Product Description

The story of a Grand Prix formula largely overlooked due to the perception that the cars were underpowered and hence unspectacular. This perception ignores the significant technical developments that took place, the domination achieved by British race-car constructors and the rise of British drivers Jim Clark, Graham Hill and John Surtees.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #175941 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

About the Author
Mark Whitelock s enthusiasm for motor sport was first sparked when his father took him to Goodwood on Easter Monday 1957. His knowledge of the sport grew over the 1960s giving him a special affinity with the 1Ω-litre Formula 1. By the early 1990s he had become disillusioned by contemporary Grand Prix racing and turned his attention to historic racing in which he already had an interest, having been a keen supporter of the revival of motor sport at Goodwood. He retired from a career in banking in 1999 to his East Sussex home and began writing for pleasure.

Customer Reviews

Delightful overview of a much maligned era
Late in 1958, as Britain celebrated its first world champion and as British constructors were inexorably gaining ascendency, F1's authorities announced a new formula based on smaller engines intended to curb spiralling speeds. Though spanning just 5 years, the 1½ litre era has its own unique place in history: clearly underpowered, the cars were light and nimble, requiring finesse and a gentle touch to get the best out of them, and it was a time of escalating technical advances on all fronts.

Until now, there had not been an attempt to pull all strands together in a single accessible volume, so Whitelock is to be applauded for producing an evocative and instructive book, a delight to read or browse. While the usual caveat of such books applies - more detail of a particular aspect will be available elsewhere - Whitelock has taken pains to ensure everyone gets a mention: obscure drivers [eg Peter Broeker] and little known cars [eg Strebo] are all given at least some space alongside better known names.

The book's organisation is straightforward: an initial chapter sets the scene, including an outline of regulations; there follows one chapter for each year, written as a single narrative summarising events and trends but including full race grid/results in tabular form; next is a short outline of leading drivers and a table of all who started in at least one race; plans and descriptions of all circuits used; fascinating comprehensive analysis of all models and individual chassis in narrative and tabular form, many accompanied by cutaway drawings; finally, a directory and description of all engines used.

Faults? Errors are thankfully few and generally minor, but I feel the drivers' chapter is the book's weakest link - only Whitelock's `top ten' are blessed with a few brief paragraphs while the next ten get barely a sentence or two, including Jack Brabham! Personally, I would also like to have seen non-championship races given better coverage than brief results and one line summaries.

Despite criticisms, it is a splendid book, well laid out and beautifully printed with many illustrations, all in monochrome which somehow seems appropriate.