Art of the Formula 1 Race Car
By Stuart Codling
This luscious book features exquisitely designed racing cars, most of them from a time when every nut and bolt was not specified by the regulations. That reality allowed each designer’s individuality to bubble creatively to the surface, and it shows in these cars. Dominated by the revelatory imagery of James Mann, this is essentially a photo book of sufficient depth that you could read nary a word and still enjoy it. Nevertheless, the main text from Stuart Codling and the analytical comments of Gordon Murray complete the picture, if you will, and bring even greater clarity to Mann’s photos.
The intent, of course, is to illustrate the artistry embodied in 18 of history’s most elegant Grand Prix cars, to demonstrate the efficient merging of function with form, and this is accomplished admirably. Noticeably absent, however, are two others that surely belong, a pair of Murray’s own Brabhams, the BT49 and BT52. There are others as well, but…. That miniscule quibble aside, this is one of those memorable books that devotees of racing automobiles will never tire of opening and leafing through.
Available for US$45 (£30) from both chain and enthusiast bookstores, as well as directly from publisher Motorbooks at www.motorbooks.com
