Favorite Car/Motorsport related book?

[Shane]

Haynes manuals don't count!

Anybody recommend a good book regarding motorsport/driver history? I need to drop hints for Christmas and I'm kinda stumped.

Thanks,

shane

 

[martx-5]

Here's a couple that I've read recently...

<span style="text-decoration: underline">"Morgan First and Last of the Real Sports Cars"</span> by Brian Laban. It gets a little dry at times with the technical stuff, but it's a captivating story of an auto manufacturer that marches to a different drummer.

<span style="text-decoration: underline">"Le Mans '55"</span> by Christopher Hilton. This is about the tragic crash at Le Mans in '55 that killed 80 people. It's very in depth about the state of racing at the time and of course the tradegy itself.

<span style="text-decoration: underline">"Cobra in the Barn: Great Stories of Automotive Archaeology"</span> by Tom Cotter. This book is a collection of stories about real barn find automotive gems. Makes you want to go out looking!

Edit: One more that I read awhile back...

<span style="text-decoration: underline">"Roadster How (and Especially Why) a Mechanical Novice Built a Sports Car from a Kit"</span> by Chris Goodrich. This is the trials and tribulations of a guy that builds a Caterham 7. Great reading, pretty fast paced and very enjoyable.

 

[Shane]

Here's a couple that I've read recently...

<span style="text-decoration: underline">"Morgan First and Last of the Real Sports Cars"</span> by Brian Laban. It gets a little dry at times with the technical stuff, but it's a captivating story of an auto manufacturer that marches to a different drummer.

<span style="text-decoration: underline">"Le Mans '55"</span> by Christopher Hilton. This is about the tragic crash at Le Mans in '55 that killed 80 people. It's very in depth about the state of racing at the time and of course the tradegy itself.

<span style="text-decoration: underline">"Cobra in the Barn: Great Stories of Automotive Archaeology"</span> by Tom Cotter. This book is a collection of stories about real barn find automotive gems. Makes you want to go out looking!

Edit: One more that I read awhile back...

<span style="text-decoration: underline">"Roadster How (and Especially Why) a Mechanical Novice Built a Sports Car from a Kit"</span> by Chris Goodrich. This is the trials and tribulations of a guy that builds a Caterham 7. Great reading, pretty fast paced and very enjoyable.

Thanks for the list. I've read "Roadster" as well, my wife got it for me just before we got the Healey, I think. Great book.

I'm definitely asking for "LeMans '55" and "Cobra in the Barn," although the latter might get me into some trouble... :smirk:

Thanks again!

 

[Steve]

I have "Cobra In The Ban" and "roadster", and both are good reads.

A further recommendation is "Stirling Moss: My Cars, My Career", a coffee-table-sized book, but a wonderful read, and he is brutally honest about some cars, but everything is in there, fron C-Types to Birdcage Maseratis......

VERY droolworthy!

 

[rick_ingram]

I'm finishing up Cobra in the Barn. I can then add that to my list of favourites...

....which includes any and all of Burt Levy's "Last Open Road" books.

Go Buddy Palumbo!)

 

[JamesWilson]

Jackie Stewart's Autobiography is good. I got it last Christmas and enjoyed it. Comes with a DVD, too.

 

[Shinsen774]

Is there a book out on Phil Hill?

 

[Banjo]

The Last Open Road series by Vintage racecar driver/ columnist B.S.Levy. It's a fictional stroy following a young mechanic in New Jersey starting in 1952. It includes many of the last sportscar races run on the streets, and has lots of LBCs and famous racers in it. Levy did huge amounts of research on the cars, people and races in the story, and did a great job of inserting his fictional cast into all the historical facts.
Good read, and you learn stuff too.
His charecters manage to get to many of the greatest races in history. Watkins Glen '52, LeMans '55, Nassau, Monoco, Elkhart Lake, Giant's Despair, La Carrara Panamericana, Indy, 24 hours of Daytona and lots of others...meeting people like Phil Hill, Carrol Shelby, Lantz Reventlow, Briggs Cunningham, Manuel Fangio, and more...
the series so far is;
"The Last Open Road"
"Montazumas Ferrari"
"The Fabulous Trashwagon"
"Toly's Ghost"
check out thinkfastink.com for details.

