In 1969, two of the most famous sports car manufacturers in the world, one German and one Italian, built what even today are considered the epitome of what a race car should be. The ensuing fight between the Porsche 917 and the Ferrari 512 S, driven to the limit by some of the sport’s greatest stars, has forever been regarded as a special two years in sports car racing, captivating a global audience and providing the storyline for Le Mans, an epic Hollywood film. The legendary Porsche vs. Ferrari duel started at the Daytona International Speedway in January 1970, and although the battle lasted less than two years, ending at Watkins Glen in the summer of 1971, it left a trail of memories in its smoky wake. EIGHTY FOUR HOURS OF ENDURANCE captures many of those memories in a richly illustrated book that bundles together the six American rounds of the FIA World Championship for Makes in 1970 and 1971. Daytona, Sebring and Watkins Glen. 24, 12 and 6 hours in length. Times two. Featuring 520 photographs, 230 black & white and 290 color, and supplemented by detailed race reports, results and maps, you’re taken onto the high banks at Daytona, down the concrete runways of Sebring and around the short, fast Watkins Glen circuit in upstate New York. The drivers included on the 244 pages of the book are a veritable who’s who of 1970s motor racing—Andretti, Ickx, Redman, Siffert, Rodriguez, Elford, Gurney, Larrousse, Cevert, Oliver, Posey, Beltoise, to name a few. EIGHTY FOUR HOURS OF ENDURANCE takes you back to the grid, onto the track, into the pits, around the paddock and behind the scenes for a memorable ride through time.
The inspiring, heart-pumping true story of soldiers turned cyclists and the historic 1919 Tour de France that helped to restore a war-torn country and its people.
On June 29, 1919, one day after the Treaty of Versailles brought about the end of World War I, nearly seventy cyclists embarked on the thirteenth Tour de France. From Paris, the war-weary men rode down the western coast on a race that would trace the country’s border, through seaside towns and mountains to the ghostly western front. Traversing a cratered postwar landscape, the cyclists faced near-impossible odds and the psychological scars of war. Most of the athletes had arrived straight from the front, where so many fellow countrymen had suffered or died. The cyclists’ perseverance and tolerance for pain would be tested in a grueling, monthlong competition.
An inspiring true story of human endurance, Sprinting Through No Man’s Land explores how the cyclists united a country that had been torn apart by unprecedented desolation and tragedy. It shows how devastated countrymen and women can come together to celebrate the adventure of a lifetime and discover renewed fortitude, purpose, and national identity in the streets of their towns.
Endurance WEC is a unique work revealing to readers for the first time the aerodynamic evolution of the sports prototypes of the latest “Golden Age of Endurance Racing”, those with hybrid power plants. A painstaking exploration of the world of the enthralling sports prototypes, it explores the cars developed from the Group C period – in the first half of the Eighties – through to the protagonists of the current WEC and ELMS championships.
Hundreds of colour drawings document the technical evolution of the covered wheel racing cars of the past 40 years. Cars of extraordinary appeal such as the Porsche 956s, the XJ series Jaguars, the Series C Mercedes, the Peugeot 905, through to the more recent Audis, great dominators of Le Mans in the 2000s, the Toyotas and the Porsches. All this is presented in a technical overview introduced by historical-regulatory contextualisation, indispensable for an understanding of a world that, in recent years, has featured even greater technical evolution and sporting excitement than Formula 1.
Powered by a tubocharged flat six, the 956/962 had Porsche’s first full monocoque structure and was the first car its engineers designed to produce aerodynamic downforce. Raced both by the factory and by private teams, these were turn-key cars: just turn the key…and win. These are among the world’s most respected racing cars. In these pages an expert on Porsche, Karl Ludvigsen, shares rare images from his personal archive and describes the highs and more highs of these great Porsches.
