Legendary Race Cars

by Basem Wasef, Stirling Moss (Foreword by)

Overview

More than any other sporting pursuit, racing is a test of both human and machine. This beautifully illustrated book is a celebration of that unique union of sweat and grease, blood and gasoline, courage and fear, elation and terror, triumph and tragedy. Through vivid, human detail, writer and photographer Basem Wasef brings to life more than two dozen racing legends, including the story of Mario Andretti and the Lotus 79 that he drove to the 1978 Formula 1 world championship—a triumph trumped by the tragic loss of his teammate, Ronnie Peterson. We ride along with the incomparable Stirling Moss as he pilots his Mercedes-Benz SLR to an improbable victory at the 1955 Mille Miglia. And we feel our teeth rattling and our bones shaking as we race for nearly seven grueling hours with Ray Harroun in his Marmon Wasp, en route to a controversial win at the very first Indianapolis 500 in 1911. Filled with fascinating stories of humanity and machinery, this book is a must for all race fans.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781616730451
Publisher:	Motorbooks
Publication date:	10/09/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	47 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Basem Wasef’s passion for supercars can be traced back to grade school where he decorated the margins of his schoolbooks with fantastical automotive shapes. His automotive journalism for Automobile, Robb Report, and Men’s Journal has since put him behind the wheel of some of the most desirable ultra-high-performance cars on the planet, exploring their limits at places like Ferrari’s private race circuit at Fiorano, the Nürburgring Nordschleife, and the Mille Miglia classic car rally.

Sir Stirling Moss is a national treasure. Arguably the world’s greatest all-round racing driver, he was a hero to several generations of schoolboys and enthusiasts throughout the world. Moss is now so iconic his name is often used as a metaphor for “racing driver” - the name alone invokes mental images of speed, bravado, the jet-set lifestyle and a bevy of beauties with whom to live it. By 1961 his career was at its peak; absolutely at the top of his game, a charismatic sportsman famous across the world.

Basem Wasef's passion for supercars can be traced back to grade school where he decorated the margins of his schoolbooks with fantastical automotive shapes. His automotive journalism for Automobile, Robb Report, and Men's Journal has since put him behind the wheel of some of the most desirable ultra-high-performance cars on the planet, exploring their limits at places like Ferrari's private race circuit at Fiorano, the Nürburgring Nordschleife, and the Mille Miglia classic car rally.
Sir Stirling Moss is a national treasure. Arguably the world's greatest all-round racing driver, he was a hero to several generations of schoolboys and enthusiasts throughout the world. Moss is now so iconic his name is often used as a metaphor for "racing driver" - the name alone invokes mental images of speed, bravado, the jet-set lifestyle and a bevy of beauties with whom to live it. By 1961 his career was at its peak; absolutely at the top of his game, a charismatic sportsman famous across the world.

