Best of
Cars

2014

Beast: The Top Secret Ilmor-Penske Race Car That Shocked the World at the 1994 Indy 500


Jade Gurss - 2014
    The massive effort to design and build it in a seemingly impossible timeframe is still hailed as one of the most herculean efforts and well-kept secrets in the history of the Indy 500. In the new book, Beast, bestselling author Jade Gurss chronicles the subterfuge and debunks the myths about this legendary engine that persist twenty years on. Gurss interviewed key players involved in the race to undercover the story of how this engine powered the Penske PC23 chassis to one of the most talked-about Indy 500 races in history. The British race-engine experts at Ilmor Engineering offer detail about the design and manufacture of the engine. Roger Penske’s team reveals how the engine and car were tested and developed, and how Mercedes came to be involved in the project. The story unfolds as Roger Penske and Mario Illien and Paul Morgan of Ilmor play every card they possess to create an incredible race engine--even rare World War II fighter planes and supersonic jets roar into the heart of this high-tech tale. Drivers Al Unser Jr., Emerson Fittipaldi, and Paul Tracy provide details on the tense weeks leading up race day. The book reaches a suspenseful climax at 240 miles per hour at the Indy 500 noone can forget. Wrapped up in the drama and intrigue are real business and motivational lessons which made Roger Penske one of the most successful businessmen in the world and that helped Ilmor and its cofounders, Mario Illien and the late Paul Morgan, design and manufacture Indy car and Formula 1 championship–winning engines. Beast is not only a must-read for sports and race fans, but a compelling narrative for those who enjoy genuine lessons in business and technology or thrilling mysteries based on actual events.

Need for Speed


Brian Kelleher - 2014
    While he and his team skillfully build and race muscle cars on the side, it’s not enough to keep the doors open. He reluctantly partners with his longtime rival, a wealthy, arrogant ex–professional racer, Dino Brewster. But just as a major sale to car broker Julia Bonet looks as though it will save Tobey’s business, a disastrous, unsanctioned race results in Dino framing Tobey for manslaughter. Two years later, Tobey is fresh out of prison and eager for revenge. To take Dino down, he plans to enter the high-stakes De Leon race—the biggest contest of underground racing in the world—to get the money to reclaim his family business and expose Dino’s deception. But getting there won’t be easy, as Tobey must run a high-octane, pedal-to-the-floor gauntlet, dodging cops coast to coast and dealing with fallout from a dangerous bounty on his car. Luckily, with his team—and the surprisingly resourceful Julia—on his side, he just might defy the odds . . .

The Supercar Book: The Complete Guide to the Machines that Make Our Jaws Drop


Martin Roach - 2014
    Featuring the landmark 10 game-changers that have defined the genre and highlighting dozens and dozens of supreme supercars from the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Pagani, McLaren and Porsche, get ready to be blown away by the beauty and power of these incredible vehicles.With a pre-history of the genre plus an excursion into American muscle cars, this comprehensive book takes us underneath the bonnets and peels back the bodywork of these mind-blowing machines, as well as exploring how supercar technology has affected everyday cars.The Supercar Book is a tour de force of the fastest, the most powerful and the most drop-dead gorgeous vehicles in supercar history. Jam-packed with almost 200 full-colour photographs, awe-inspiring statistics and exclusive interviews with supercar experts, and featuring every landmark star of the genre, this book is the ultimate guide for every supercar fanatic.

Pontiac GTO 50 Years: The Original Muscle Car


Darwin Holmstrom - 2014
    It wasn't the fastest, the most powerful, or the most outrageous muscle car, but Pontiac's GTO resides at the very top of the pantheon because it was the first.Pontiac GTO 50 Years: The Original Muscle Car follows the rise of this iconic vehicle from the day in 1963 when Chief Engineer John Z. DeLorean bolted a 389-cubic-inch GTO engine into a prototype Tempest coupe through the final GTO rendition in 2006. Wedding that massive V-8 to a mid-size GM chassis created one of the fastest production cars of the time but also made it a car just about anyone with a job could afford.It started as an option package that was supposed to be limited to 5,000 units. Instead, word of mouth pushed sales to more than six times that many in its first year.Hundreds of photographs round out this thoroughly researched history and offer insight into the vehicle that, through redesigns, repackages, and relaunches, came of age with the Baby Boomer generation. From classic 1960s models to the GTO's revival in 2004, the exhilarating story of the outlaw that should never have beenâ?¬â?and will never be againâ?¬â?will thrill any auto enthusiast.

