Triumph and Tragedy – The 1955 World Sports Car Season
By Yves Kaltenbach
There has never been enough detailed research on the great sports car races and seasons, until Janos Wimpffen published his epic two volume “Time And Two Seats” in 1999. Now, Yves Kaltenbach has applied the same meticulous approach to a single season, 1955, and provided an account of 51 important sports car races. These range from the Buenos Aires 1000 Kms. on January 23 to the three sports car races at the Nassau Speed Week, December 9–11. Kaltenbach includes an appendix of detailed results for all the races and a listing of a further 15 British and 20 American sports car races of that year as well.
For the large following of enthusiasts interested in the 1950s, this will clearly be the book to beat all others. The 350 photographs include 36 superb color shots from the collections of Maurice Louche, Alexis Cailler, Yves Debraine and others. There is a profile of the main cars and drivers, but best of all, the book has both the content and feel to make the reader believe he or she has experienced being there in 1955. While the disaster at Le Mans that year has tended to dominate memories of the period—and indeed, that race gets the coverage it requires—it was equally enjoyable to recount the battle of the two Ferrari Monzas of Rosier and Picard at the relatively minor 4 Heures du Forez a few weeks earlier.
This book is both an artistic and historical achievement.
Available for £50 from Automobiles Historiques Limited PO Box 28696, London N20 8XQ, U.K. Tel: +44(0) 208 343 9202 E-mail: [email protected]
