Motorsport Book Reviews

Formula 2:  THE GLORY YEARS, 1967-84  Book review by Ed McDonough I can now apologise to Chris Witty for harassing him over the last few years to get this book done. It was worth the wait. While a few people might say that the earlier F2 period - 1964-1966 - should have been included in depth, Jutta Fausel’s magnificent archive covers the later period in amazing depth, and the re...

CLICK HERE  - At the Checkout enter Discount code RETRO10  Book review by PeterBaker Great Cars 19: Porsche 962/88 - The autobiography of 962 011 Although of limited appeal it is essential that books such as this continue to be written, because, as with Chinese whispers, the further we move away from events, and the cars involved, so then does the truth become more distorted. Or in som...

Forgotten Rally Photos: A collection of rare professional rally photographs and stories from 1975 to 1982 Book review by Ken DaviesPerfectly defining the iconic 1970s epoch of stage and road rallying, this fascinating book provides a wide selection of high-quality images from the lens of professional photographer Peter Smith, matched with some clever investigative captions by former competit...

CLICK HERE  - At the Checkout enter Discount code RETRO10  Book review by Peter Baker Great Cars 17: Subaru Impreza WRC - The autobiography of P8 WRC If I was to write a book about famous rally cars I would include more than one, probably make it a round dozen, maybe even more. After all, the wider the appeal, the more copies you’re likely to sell. Which goes to show that auth...

DEREK WARWICK: Never look back - The racing life of Britain’s double World Champion   Book review by Peter Baker Derek Warwick and Derek Bell have a lot in common, both proved great long distance ‘sloggers’, with multiple appearances at Le Mans and both becoming World Sportscar Champions, Warwick in 1992 just one year after his younger brother, Paul, died at Oulton Par...

Formula 1: Car By Car 2000-2009  Book review by Peter Baker This is a very good book. I could leave it at that but, although it sums the book up nicely, I’m not sure the publishers would feel I was giving them value-for-money. And talking of value, this in depth, sixth in the series, race team analysis, with each year given its own chapter, each written by acknowledged expert Peter Hi...

How to Win a Grand Prix: From Pitlane to Podium - The Inside Track  By Bernie Collins Book Review By Ken Davies  Written in alliance with redoubtable motor racing journalist and author Maurice Hamilton, Bernie Collins’ book takes the reader through the complexities of winning in modern Grand Prix racing, where success is the sum of many parts. To put things into perspective, th...

Goldie - The Amazing story of Alfred 'Goldie Gardner, the world's most successful speed-record driver. By John Mayhead Book Review by Ken Davies     Just like a story taken straight from the bushel of ripping Yarns adventure tales, Goldie charts the fascinating life of Alfred Thomas ‘Goldie’ Garner OBE, MC, arguably, the world’s most successful speed-record driver...

Racing with Rich Energy - How a rogue sponsor took Formula One for a ride By Alanis King & Elizabeth Blackstock Book Review by Ken Davies     Motor racing attracts a glamorous aura together with some dubious characters! Some that spring to mind include Sidney Miller, one of several aliases of Southern Organs fame who sponsored anything that moved in national motor racing during t...

INSIDE OSCA: The Bolognese Miracle That Amazed The World  Book review by Peter Baker It might be that I’ve just taken ownership of my first Maserati, or it could just be my love of everything Italian, but this book pulls all the right strings. It concerns, in some depth, how the three Maserati brothers, Bindo, Ettore and Ernesto, after losing their trademark brand, created a small, th...

DRAWN TO THE WHEEL - The rallying biography of Margaret Mackenzie  Review by Peter Barker Pablo Raybould is a remarkable person. Unaided and seemingly self-motivated he has sought out some of the characters of mid-20th century British production car motorsport, researched their stories and published a number of wonderfully engaging biographies as a result. The list of personalities featured...

Fast Fords: 50 Years up close and personal with Ford’s finest  Book review By Peter Baker Author Jeremy Walton and I have a lot in common. To start with, we both peaked between 1966 and 1980, launch time for some exciting cars that could still be driven with verve on UK’s less restricted public roads. And again, something else we had in common, we both were involved, one way or ...

24h Le Mans: 1923-2023 - 100 Years of Legends – The official celebration of the Le Mans 24 Hours  Book review by Peter BakerWhen this book arrived, I naturally thought: ‘Oh no, not another one! Is there really enough room on the bookshelf for yet another glossy Le Mans ramble?’ But I was wrong. This book is different. Billed as ‘The Official Celebration of the Le Man...

Book review by Peter Baker  PORSCHE - Boxter & Cayman: THE 981 SERIES 2012-2016  If you want to win ‘Mastermind’, pick Porsche Boxster/Cayman as your chosen subject, then go out and buy this book by long standing author Brian Long. If you can only digest half the facts within, you’ll still walk away at the series end clutching the famous glass bowl. Or, being mor...

50 Years With Ferraris: Photographer Neill Bruce’s story of a lifetime working with Maranello Concessionaires  Book review by Peter Baker Not many photographers can claim to have worked first with ‘Woman’s Own’ magazine before joining Ferrari, or to be more precise, Maranello Concessionaires. Neill started on 1 January 1971, and stayed until ‘booted out’...

Click HERE – At the Checkout enter Discount code RETRO10  BOOK REVIEW  By Peter Baker  Exceptional Cars Series 11 - SS Jaguar 100: The remarkable history of 18008  Any car that survives 80 years can be counted a rarity. When, during that time the same car has been used consistently in competition, certainly up until September 2022, when it finished 7th in the Pre-War rac...

Book review by Peter Barker The Atlas of Car Design - The world’s most iconic cars A sumptuous 568-page survey of the 65-plus most iconic cars made in the world to date (2023). Handsomely published by Phaidon with foreword and text by Jason Barlow with Guy Bird and an essay on the US car industry from Brett Berk, this book is the result of a great deal of work by an editorial team which i...

Tyrrell: The Story of the Tyrrell Racing Organisation Book review by Peter Baker Why anybody should want to run a race team I have no idea. Except no other occupation, except perhaps three-card brag, can give you so many highs, and lows, compressed into such a short space of time. Up one minute, down the next. A dozen second places, that nobody remembers, equals one win. Maybe. But ask, and they...

Book Review  By Ken Davies The Metro 6R4 Diaries Author Wynne Mitchell is a seasoned automotive engineer with considerable competition experience, having started his career as a student apprentice with the Rootes Group before studying mechanical engineering at Birmingham University. Wynne joined Austin Rover Group (ARG) July 1984 to work on the company’s sensational offering for the...

Click HERE – At the Checkout enter Discount code RETRO10 BOOK REVIEW  By Peter Baker SUPERBEARS: THE STORY OF HESKETH RACING Rich kid starts Formula 1 team. Strikes lucky. Wins a couple of races. Then runs out of money and fades into obscurity. Boring. Only, in the case of rich kid Thomas Alexander Fermor-Hesketh, along with his public school pals, the very word boredom was anath...

BOOK REVIEW  By Ken Davies  Memory Lanes.… rally tales - Stories about rallying from the 1960s and 1970s  The latest volume of Peter Robinson’s Memory Lanes…. rally tales series has just been released and the hexad of this popular double trilogy is possibly his best so far. Providing stories about rallying from the 1960s and 1970s, Peter’s latest high qua...

BOOK REVIEW  By Peter Baker  FORMULA 1 TECHNOLOGY: The engineering explained  It would be easy to criticise this book, after all, since Steve committed his words to paper, the ever-evolving world of Formula One has changed, in some areas quite considerably. So, I’m thinking: Why write an out-of-date book, when the subject matter is primarily social media material. This is th...

BOOK REVIEW  by Ken Davies    Life on the Wilds side! - My half century-plus as a professional racing driver  It seems that Mike Wilds’ face has been a familiar sight in motorsport forever and the versatile driver has grown into a motor racing treasure. Back in May 2019 I had the pleasure of interviewing Mike for Castle Combe Talk and he was a delight to work with; frien...

Click HERE – At the Checkout enter Discount code RETRO10  BOOK REVIEW  By Peter Baker  Audi R8: The Autobiography of R8-405  I’m not sure about this book. It’s very subject specific, which in itself is okay. After all, Ian’s attention to detail is as always second to none. But to my mind, it’s about the wrong car. Chassis number R8-405 only won ...

BOOK REVIEW  By Peter Baker  FERRARI 1960-1965: The hallowed years  This very collectible book is as much a testament to the outstanding ability of motorsport photographer Bernard Cahier, as it is the ongoing talent and determination of the late Enzo Ferrari and the book’s author, French journalist William Huon. Bernard possessed not only the canny knack of being in the rig...

BOOK REVIEW  By Peter Baker  JACKY ICKX: His authorised competition history  In 1963, a well-established importer of BMW into Belgium decided to support a young 18-year-old aspiring race driver. The underpowered BMW 700 Coupe produced a meagre 44bhp, just enough to learn on. The teenager went on to drive for Ferrari, finishing runner-up in the F1 World Championship and winning at ...