H. Eugene Weiss
L.R. Gustin
HAYNES
The book the world has been waiting for; Bob Bondurant – America’s Uncrowned World Driving Champion. Bob’s racing history in pictures and written by renowned racing author; Phil Henny. This is a must have not only for every Bondurant fan, but every race fan. An introduction by Dan Gurney and a foreword by Carroll Shelby. Quotes by Phil Hill, Paul Newman, Jackie Stewart and James Garner make this book one to collect. Get yours, and keep it safe, because everyone is going to want it. A lavish volume with superb photography. Strongly recommended.
Endurance Racing Silverstone
Bob Bondurant, born in Evanston , Illinois in 1933. His reputation as a driver was in his handling of Corvettes. Carroll Shelby invited Bob to drive one of his Cobra in the USRRC. A year later sharing the wheel with Dan Gurney, they won the GT class driving a FIA Cobra in the 24 Hours of Le Mans famous race. Bob drove for Ferrari in 1964-65, participated in the CanAm, TransAm, NASCAR, Baja, and participated in the Formula one World Championship in 1966, driving, BRM, Lotus, and Dan Gurney’s V12 Eagle. This book is a perfect coffee table ornament with 100 photographs each narrated with a great story.
Forward by Phil Remington
Aston Martin has produced some of the finest sports cars made. One of the company’s most exciting periods was under the leadership of Augustus Bertelli. The company’s innovative cars, built between 1926 and 1940, were outstanding in terms of reliability and performance, and were proved in that toughest of motor sport classes, endurance racing – in particular the Le Mans 24 Hours race. This book looks at the cars produced by Aston Martin under the watchful eye of Bertelli, and covers the cars made by the company up to the start of the Second World War. It includes the 1.5-litre First, Second and Third Series cars and the 2-Litre range from 1936. These Aston Martins of the 1920s and 1930s – International, Le Mans, Mark II, Ulster and Speed models – are all covered in this book. Beyond Bertelli’s era, the book sheds light on the contributions made by engineer Claude Hill and owner Gordon Sutherland. It explores their innovative concept cars, ‘Donald Duck’ and Atom, which played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s post-war success under David Brown. Accompanied by a rich collection of contemporary and present-day photographs, this book stands as the definitive reference work solely dedicated to these beloved cars, revered by a passionate community of owners fostered by the Aston Martin Owners Club. Furthermore, these historic cars continue to enjoy great popularity, making this book a must-have for enthusiasts and admirers alike.
In this lively historical account of one of America’s ingenious entrepreneurs and inventors, the adventurous path of Clessie Cummins is told from his early innovations to the founding of his global brand and company.
Best known as the father of the American diesel truck, Cummins’s formal schooling ended at the eighth grade. Despite that, he generated thirty-three US patents over fifty-six years. He founded the diesel engine company bearing his name and served as its president for nineteen years. A racer at heart, he set world speed and endurance records in race cars and trucks.
The Diesel Odyssey of Clessie Cummins is more than a simple recitation of a pioneering individual’s exploits and accomplishments. Told through the eyes of his son, C. Lyle Cummins Jr., it is a tale of success and adversity, woven through a lens of historical research and personal knowledge. Lyle Cummins recounts memories of his father from his own youth and describes how later, as a practicing engineer, he saw other sides of the man who would become his employer, mentor, and colleague.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Society of Automotive Engineers posthumously honored Clessie Cummins for his achievements. A tireless individual, years of grueling effort resulted in declining health. Yet, in his retirement, he created a new product that launched a second industry. For anyone who loves engines, innovation, or early American history, this easy-to-read and engaging book is a must.
A complete history of 110 years of Alfa Romeo, the cars, the people, the racing, and the heritage.
For more than 110 years, Alfa Romeo has set the standard for elegant, sophisticated, and racy Italian automobiles. The first Alfa Romeo, the Tipo 24HP, rolled off the line in 1910 and paved the way for such classic and well-known models as the Tipo 33 Stradale, Guilia, Giulietta, Alfasud, Alfetta, and Stelvio—Alfa Romeo’s first SUV. And this comprehensive book covers them all and much more.
