Karl Ludvigsen and his book Porsche: Excellence Was Expected made an impressive showing at the 2004 International Automotive Media Awards. The awards ceremony was hosted by the Madison Avenue Sports Car Driving & Chowder Society at Sardi's in New York on November 16th. Within the Books division, Ludvigsen's Porsche: Excellence Was Expected won a Gold medal for Best Single Marque History. This masterwork of Porsche history then went on to win the Best Book of the Year Award, and then took the highest IAMA honor for 2004 by winning Best of 2004. The IAMA award for Best of 2004 is chosen from among some 400 automotive media entries across 11 different divisions.

"We're very gratified by this recognition of Karl's three-volume work," said Janet Barnes, publishing director at Robert Bentley, "which we were pleased and honored to bring to the market. It's now well into its second printing, showing that it's the book that the Porsche community was waiting for."