Table of Contents

Contents

Foreword by Sir Stirling Moss

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Contents

1. Ford’s GT40s: The Ford-Ferrari Wars

2. The Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows: A Legend Is Born

3. Ayrton Senna’s McLaren MP4/4: Ambition Unleashed

4. The Lotus 49: Anglo-American Synergy

5. The “Million-Franc” Delahaye: The French Retort

6. The Greer-Black-Prudhomme Dragster: A Slingshot in the Sun

7. Juan Manuel Fangio’s Maserati 250F: The Maestro’s Finest Drive

8. The Thomas Flyer: The Great Race ‘round the World

9. Parnelli Jones’ Big Oly: Baja-conquering Beast

10. The Aston Martin DBR1: A Singular Victory

11. Walter Röhrl’s Audi Sport Quattro S1: The Race to the Clouds

12. The Ferrari 156: The Shark-nose Contender

13. The Auto Union Grand Prix Cars: The Underfunded Overachievers

14. Carroll Shelby’s Cobra Daytona Coupe: The Approximate Science of Aerodynamics

15. The 1911 Marmon Wasp: Igniting an Indy Tradition

16. The Porsche 917: From Undriveable to Unbeatable

17. Richard Petty’s Plymouth SuperBird: The Aero Car

18. Ecurie Ecosse’s Jaguars: The Goliath-Slayers

19. Lotus 79: The Ground Effects Car

20. Michael Schumacher’s Ferraris: Reinventing the Legend

21. Maserati 8CM Number 3011: The Relentless Racer

22. Colin McRae’s “555” Subaru Impreza: Full Tilt Fearlessness

23. The STP Turbine Cars: The Future Was Then

24.The Porsche 962C: Conquest at Le Mans

25. The Mercedes-Benz 300SLR #722: The Unbreakable Mille Miglia Record

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“More than any other automobile history book, this one struck a chord with me. The mix of modern and period photos, the historical details in each story, and the writing style all add up to a satisfying experience for anyone who loves cars.” - David Grant, 2008 Porsche Enthusiast of the Year (PCA)

“If, like ours, your tastes in racing run broad, Basem Wasef’s book, Legendary Race Cars, deserves a spot on your shelf. With a foreword buy Sir Stirling Moss and text that covers both the human and mechanical, Legendary Race Cars is a book you’ll enjoy one chapter at a time.” – Road & Track  

“At the absolute minimum, we’ll give the author credit for providing the fuse that can cause a great argument to explode: What are the 25 greatest racing cars of all time, from every generation and genre of motorsport, and who were the men who drove them? That’s a killer proposition. Wasef is a photographer, and the book is handsomely illustrated, its frameworthy dust jacket is an interesting marketing strategy.” – Hemmings Motor News

“With 176 glossy pages, 318 photos and a cover jacket that can be framed as a poster, this hardcover book celebrates significant race cars in history.” – EuroTuner magazine  

“The photography is excellent, and the book is well-written, informative and entertaining to read (including an introduction by Stirling Moss), with many quotes and recollections from the designers, drivers and team members that drove and were involved with the cars that are profiled. This is a great book to add to your book collection and is one you'll go back to often.” – TheRaceSite.com  

“Even if you just have a passing interest in the sport of automobile racing this book will grab and hold your interest. Beautifully illustrated, this book will entertain and inform you about the cars and drivers who reached the pinnacle of the sport in all of its forms from road racing to rallying to stock cars, Indy, LeMans and Pomona.” – Paul Bova, Vintage Racer Group

“A veritable book of dreams, Wasef tells the stories behind 25 of the most significant racing cars ever. Nicely written, packed with glowing photography and beautifully bound and presented. When viewed through a certain filter, Legendar Race Cars is a road map for turning dreams into reality.” – African Americans on Wheels magazine

Confused as to what to do with all the Barnes & Nobles and Amazon.com gift cards your in-laws pelted you with this Holiday season? Be confused no more! Legendary Race Cars is the book every pistonhead needs sitting on their night stand in 2010. Some of you might be familiar with Basem Wasef's first book, Legendary Motorcycles. If you are, you'll no doubt remember that Jay Leno wrote the introduction to that one. Not bad for your first book. For his second book, Basem got none other than Sir Stirling Moss to pen the foreword, which, for you whippersnappers who have no clue who Sir Stirling is, would be like getting Snoop Dogg to help you write an essay about gangsta rappers and marijuana.Pick up a copy of Legendary Race Cars (It's $23.10 right now at Amazon). You won't regret it one iota.” – Autoblog.com

Even a non-racing fan will enjoy reading this book. Many well known and lots of less famous race cars receive an overview in this detailed tome. Packed with more than 3,000 photos and illustrations, the author presents the history of racing cars dating back to the first Indy 500 winner from 1911 with lots of background information. Legendary Race Cars is an excellent book that will hold the attention of aficionados and novices alike.” – AAANY.com

“… the choice of cars reflects an impressive knowledge of the breadth of motor racing, with machines from all manner of other disciplines including rallying, drag racing, Indy cars, NASCAR, sports cars and more.  I enjoyed the variety of the cars chosen, the succinctly-told stories behind them and the generous complement of contemporary photographs. An interesting choice for technically-minded fans with a taste for more than just F1 cars.”  -F1fanatic.co.uk