Automotive writer and Alfa Romeo buff Christian Schön celebrates the 110th anniversary of Alfa Romeo by taking a deep dive into the people, places, races, and especially the cars that are part of Alfa Romeo’s rich history and heritage. The book includes
• a thorough timeline of all the important events and milestones in Alfa Romeo’s 110-year history, 1910–2020;
• special sections on Alfa Romeo’s auto designs, engines, technology, concept cars, factories, and advertising, as well as the Alfa Romeo Museum in Milan and the key personnel responsible for Alfa Romeo’s rise to the top;
• an in-depth look at Alfa Romeo’s racing history, including five world championship titles, a dozen European championships, 11 victories in the legendary Mille Miglia endurance race, and a victory in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM); and
• exciting “behind the scenes” stories and more than 350 color and black-and-white images.
Anyone with a passion for Alfa Romeo—or automotive history, design, and racing in general—will find excitement in these pages. The book is a must-have for any automotive library.
It was a reasonable success when in 1999 the first Audi R8 drove directly onto the stage in Le Mans. One year later it was the overall victory with a triumphant triple place. Up until 2016 the race cars with four rings got 12 more victories, making competitors tremble at the world’s hardest motor race. On occasion of the 100th anniversary of the legendary 24 hour race the text-and-picture book Audi in Le Mans undertakes an exciting journey into the past. Impressive pictures and loads of background knowledge from the company’s archives tell us about a piece of Audi history – with fresh eyes and full of suspense. All highlights, all successes: Audi Sport‘s spectacular success story at Le Mans Backgrounds, facts and stories on Audi models, drivers and races Audi race car in the flashlight: numerous photos from the company’s archives Thrilling car book with high-quality design: ideal gift for Audi fans and race enthusiasts Starting a new race car series is a challenge for car makers. The 24 hours of Le Mans are especially known as a severe endurance test for man and material. And Audi knew how to use the famous long-distance race as a stage for new technologies, all the while living up to their slogan “Vorsprung durch Technik” (“leading by technology”): the fast and reliable Audi models left their competitors in the dust. Also, the first victory of a car with diesel-and-hybrid technology went to the German car brand. In more than 300 pages, this illustrated book depicts the impressive history of the brand from 1999 until the WEC exit in 2016.
The Audi R8 was the first in a line of world-beating sports-prototype cars from the Ingolstadt marque which would dominate Le Mans, and would see Audi remain at the forefront of international sports-car racing for over 15 years.
If such an award could go to a machine, Audi ‘R8-405’ – the car featuring in this book – was surely the ‘Man of the Match’ for the 2000 Le Mans 24 Hours. In the end it would finish second, behind one of its team mates which had a far less-troubled run, but it was not for want of trying by Allan McNish, his co-drivers Stéphane Ortelli and Laurent Aïello and their mechanics.
The Audi R8s would go on to dominate endurance racing for a further five years. The cars had already shown what they were capable of by finishing first and second on their debut, in the 12 Hours of Sebring in March 2000.
At Le Mans, apart from a brief aberration when a Panoz led under a full course yellow, ‘R8-405’ led the race for six hours. Trouble then intervened, but the car’s drivers never gave up, McNish setting fastest lap of the race in the morning still chasing his team mates Frank Biela, Tom Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro in the eventual winning sister car. That car would soon be on its way to Audi’s museum, but ‘R8-405’ would race on in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), driven later that year by Biela and Pirro and winning at Texas Motor Speedway and Las Vegas.
By the end of the season, ‘405’ and the other 4-series 2000-season R8s would be rendered almost obsolete by Audi’s introduction of a direct-injection engine for its new 5-series R8. That did not stop ‘405’ from competing for a further year in the ALMS, albeit in private – Champion Racing – hands, with regular drivers including Andy Wallace and Johnny Herbert. Despite its tender years, it would later go on to qualify as an historic car, and a host of new opportunities opened up as it became one of the most raced of all the R8s.
