Inside IMSA’s Legendary GTP Race Cars The Prototype Experience
By J. A. Martin and Michael J. Fuller
Among the most inspiring racing series of all time was IMSA’s Grand Touring Prototype category that enjoyed great competitive and popular success during the late ’80s and early ’90s. Essentially unencumbered by restrictive regulation, GTP cars stirred the imaginations of race fans all across the continent with their aggressive, futuristic appearance and even more impressive performance. In their prime, these machines generated speed sufficient to establish lap records that, in several instances, have yet to be surpassed a decade and a half later.
With Inside IMSA’s Legendary GTP Cars, authors J. A. Martin and Michael Fuller begin by discussing the origins of the category, showing where the various concepts and regulations were derived from and how they were implemented. It traces the evolution of GTP and its players from the original Lola T-600 through all the later factory-backed and independently produced examples that made GTP great. The book examines each individual marque extensively, addressing the various models in detail with comments from many key players.
Although filled with extensive background information about the cars themselves, this book is not without its flaws. While perusing its many unique and seldom-seen photographs, careful readers will discover that some captions were apparently written by someone other than the authors, because in several instances the information has either been misstated or images misidentified. This is but a minor quibble, because this is a book worthy of recommendation to anyone looking to learn more about the glorious days of one of racing’s truly golden eras, when GTP cars ruled the world.
Available for US$50.00 (£35.00) directly from the publisher, www.motorbooks.com
