Reference works for complete beginners in motorsport have become all the more necessary as the number of clubs, organising bodies, categories and regulations has expanded, no one-time saloon racer and journalist Terry Grimwood's declared intention is "to cut through some of the confusion that exists and provide a usable guide to competing with everyday road cars".
This he achieves with some success, listing the various disciplines and the various series open to those who cannot afford to own separate vehicles for commuting and racing, explaining the class structures and statutory safety requirements of each in turn, and listing useful addresses.
Nowhere else is the novice's budget range of options so clearly catalogued. The final quarter of the book gives tips on refitting a road car and setting up its suspension for competition purposes, as well as on racing techniques. There is also an introduction to the work of racing schools. Illustrated throughout in black-and-white and assuming very little knowledge on the part of the reader, this laminated paperback fills what appears to be a gap on the library shelves at reasonable cost. Unfortunately, by accurately presenting all the facts about administrative bureaucracy and required modifications it risks deterring some of the would-be competitors it seeks to attract to grass roots motorsport.
Ferrari 330P4, Ford GT40, Chaparral 2D, Porsche 917, Mirage M1, BMW Monti, Abarth, Alpine, Lola, Maserati, Matra, Serenissima - every one of these sports cars and prototypes is a legend today. In the Sixties, they epitomised the frontier of what was technically possible - and what at times proved not to be possible. In the quest for critical tenths of a second, engine power grew to unimagined levels while aerodynamics became the catchword with engineers inventing some formidable tricks in the wind tunnels. At the same time, tubular chassis, monocoques, bodywork and even brake discs were being created from increasingly exotic materials.
The mission was to win the World and European Championships that included famous races like Le Mans and Daytona plus other racing classics at Monza, Spa and the Nurburgring as well as in mountain hill-climbs.
This book delves into the details of sixty exceptional race cars of the period that tackled the World Sports Car Championship and the explosive sprints of the European Hill Climb Championship between 1965 and 1969. From the Abarth OT Sport Spider to the Porsche 917, they all reveal their stories embellished by ca. 350 by now largely unpublished photos. "Details - Legendary sports cars up close" is a declaration of love for these automotive treasures and their extreme technologies that is revealed by taking a very close look under their exotic bodies.
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