In 2020 the car was acquired by enthusiast Martin Halusa with every intention of taking it back to Le Mans in the future for the biannual Classic races.
The enthralling story of ‘R8-405’ is told in fascinating detail in this book, supported by a stunning array of photographs showing the car in action in its two years of ‘period’ competition, together with a gallery of fine studio images showing this ‘Great Car’ as it is today.
Always brilliant and clever, the engineer Mauro Forghieri seemed like a man out of time.
To enable a wider audience of enthusiasts to discover the fundamental role the engineer played at Maranello, from 1960 to 1987, we offer the story of his memories, which he himself dictated.
The history of Ferrari, as told directly by the engineer Mauro Forghieri, protagonist of the most exciting period of events linked to the Prancing Horse manufacturer.
It starts from the unpublished “Characteristic note” of June 1960, a sort of “report card” (with evaluations in Intelligence, Attitudes, Discipline, Attachment to Work, Culture), which concluded his three-month trial period, up to the resignation of the engineer himself on May 27, 1987, a year before the death of the legendary Maranello carmaker.
These were the years of great growth for Ferrari, the battle with Ford in endurance races, the legendary 312T taken to the highest level by Niki Lauda, the transition to turbo engines with Gilles Villeneuve. Numerous victories (54 world championship GPs and 11 Formula 1 Drivers and Constructors world titles), all with projects designed by engineer Forghieri, Ferrari’s “shadow man” and witness to everything that happened in the factory and on the racetracks.
An authentic Ferrari story, divided into forty-one chapters, unique because it was dictated and authorized by the renowned Italian engineer who sadly passed away on November 2, 2022.
· 272 pages
· Color and B/w Images
· Size: cm 17×24
· Languages: Italian & English
Porsche 356: 75th Anniversary relates the full story of Porsche’s original sports car from the first Gmund coupe to today’s beloved collector car.
Ferdinand Porsche was a brilliant engineer who, prior to World War II, had been involved in a variety of significant automotive engineering developments including the first hybrid drive vehicles. From the early 1900s, Porsche was developing racing cars including the Mercedes SSK and the mighty Auto Union Grand Prix. During this period, Porsche also developed the groundbreaking Volkswagen, which would prove critical to his postwar, namesake automobile manufacturer.
The Typ 356 was developed by Ferdinand’s son “Ferry” Porsche and introduced in 1948. Though the rear-engine layout was based on the Volkswagen, most similarities ended there. The 356 had a unique chassis, higher performing engine, and a handsome wind-cheating body. Little known outside Germany initially, by the early 1950s the 356s were lauded for their excellent handling, build quality, and growing volume of competition successes.
Porsche’s 356 evolved over its 17-year life through four distinct series: pre-A, A, B, and C, with coupes, cabriolets, Speedsters, Hardtops, and Roadsters among the many body variations. Equipped with the “Carrera” 4-cam engine, the 356 was a force in sports car racing. Dedicated competition models were developed beginning in 1953, and the Rennsport Spyders dominated road racing, endurance, and hill climb events for over a decade.
The 356 story includes a cast of fascinating characters, from those engineers who designed the cars, to race drivers who built the “giant-killer” mystique, to owners like James Dean and Janis Joplin who fell in love with the little bathtub-shaped sports cars. From titled European gentlemen in the 1950s to movie stars like Paul Newman and Steve McQueen in the 1960s, the first Porsches attracted enthusiasts and racers alike. Today, the car has an even wider following among collectors including Porsche fans like Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno. “356 Fascination” continues with ongoing restoration efforts, vintage racing, and an “Outlaw” movement, all enhanced by large-scale events that celebrate the car’s history.
Porsche 356 75th Anniversary tells the in-depth story and is a must-have book for anyone that loves Porsche and sports car history.
