[LM24] Book recommendations

[Samoan Attorney]

Originally Posted by skycafe

Agree 100% The old world versus the new world. A company stepping into something they had not really done much of (Ford) and taking on the masters of the craft (Ferrari)

I struggled with it from the start.............the passage concerning the 1955 race was utter tosh.........'Levegh' being frightened during the opening stint......how would anyone know in the absence of radios?...and while he may have been slowest of the Mercedes squad, he was faster than virtually all the Jaguar team....and then Hawthorne being completely blameless for the events leading to the Mercedes flying into the crowd......most risible was the claim Racers came to Le Mans to become champions. And of the many champions crowned here, Hawthorn was the fastest of them all.

Chris Nixon's sublime Mon Ami Mate gives a rather different account.............I know which I accept. There were other mistakes that a good editor would have spotted.............all that being said the book reads well and at pace.............better on setting the scene from the Ford perspective, than being a historical reference.

Mon Ami Mate has recently been reprinted by Chaters and is an essential addition to the library of any enthusiast who wishes a greater understanding of '50s motor sport. I believe that there is currently a deal that includes the DvD Race to Immortality available on the Chaters' website.