capturing Porsche owners and their cars exclusively in black-and-white analog photography – immersing himself deeply in their shared passion – now announces his last Porsche book. His very last. Bart Kuykens wants to explore new horizons. But before he does, he’s assembled this final volume, described as “a meditation on craftsmanship, identity and belonging”. We look forward to his new horizons – and can’t help but wonder if a Porsche might not still slip into the frame.

Cowboy Shit, All Year

Ever since the modern Western epic Yellowstone hit the streaming world, T-shirts reading “Been doin’ cowboy shit all day” have become a thing – even if most wearers haven’t done a lick of what’s printed on them. Not so the people in Isabelle Arnon’s photo book A Ranch Year: Cowboys of the West. The French photographer spent years in Wyoming and Montana documenting the lives of ranchers, cowboys and cowgirls. The result is a moving tribute to a way of life deeply rooted in the American West. Real cowboy shit – brilliantly shot.

Isabelle Arnon: A Ranch Year 

teNeues. €60,00

→ teneues.com

Reisekultur, modern gedacht

Im Wesenskern des Reisens steht die Freude an Entdeckungen. Das haben die Macher des Montamont Verlags bestens verinnerlicht, was sich in ihren bisher erschienenen Reiseführern für Südtirol, Vorarlberg und Graubünden nachlesen lässt, die für eine neue, bewusste Reisekultur stehen. Da lag es quasi auf der Hand, auch das Genre des Reisebildbands neu zu denken. Erst kam Italien, nun entdeckten sie versteckte Highlights in der Schweiz und erkundeten Bekanntes aus neuen Blickwinkeln. Dass sie sich dabei den filmischen Stil von Wes Anderson zum Vorbild nahmen, macht die Sache auch optisch zu einer gelungenen Angelegenheit.

Off to the Alps – Schweiz

Montamont A.T.C. 49,90 Euro

→ montamont.com