June 2009
FREIK—the Private Life of the Freikaiserwagen
By Rob and Hugh Dunsterville
Freik was most definitely not a freak. Freik was a perfect example of that peculiarly British fashion of building racing cars out of any bits and pieces that happened to be available at the time of construction. The term “bitza”—bits of this, bits of that—derives from this period.
This is a paper-backed book telling the detailed tale of one car’s life, the Freikaiserwagen. Because the car was rear-engined and built at the time of the rise of the Auto Unions in GP racing, it is considered that its name is a Teutonically fashioned mixture of Joe Fry, its designer and constructor, Dick Caesar, who supplied many of the ideas, and “wagen” because it sounded German.
Now it may seem an unlikely way to go about building a winning racing car but, in the case of many budding engineers from the 1920s onward, this car epitomizes the style of UK motor-racing free-thinking and some of the results were outstanding. The most common type of British motor sport event during the 20 years prewar and, indeed, the 10 years postwar, consisted of short hillclimbs and straight-line sprints, as the only circuits available were Brooklands and, for a short period, Donington, until the conflict removed those two latter options.
So the special-builder had a basic specification in mind before he started; a high power-to-weight ratio achieved through the utilization of highly developed motors mounted in the lightest and skimpiest of frames. Rather like four-wheeled motorcycles.
Freik tells the full story of one of the most successful of these, so it is required reading for anyone who is inquisitive about the development of UK motor sport and an insight perhaps into why Eric Broadleys, Colin Chapmans, and Adrian Neweys are so prolific in the UK.
Available for £15.00 through the Midland Automobile Club www.shelsley-walsh.co.uk
Reviewed by Peter Collins
In the Mind’s Eye
by Kevin Hodgkinson
This softback, landscape-format, 117-pager has more useful information for the motor sport historian and potential single-seater purchaser than many books four times the size and price.
The fact that it is devoted only to Chevrons doesn’t actually matter, because if you are reading Vintage Racecar you must also be interested in the truth behind all the world’s vintage racecars, and this book supplies it in spades. In fact, it is definitive on these attractive Lancastrian racers.
The author has based this fascinating volume on the notes he made in period when he was employed by Chevron constructing their single-seaters. He covers the period from the beginning in 1967 with the B7—inspired by the idea of a scaled-down F1 Eagle—up to 1970 and every single-seater to emerge, and even some that didn’t during that period are detailed. So there should never be any argument about any of these cars’ histories again. In microcosm this is “Time and One Seat,” and it is hoped a second volume on subsequent years will be written.
Despite the fact that the late Derek Bennett’s business was uniquely British, there is much of interest to U.S. and Canadian readers, for instance, as these were two markets that Chevron was keen to crack with a variety of Formula B and C cars. Mike Eyerley, where are you now?
The book is profusely illustrated and the research has produced such rarities as a photo of ex-Fiat, Lancia, and Alfa Romeo competition manager Giorgio Pianta in a Jolly Club B9 F3 car at Brands Hatch in 1969, as well as Peter Broeker’s FB car at St Jovite in 1970, among many others. It is self-published by the author Kevin Hodgkinson and available directly from www.ebygumproductions.com for £21.95 plus delivery.
Reviewed by Peter Collins
Indianapolis Motor Speedway: 100 Years of Racing
By Ralph Kramer
The story is a familiar one told many times before, with names and faces readily recognizable, but this time the memories encompass a full 100 years in the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Because the tale is so well known, author Kramer acknowledges that this is primarily a picture book, yet the text accompanying the illuminating images from the Speedway’s extensive archive does provide an essential refresher course for anyone who might have missed any of the heroic deeds from the past century. Especially interesting is the look at who the founders of the enterprise were as well as the circumstances that drew them to the project.
Throughout its history, the Indianapolis 500 has served as both a bastion of tradition and a cauldron of change, although the roles seem somewhat reversed in the modern day. Those evolving realities are the heart and soul of this book, and even though your library may already house several volumes dedicated to Indy 500 history, this centennial summary would make a fine addition.
Available for a quite reasonable $30 directly from the publisher, Krause Publications, at (800) 258-0929 or visit www.krausebooks.com
Reviewed by John Zimmermann
