[Books] Best Books - Your Recommendations

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by cg7aa

I've heard good things about the book. I may have to add it to my ultra long list of desired books. Is there much about the man and his early days as a designer or is it loaded with the modern F1 stuff? The latter leaves me a bit cold.

There's a bit of childhood/school days background and then it's into F1 and Indycar (the Indy stuff was quite interesting as I didn't know he'd done any of that). I'm about half way through the book now and it's into the McLaren period Leyton House and Williams dealt with!) so depending on your definition of 'modern' that may or may not be of use!

It's certainly an interesting read and some of the insights into performance (or lack of) of the various cars he worked on are easy to correlate to things I remember seeing (eg. the relatively poor early season performance of the 94 Williams).

[John Elwin]

Anyone interested in Britain's sports car industry will find Oliver Winterbottom's biography A Life In Car Design a fascinating read.

Oliver's career began as a Jaguar apprentice in the 1960's, where he graduated to the drawing office. From there he moved to Lotus, where he was responsible for design of the Elite/Éclat range. He was to return to Lotus (more than once!) but after that he was responsible for the wedge-era TVR's, followed by spells in the US & China.

For an engineer, Oliver makes a great writer - he pulls no punches & tells it as it is (always has, always will!). Well worth getting hold of a copy.

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

Anyone interested in Britain's sports car industry will find Oliver Winterbottom's biography A Life In Car Design a fascinating read.

Oliver's career began as a Jaguar apprentice in the 1960's, where he graduated to the drawing office. From there he moved to Lotus, where he was responsible for design of the Elite/Éclat range. He was to return to Lotus (more than once!) but after that he was responsible for the wedge-era TVR's, followed by spells in the US & China.

For an engineer, Oliver makes a great writer - he pulls no punches & tells it as it is (always has, always will!). Well worth getting hold of a copy.

Thanks for the recommendation John, that sounds like my kind of read.

[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

Thanks for the recommendation John, that sounds like my kind of read.

You won't be disappointed! It's an extremely good reader. Publisher is Veloce.

[Tempest67]

I surprisingly liked the book: A State of Freedom, by Neel Mukherjee.

[Kingair]

AJ How Alan Jones Climbed to The Top Of F1.

A very good read, typical Alan Jones doesn’t mind telling it warts and all, doesn’t hold back on expressing opinions on various drivers, team owners and cars.

[Tom V]

Also read the Alan Jones bio, like you said I like his honest opinions about certain drivers turned team owners...

[Tom V]

I’m reading the Sports Car Racing in Camera 1980-89 book (latest in series) by Paul Parker. When this one is finished I’m hoping to finally start reading the John Barnard bio. For Xmas I’m expecting the F1 car by car 1980-89 book.

[S griffin]

Got Touring Car Racing 1958-2018 for my b’day yesterday. Quite a good read, despite the odd error, and some nice rarely seen before pictures

[VIVA GT]

I was given the book 60 Seasons by Alex Burnham for my birthday in September. It chronicles every race of the BTCC (well, also BSCC) from 1958 to 2017. Over 700 pages and no pictures so I'm finding it heavy going, plus there are a lot of silly mistakes that should have been found by a good proof reader (mixing the words 'passed' and 'past' for example), but interesting to dip into & out of now and again.
I'll be opening my Christmas presents soon, and usually my wife surprises me with a nice racing related book or two, so I may be reporting back again later...

[coppice]

As the turkey cooks , my books of 2018 -


Howden Ganley- The Road to Monaco - beautifully written ,and not by a ghost. A lovely book by a lovely man who has done it all - from Le Mans to nearly winning the '73 Canadian GP and from being the 'ga' in Tiga to the ambassador for the Formula Junior Diamond Jubilee



Adrian Newey - How to Build a Car . As a non techy reader I enjoyed this book enormously , and I found an endearingly human side to the man whom I had always thought was the geeks' geek



John Barnard - The Perfect Car .Gosh , what can I say ? A fascinating book about a man with chips on both shoulders , who comes over as profoundly unlikable . But the stuff about Ferrari is astonishing - plots, backstabbing and intrigue galore . But anybody who designed the sublime Ferrari 640 is alright by me , and the book is un-put-downable .



Pironi- The Champion Who Never Was- David Sedgwick . There is no disguising the author's love of his subject but ,on the evidence of what I have read so far , the book is just dreadfully written . As was Johnny Herbert's What Doesn't Kill You - a great story in serious need of a good subeditor .


Damon Hill's Watching The Wheels is the most insightful , fascinating and best written racing driver autobiography I have read . The only one which comes close is the late Peter Revson's Speed with Style .

[VIVA GT]

So, this year my dear wife has excelled herself by buying me three books, two being motor-racing related, the other connected to my other vice, Monty Python. After flicking through all thee, I've decided that the one I couldn't put down was Eric Idle's Sortabiography: "Always look on the bright side of life". I'm trying to read it slowly (not because it's hard work, but to make it last), and am really enjoying it's written as if he's speaking every word, not full of belly laughs, but really very amusing and although I'm only up to page 33, the start of Chapter 6, I'd highly recommend it.

[Aysedasi]

That sounds like my kind of read, having been an MP fanatic all my life......

[Samoan Attorney]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

That sounds like my kind of read, having been an MP fanatic all my life......

Why does that not come as a surprise?........

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

So, this year my dear wife has excelled herself by buying me three books, two being motor-racing related, the other connected to my other vice, Monty Python. After flicking through all thee, I've decided that the one I couldn't put down was Eric Idle's Sortabiography: "Always look on the bright side of life". I'm trying to read it slowly (not because it's hard work, but to make it last), and am really enjoying it's written as if he's speaking every word, not full of belly laughs, but really very amusing and although I'm only up to page 33, the start of Chapter 6, I'd highly recommend it.

I was bought the Eric Idle book for Christmas too Not started it yet - I haven't finished the book I'm on yet (First Light by Geoff Wellum - another great read and one I'd highly recommend).

[coppice]

My review of the excellent John Barnard book, The Perfect Car, is now on the speedreaders.info website

[NaBUru38]

A few days ago I bought two books about Uruguayan auto racing: "Una generación a fondo" and "Una vuelta por la historia", both by Diego Vigorito and Miguel Pastorino, about rallying and circuit racing respectively.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

A few days ago I bought two books about Uruguayan auto racing: "Una generación a fondo" and "Una vuelta por la historia", both by Diego Vigorito and Miguel Pastorino, about rallying and circuit racing respectively.

Does Gonchi figure much?

[NaBUru38]

I haven't opened the book about circuit racing. Did read quite a bit of the rallying book.

[NaBUru38]

Indeed, the final chapter of the book is about Gonchi. He was a four-wheeled Bart Simpson or Kick Buttowski, even in Europe.

[Kingair]

Race Across the World by John Smailes - story of the 1968 London - Sydney marathon.

A very interesting read- and you soon come to the conclusion that the participants are certifiable mad men.

[Aysedasi]

With the currency of 'Le Mans 66' (or 'Ford v Ferrari' as you prefer), I'm re-reading AJ Baime's 'Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari and their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans'. Great read. Anyone who's seen the movie and wondered ought to read it.

[coppice]

I can highly recommend Jon Saltinstall 's NIKI LAUDA - his competition history . Just published by Evro -my review is on the speedreaders.info website

[Aysedasi]

I'm now re-reading The Certain Sound by John Wyer. Excellent book (if a little dry..... like the man himself!).

[John Turner]

Just acquired 1st edition of Touch Wood by Duncan Hamilton which I spotted in a secondhand bookshop window in Shrewsbury today. Complete with acceptable dust cover it cost me a whopping £9.50! A bit of a bargain, I reckon. I have read it before and an excellent read if I recall.