Book Reviews

Book Review: Legendary Race Cars, by Basem Wasef

February 9, 2010

The “unsightly” 1937 Delahaye 145 collected a one-million-franc purse when it set a new top-speed record of 146.654 km/h and later defeated a Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow (a car possessing twice the horsepower) at the 1938 Paris Grand Prix.

The 1907 Thomas Flyer (60-hp and 5,700-lb) managed to circumnavigate the globe in 1908, travelling more than 22,000 miles from New York to Paris. The “Great Race” victor beat five other cars, despite being completely stock spec.

One of my own personal favourites is the MP4/4 McLaren Honda that the late Ayrton Senna and arch rival (and teammate) Alain Prost both used to decimate the competition during the 1988 Formula 1 World Championship season. This is arguably the most dominant racing car of all time, as Senna and Prost combined to win 15 of the 16 races that season and earned 15 pole positions. I was pleased to see it get the recognition it deserves. The text for this chapter focuses on Senna’s tumultuous time at Marlboro McLaren, and is very well written.

Mature readers will relish the tales of the early models and the big personalities that helped design and develop them (as well as hustle them around the track). Younger readers will no doubt be exposed to images of some of these cars for the first time, and Wasef’s casual writing style will both intrigue and educate them as they flip through the book in awe.

As a visual reference this book is top notch and will delight your eye. There is a nice mix of historical content from the archives of photographic geniuses like Paul-Henri Cahier and Klementaski – as well as a nice portfolio of the author’s own photography.

This book has something for everyone and as a collection of monumental automotive stories it stands alone. Where else can you read about the Audi Sport Quattro S1 that Walter Röhrl used to slay Pikes Peak, followed by the tale of Parnelli Jones’ Baja 500-busting “Big Oly” Ford Bronco? I have no doubt that this very entertaining book will take centre stage on your coffee table.

The List: