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Gear: What Is Your Favorite Automotive Book?

What Is Your Favorite Automotive Book?

By Josh Clason
April 4, 2013

My favorite automotive book would have to be Ayrton Senna: The Whole Story by Christopher Hilton. I actually lost my first copy of the book and had to order a second one to finish reading it. It isn’t the most well-written book, and the author might be a little overly enthusiastic about Senna, but it offers an incredibly detailed accounted of Senna’s life and racing career. With all of the Senna talk, photos, and videos floating around the internet lately, it is great to actually get to know a more detailed account of his life than what can be picked up by the recently released documentary.

Used copies hover around only $9, and it is a book that I would recommend to those who want to know more. Next up on my automotive reading list, Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans by A.J. Baime.

Now let’s hear from you. What is your favorite automotive book?

Photo Sources: Amazon.com and f1fanatic.co.uk

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Rip Curl
Rip Curl
11 years ago

For me it begins and ends with Denis Jenkinson’s ‘The Racing Driver’

A brilliant read even now almost 60 years after it was written.

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Dejan Jovanovic
Dejan Jovanovic
11 years ago

WIthout repeating…

– Jo Ramirez’s Memoirs of a Racing Man
– Peter Warr’s Team Lotus
– Engines of Change
– Gilles Villeneuve’s biography
– The Cobra in the Barn and sequel
– LJK Setright’s Drive On!

These are all brilliant.

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carson scheller
carson scheller
11 years ago

I highly recommend ” Jo Ramirez memoirs of a racing man” forwards by Jackie Stewart and Alain Prost
A interesting behind the scenes life story of one of the most respected personalities that takes place from the deadly ’60’s thru the 2000 of F1 . Jo was McLaren team coordinatorduring the Senna / Prost years as well as Gurney’s AAR Eagle team and much more .
Lots of photos and a fun read. Currently Jo was brought out of retirerment to mentor the young Mexican driver Perez in on the McLaren team in F1. Jo also competes in the annual historic la Carrerra Panmaerican Mexican road race .
giddy up , Carson

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CJ David
CJ David
11 years ago

“Hot Rods by Pete and Jake” has some awesome photos of the SoCal hot rod/custom scene and stories by the guys that lived it back in the 50’s and 60’s.

“Von Dutch: The Man, The Myth, The Legend” is an interesting read. The guy was a total mystery, and the book is well written, extensively researched, and has a number of amazing photos of his work as a pinstriper, painter, and gun/knife-smith.

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Ae Neuman
Ae Neuman
11 years ago

‘with flying colours – the pirelli album of motor sport’ by ljk setright.

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Crashburn
Crashburn
11 years ago

Paul Frere’s Sports Car and Competition Driving.

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Kris Hoet
Kris Hoet
11 years ago

The photographic books from [url=”http://www.waft.be”]WAFT[/url] are pretty cool. WAFT 1 & 2 are mostly visual storytelling around awesome cars, the other 2 books are about famous car design and its designers. Very nice addition to your automotive book library.

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Bruce Youngs
Bruce Youngs
11 years ago

“Speed Was My Life” by Alfred Neubauer. Reading this book gave me access to an era of motor racing that I was born too late to be able to experience firsthand. I have always been in awe of the drivers and teams that competed during that time and the incredible machines they created.

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Steve Jain
Steve Jain
11 years ago

The Driver by Alex Roy

Or

The Gold Plated Porsche…forget the authors name…

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Adam Holter
Adam Holter
11 years ago

“Driving Like Crazy” by PJ O’Rourke. Bought it on a road trip while in college; since then I’ve read it through 6 or 7 times. Absolutely hilarious, even if you’re not a car person. And that fact that he is a car nut makes it so much better.

Though “Go Like Hell” rates among my favorites as well. 😉

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Warren Yang
Warren Yang
11 years ago

I’ll vouch for “Go Like Hell” too. Fun read. My favorite auto book so far is probably “Flat Out, Flat Broke” by Perry McCarthy. Funny and well written, it’s about his struggles to get into F1 and becoming the first Stig – it’s one of my go to rereads when I run out of books.

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jyd
jyd
11 years ago

Even if it`s fiction , i loved Burt Levy`s novel :“The last open road“,wat a nice funny way to enjoy sportcar racing and history in the 50`s

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Matthew Lange
Matthew Lange
11 years ago

Mon Ami Mate the story of Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins by Chris Nixon is a great read.

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Jonathon Glazebrook
Jonathon Glazebrook
11 years ago

I would argue that ever since the release of “Senna”, the renewed sentimentality around him has been largely overhyped. Not to say that Senna wasn’t a fabulously talented driver, but a lot of people are basing their entire opinion of him on a very biased view–though well produced–of the man.

That said, drop what you’re doing right now and go read “Go Like Hell”, the book is fantastic…and I’m only half-way through!

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Josh Clason
Author
Josh Clason
11 years ago
Reply to  Jonathon Glazebrook

I totally agree. This book also provides a somewhat hyped view of Senna but it gives a very detailed account of his life overall. I would say a lot of people are only familiar with the Senna story through the documentary.

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oldgreydoggie
oldgreydoggie
11 years ago

best book? ALL BUT MY LIFE

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