 

[William]

What kind of cars or motorsports do you like? My wish list is equal parts hot rods, marque histories, Grand Prix racing, drag racing, lakes racing, and sports car racing.

<span style="font-style: italic">'32 Ford Deuce</span> by Tony Thacker, an extremely good history of this iconic car, with the bonus of a list of the 75 most significant '32 Ford hot rods.

<span style="font-style: italic">Brooklands-The Complete Motor Racing History</span> by Bill Boddy. The comprehensive history of the world's first dedicated motor racing facility. Worth it if you can find one.

<span style="font-style: italic">Race Of The Century</span> by Julie M. Fenster. The story of the 1908 New York to Paris auto race.

<span style="font-style: italic">The Golden Age Of The American Racing Car</span> by Griffith Borgeson. A thorough history of American racing from the board track era to the second world war.

<span style="font-style: italic">Classic Racing Engines</span> and <span style="font-style: italic">Classic Grand Prix Cars</span>, both by Karl Ludvigsen. Both books are typically well researched, the former with a section on each engine profiled, making it ideal to dip into.

<span style="font-style: italic">A Passion for Porsches</span> by Denis Jenkinson. It's Jenks. Needs no more explanation!

-Wm.

 

[weewillie]

Jackie Stewart's Autobiography is good. I got it last Christmas and enjoyed it. Comes with a DVD, too.

Me too James, my daughter got it for me last year when she was in Ayr and Jackie was there promoting the book so she bought it and got it signed,and also got some pictures with him.

 

[Shane]

What kind of cars or motorsports do you like?


-Wm.

My interests are varied, but I'm rediscovering 50's/60's Grand Prix and Can-Am racing. Then again, anything written about and photographed at Bonneville will certainly make my day. This list will definitely help others in the decision making process. I just don't know if I'll be able to wait until the 25th! Just like a kid again, I guess...

Thanks again for everyone's submissions. Keep them coming!

Shane

 

[coldplugs]

William is right on the mark with his suggestions. (As are others...)

I'll add either of Mike Hawthorns books - "Challenge Me the Race" or "Championship Year" with a slight bias towards the second. Out of print I'm sure, but there's always AbeBooks.com

(Might be "Champion Year" - not sure)

 

[William]

What kind of cars or motorsports do you like?


-Wm.

My interests are varied, but I'm rediscovering 50's/60's Grand Prix and Can-Am racing. Then again, anything written about and photographed at Bonneville will certainly make my day. This list will definitely help others in the decision making process. I just don't know if I'll be able to wait until the 25th! Just like a kid again, I guess...

Thanks again for everyone's submissions. Keep them coming!

Shane

The best book about the Can-Am I've found is <span style="font-style: italic">Can-Am</span> by Pete Lyons, and published by Motorbooks. I believe it is out of print, but they may have gone to paperback, and MBI may have a few copies kicking around. It's a year by year history of the series in its original incarnation, from 1966 to 1974. Otherwise there are a few good marque histories from the Can-Am, including a great photo book about Chaparral by Dave Friedman, and <span style="font-style: italic">Lola T70</span> by John Starkey. I'm told that <span style="font-style: italic">Chaparral</span> by Richard Falconer is a great book on the topic, but it's long out of print and they tend to run over a hundred bucks a pop.

On the topic of lakes racing, if you can find it, <span style="font-style: italic">The Birth Of Hot Rodding-The Story Of The Dry Lakes Era</span> by
Robert Genat and Don Cox is just about the best book on the topic I've found. Another of the famous MBI "square" format books, it's very well written and features some of the most amazing photography from those early days of rodding, including some wonderful color stuff that was hidden away for decades and made its debut in the book. I forget at the moment if this covers early Bonneville events, but it certainly covers the dry lakes.

Hope this helps.

-Wm.