BOOK REVIEW  By Ken Davies CHRIS COBURN: Motorsport’s Iconic era from Mini to Dealer Team Vauxhall  A comprehensive biography of the irrepressible Chris Coburn has just been published. Talented, versatile and multi-faceted driver, entrepreneur, engineer and skier, Coburn was a prolific mover and shaker in the world of motorsport during the 1960s/70s and instrumental in the forma...

BOOK REVIEW  By Peter Baker  Driven To Crime: True stories of wrongdoing in motor racing  Just the job for those looking to keep hubby quiet during the forthcoming festivities. Whether he’s worth £40.00 after wasting so much of the family fortune on rusted out classics during 2022 is another thing all together. Here we have the best part of 500 pages given over to man...

BOOK REVIEW  By Ken Davies  Every Picture Tells a Story: The 1958 Monaco Grand Prix  Proving every picture tells a story, Welsh motorsport author Richard Jones has self-published a fascinating book from an idea provided by an evocative painting that captures just a brief snapshot from a hot and sunny May afternoon in the tiny Mediterranean principality of Monaco. In fact, the origi...

BOOK REVIEW  By Peter Baker  Richard Oakes: Master of Design  Douglas Anderson may live some 400 miles away, but that doesn't stop us being friends. Thus, it gives me great pleasure to review his latest offering, an in depth tribute to creative automobile designer Richard Oakes. A man who went looking for inspiration and found it under the tutorage of Professor Peter Stevens. He n...

Click HERE - At the Checkout enter Discount code RETRO10  BOOK REVIEW  By Peter Baker  Ferrari F40  This is a book of substantial dimensions, and heavy, thus not suitable for carrying onto an aeroplane, unless travelling first class. As the blurb says, ‘It’s lavish, large, and contains over 400 pics of the F40.’ So, if you’re more a fan of Ford Escort...

BOOK REVIEW By Peter Baker  Raoul ‘Sonny’ Balcaen: My exciting true-life story In motor racing from Top-Fuel drag-racing pioneer to Jim Hall, Reventlow Scarab, Carroll Shelby and beyond I really enjoyed reviewing this book. Actually, more than that. I really, really enjoyed reviewing this book. You could say Raoul ‘Sonny’ Balcaen was born in the right place, Los...

BOOK REVIEW By Peter Baker S.F. Edge: Maker of Motoring History  The most valuable commodity we have in terms of history, is first-hand knowledge. Therefore, it is important, nay imperative, that we put on record biographies while the subjects are still living and breathing. I’m not saying this book is not factually correct but, by its very nature, is no more than a cold list, lacki...

BOOK REVIEW By Peter Baker The Essential Buyer’s Guide: Morgan Plus 8 -All Models 1968-2004 The first time I drove a Morgan it frightened the life out of me. Never again, I muttered, searching for the nearest pub. Then, in 1968, along came the Plus 8, and the nightmare started all over again. Submerged cat’s eyes felt like rocks in the road, while torque-induced chassis twist thre...

BOOK REVIEW  By Peter Baker  A Race with Infamy: The Lance Macklin Story  As someone who lives in a small house and has never owned a coffee table I prefer my books small. In fact, the smaller the better. Thus, The Lance Macklin Story, in size dimensionally, not much bigger than a decent sized bar of chocolate, had, even before opening, scored good marks. Most of you I’m gu...

BOOK REVIEW  By Peter Baker PADDOCK TRANSFER – E.V. STARR SNAPS THE SUPERSONIC 70S – VOLUME 1 1970-74 Paddock Transfer, written with much thought from Tim Beavis and Guy Loveridge, is their second book using the photographic records of the late Mr. Edgar Vernon Starr. The Foreword is by multi-award-winning motoring books author Jeremy Walton. The lengthy detailed captions, ting...

Click HERE - At the Checkout enter Discount code RETRO10  BOOK REVIEW  By Peter Baker  BRM - RACING FOR BRITAIN  If you put co-authors Ian Wagstaff and Doug Nye in the same room, they only need one typewriter and five minutes before they’ve written the motorsport equivalent of Shakespeare. Put simply this could easily become my ‘Book of the Year’.Hard to im...