This book will heat up your hot stove debates. The book features 25 legendary racecars, and you can argue for hours whether all of these cars should be included or if there are others that are more deserving of

Editorial Reviews

More than any other automobile history book, this one struck a chord with me. The mix of modern and period photos, the historical details in each story, and the writing style all add up to a satisfying experience for anyone who loves cars.” - David Grant, 2008 Porsche Enthusiast of the Year (PCA)

“If, like ours, your tastes in racing run broad, Basem Wasef’s book, Legendary Race Cars, deserves a spot on your shelf. With a foreword buy Sir Stirling Moss and text that covers both the human and mechanical, Legendary Race Cars is a book you’ll enjoy one chapter at a time.” – Road & Track

“At the absolute minimum, we’ll give the author credit for providing the fuse that can cause a great argument to explode: What are the 25 greatest racing cars of all time, from every generation and genre of motorsport, and who were the men who drove them? That’s a killer proposition. Wasef is a photographer, and the book is handsomely illustrated, its frameworthy dust jacket is an interesting marketing strategy.” – Hemmings Motor News

“With 176 glossy pages, 318 photos and a cover jacket that can be framed as a poster, this hardcover book celebrates significant race cars in history.” – EuroTuner magazine

“The photography is excellent, and the book is well-written, informative and entertaining to read (including an introduction by Stirling Moss), with many quotes and recollections from the designers, drivers and team members that drove and were involved with the cars that are profiled. This is a great book to add to your book collection and is one you'll go back to often.” – TheRaceSite.com

“Even if you just have a passing interest in the sport of automobile racing this book will grab and hold your interest. Beautifully illustrated, this book will entertain and inform you about the cars and drivers who reached the pinnacle of the sport in all of its forms from road racing to rallying to stock cars, Indy, LeMans and Pomona.” – Paul Bova, Vintage Racer Group

“A veritable book of dreams, Wasef tells the stories behind 25 of the most significant racing cars ever. Nicely written, packed with glowing photography and beautifully bound and presented. When viewed through a certain filter, Legendar Race Cars is a road map for turning dreams into reality.” – African Americans on Wheels magazine

Confused as to what to do with all the Barnes & Nobles and Amazon.com gift cards your in-laws pelted you with this Holiday season? Be confused no more! Legendary Race Cars is the book every pistonhead needs sitting on their night stand in 2010. Some of you might be familiar with Basem Wasef's first book, Legendary Motorcycles. If you are, you'll no doubt remember that Jay Leno wrote the introduction to that one. Not bad for your first book. For his second book, Basem got none other than Sir Stirling Moss to pen the foreword, which, for you whippersnappers who have no clue who Sir Stirling is, would be like getting Snoop Dogg to help you write an essay about gangsta rappers and marijuana.Pick up a copy of Legendary Race Cars (It's $23.10 right now at Amazon). You won't regret it one iota.” – Autoblog.com

Even a non-racing fan will enjoy reading this book. Many well known and lots of less famous race cars receive an overview in this detailed tome. Packed with more than 3,000 photos and illustrations, the author presents the history of racing cars dating back to the first Indy 500 winner from 1911 with lots of background information. Legendary Race Cars is an excellent book that will hold the attention of aficionados and novices alike.” – AAANY.com

“… the choice of cars reflects an impressive knowledge of the breadth of motor racing, with machines from all manner of other disciplines including rallying, drag racing, Indy cars, NASCAR, sports cars and more. I enjoyed the variety of the cars chosen, the succinctly-told stories behind them and the generous complement of contemporary photographs. An interesting choice for technically-minded fans with a taste for more than just F1 cars.” -F1fanatic.co.uk

This book will heat up your hot stove debates. The book features 25 legendary racecars, and you can argue for hours whether all of these cars should be included or if there are others that are more deserving of

From the Publisher