Hot Rod Gallery by Pat Ganahl: A Nostalgic Look at Hot Rodding's Golden Years: 1930-1960


Pat Ganahl - 2014
    There is an old saying in hot rodding, that the car you have recently bought isn't truly yours until you have messed with it. From its birth in the flats at Muroc pre-WWII to a burgeoning speed industry, young enthusiasts and entrepreneurs did what people do best with any form of new technology, they messed with it. Make it faster, make it cooler, or simply make it better than the next guy's. In Pat Ganahl's Hot Rod Gallery, the acclaimed author gathers his finest images to tell the story of the history of hot rodding from the beginning to 1960 through fascinating and rarely seen photos. From Muroc and early Gow Jobs, to the first drag strips, to the first speed shops and manufacturers, to the first car shows, Ganahl covers it all. Follow the transition from the dry lakes to the street to the first drag strips. Check out the beginnings of the show circuit, from the first SCTA shows and the Oakland Roadster shows to outdoor car shows. See the beginning of the custom car movement, the hot rod B movies of the 1950s, rods on the street, as well as the engines, parts, people that made rodding what it is today.Covered in rarely seen and never-seen photos, some in black and white, and some in magnificent color, Hot Rod Gallery is packed with memories. Hot rods, customs, drag cars, dry lakes racers, speed shops, engines, and the people that built them; no hot rod library is complete without it.

Klemantaski: Master Motorsports Photographer


Paul Parker - 2014
    Most images merely document the event--rare are those photographs that capture the event. These are the photos that fans turn to again and again. Louis Klemantaski inserted himself into the action - whether that meant standing just off-course in a corner, roaming the paddock and infield, or riding shotgun in a Mille Miglia race car. In the process, he captured some of the most iconic images in motorsports, preserving these exciting events for all time.Louis Klemantaski is one of history's greatest motorsports photographers. The immediacy and excitement his images evoke are unsurpassed. He worked during what is often considered racing's golden era, that period immediately just prior to WWII through the early 1970s when the sport was still the province of passion and daring, before huge budgets and massive sponsorship forever changed its tenor. Klemantaski's subjects spanned road racing, Grand Prix, and F1 competition.Klemantaski: Master Motorsports Photographer is the only book in print devoted to the photographer's full body of work. Hundreds of the best Klemantaski images have been collected to provide the only opportunity to own and enjoy his key work in a single volume. No racing or photography fan will want to miss this book!

Top Gear: Dream Cars: The Hot 100


Sam Philip - 2014
     Top Gear: Dream Cars – The Hot 100 is a celebration of the cars that achieve that perfect blend of art and engineering. From the supercar muscle of the Porsche 918 and Ferrari LaFerrari to the technological prowess of the Nissan DeltaWing and the mighty McLaren P1, stunning visuals, including jaw-dropping photography, take you on a whistlestop tour of the latest and greatest automotive creations on the planet today.

Race Car Design


Derek Seward - 2014
    For students on motorsport degree courses, those involved in Formula Student/FSAE and practicing car designers and constructors.

Amazing Machines Story Box: 5 Paperbacks in a Carry Case


Tony Mitton - 2014
    

The World's Greatest Formula 1 Tracks on Google Earth


Bruce Jones - 2014
    While you'll likely never drive the courses in Melbourne, Monaco, Singapore, or Valencia, with Google's detailed notes on gears and speeds and insights on the races, you can experience the exhilaration vicariously.