Karl Ludvigsen's highly illustrated history of front-engined Formula 1 cars celebrates the engineering brilliance of their designs and recaptures the spirit of the golden age of Grand Prix racing. Previous ed.: Stroud: Sutton, 2000.
An illustrated history of the development of front-engined racing Formula 1 cars. The author builds from the technical evolution of the cars, era by era. He accompanies this with insights into the rise and fall of the famous manufacturers whose creations were the ultimate expression of the motoring know-how of their day. Ludvigsen takes the reader from the early days of the Formula 1 Grand Prix car through to the 1950s, giving a glimpse at drivers, managers and engineers who contributed to the classic era of Grand Prix racing.
Classic Grand Prix Cars explores the origins and evolution of Grand Prix racing during the first half of the twentieth century. With a newly expanded introduction for this edition, Karl Ludvigsen's authoritative history describes the technical development of these powerful machines, decade by decade. A former auto industry executive and award-winning author of dozens of books, including Classic Racing Engines, Ludvigsen is an expert guide to the cars, manufacturers and drivers who pioneered the sport that would become Formula 1.Front engines dominated the top tier of motor racing from the first Grand Prix held in France in 1906 through most of the 1950s. Ludvigsen describes the conception and construction of these ground-breaking vehicles, spotlighting the many remarkable advances in chassis and engine technology that were made during Grand Prix racing's first few decades. The final chapters of the book introduce the game-changing move to rear engines in Grand Prix cars after the Second World War.Ludvigsen¿s thoroughly researched text is augmented with hundreds of archival photos, illustrations and blueprints along with color photos of many of these historic cars in action. Lending further authority to his history are dozens of first-hand-accounts of early Grand Prix competitions as they appeared in the leading automotive journals of the day. Karl Ludvigsen's celebration of the innovative early years of the Grand Prix car makes for fascinating reading as well as providing a lasting reference for all F1 fans with a sense of history.
Nick Mason has had a lifelong passion for motor racing. The sports and racing cars he's chosen to own form a unique stable, not just because of their diversity, but because every car is meant to be driven, and driven hard. These are not museum pieces sitting tamely in glass cases. With test driver Mark Hales, Nick Mason has pushed twenty-two of his cars to the limit and created Into The Red, a book which captures the power, the exhilaration and the feel of the actual cars driven by the worlds greatest racing drivers, including Enzo Ferrari, Stirling Moss, Jacky Ickx and Mario Andretti. Some are incredibly fast: the powerhouse Porsche 935, the limited edition McLaren F1. Some extremely rare: the legendary V16 BRM is one of only three known to exist. Some highly expensive: the Ferrari 250GTO had a value of GBP10 million at its peak. And others are all-time classics, including the Bugatti T35B, the Maserati 250F, and the Ferrari T3 that brought Gilles Villeneuve victory in the 1978 Montreal Grand Prix. But although their past is what makes the cars so special, each car has been put through the same demanding test sequence at Silverstone, using the latest equipment, no quarter given.The results are often surprising. Mark Hales details the distinctive sensations, sounds and vibrations of each car's handling ability, down to the feel of the gears and the response of the brakes. Nick Mason gives his personal view of the history and heritage of each model, with the inside track on the ups and downs of collecting classic cars.
This book is the second in a multi-volume, decade-by-decade series covering the entire history of Formula 1 through its teams and cars. This instalment examines the 1970s, when the sport gained big new sponsors and grew into a television spectacle, with battles between Ferrari and Cosworth-powered opposition a continuing theme. As well as the big championship-winning teams--Lotus, Ferrari, McLaren and Tyrrell--this was a period when small teams and privateers continued to be involved in significant numbers and they are all included, down to the most obscure and unsuccessful. This book shines new light on many areas of the sport and will be treasured by all Formula 1 enthusiasts.
Amateur road racer, raconteur and car guy extraordinaire, Anatoly Arutunoff tells a lifetime of his favorite true first person stories. From his youth in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, to participation at the real Targa Florio, to eventually winning the SCCA runoffs in his Morgan 4/4, to more recent times on the historic rally circuit Toly makes you think you were there sharing all the adventures and camaraderie. There are intriguing family moments, the exuberance of youth and brushes with greats such as Redman, Clark and Moss plus many lesser known players from the past sixty years who collectively molded the sports car culture that has always surrounded the author. Written in an uncomplicated and light-hearted style the reader will either renew a relationship or discover a new friend in a man who suggests, “All the car stuff I’ve done is a sort of cross-section of what you would have done, if you’d been young in the sixties and had the money.” Ride with Toly on the roads and racetracks in America and Europe and share in an experience that is truly “One Off!”