Click HERE - At the Checkout enter Discount code RETRO10  BOOK REVIEW  By Peter Baker    TRANS AFRICA LAND ROVER: The story of Philip Kohler and his epic overland adventure  Nowadays, why anybody should want to own, let alone drive, an old Land Rover is beyond me. Personally, I’d rather walk, or take a 93 bus. Of course, when they were new 63 years ago, and if you ...

BOOK REVIEW  By Ken Davies  The Yorkshire Rally Mafia  I’ve recently reviewed several authoritative books recalling the golden 1960s/70s era of road and stage rallying, all written by authors who were active in the sport and Jonathan Pulleyn is no exception. Having joined York Motor Club aged 12 years, Jonathan enjoyed his rallying from the tender age of eight, when family f...

BOOK REVIEW  By Peter Baker  RILEY & WOLSELEY CARS 1948 to1975 : A Pictorial History  Who would have thought so much useful information could be crammed into just 98 pages? Whether a buyer, or journalist, looking to check a few facts regarding Riley or Wolseley cars from 1948-1975, this is the perfect pocket reference book. Plenty of useful pictures, all colour, supported wi...

FORMULA 1’S UNSUNG PIONEERS: The story of the British Racing Partnership and how it launched motorsport into the modern era  Book review by Peter Baker I’ve known author Ian Wagstaff over a number of years; believe me, when it comes to recording motorsport history, nobody does it better. His groundwork is laboriously old-school, and exemplary, and when looking for the required i...

LOLA: THE T70 AND CAN-AM CARS  Book review by Peter Baker  Just mention of the words Lola T70 and my eyes glaze over. It is, in my view, simply the finest competition sports car ever to grace a race track. A couple of years ago, well-known Lola pilot Simon Hadfield offered me a ride in his T70 around Silverstone, but sadly engine problems intervened and it never happened. I cried like a...

Click HERE - At the Checkout enter Discount code RETRO10  BOOK REVIEW  By Peter Baker  CONCEPT CARS of the 1960s  I signed up a long time ago as a fan of the Richard Heseltine-style of book writing. Always seriously informative but, at the same time, written in character or, to put it another way, lifted out of the norm by the injection of wit and incorrigible dry humour. So...

BOOK REVIEW By Ken Davies  Through the Lanes and into the Forests  You didn’t really need expensive equipment to produce good images, just common sense and enthusiasm, combined with a discerning sense of pictorial composition. This adage is proved by Richard Jones who, as a teenager, captured many pivotal rallying images on his Ilford Super Sporty camera, a Christmas present from...

Click HERE - At the Checkout  enter Discount code RETRO10 BOOK REVIEW  by Peter Baker DRIVERS ON DRIVERS What better way to end 2021 than with a bit of controversy. Drivers on Drivers published by Porter Press International, in aid of Hope for Tomorrow (providing cancer treatment via an increasing number of mobile chemotherapy units), provides an unrivalled insight into who i...

Click HERE - At the Checkout enter Discount code RETRO10  Vanwall: The story of Britain's first Formula 1 World Champions Reviewing books from major publishers is something I’ve been doing for many years, and thoroughly enjoy, especially when on a depressingly wet Monday in early December the man from DHL delivers me a heavy package marked Porter Press International. I just know t...

BOOK REVIEW  By Ken Davies  MG Maestro Challenge  Essential reading for those involved in this championship - indeed all motorsport enthusiasts. Former Austin Rover apprentice Pablo Raybould thoroughly enjoyed his time in the MG Maestro Challenge and needed no persuasion to compile this painstaking biopic covering five seasons of the championship, including each event, driver and c...

BOOK REVIEW  By Ken Davies  FATAL WEEKEND  Fatal Weekend tells how those four unhappy days - 30th April to 1st May 1994 - unfolded from several perspectives, and Tom Rubython’s hard-hitting and painstakingly researched book leaves no stone unturned, rationalising how Senna’s death was a combination of several issues which conspired together on that fateful spring after...

BOOK REVIEW  By Ken Davies  Memory Lanes……rally tales 5   Without doubt, the 1960s and '70s were the most evocative eras in rallying and the latest book in Peter Robinson’s popular pentalogy is another cornucopia of ripping rally yarns, arranged in a series of eight easy-to-read chapters, written from the vivid recollections of those at the sharp-end of the sto...

Click HERE - At the Checkout enter Discount code RETRO10  BOOK REVIEW  By Peter Baker  CAMEL TROPHY: THE DEFINITIVE HISTORY  By using the word ‘definitive’ in a title, readers have every right to believe that this, folks, is the end, and there ain’t never going to be another Camel Trophy. In other words, collectively we are now saying goodbye to this outrag...