Product Description
For Art of the Formula 1 Race Car, master automotive photographer James Mann brings a selection of these spectacular machines into the studio, and through his lens we see not just the engineering brilliance of these cars, but also their inherent beauty: They are works of art, the fascinating results of Formula 1’s mix of competition, creativity, and human ingenuity. With historical and technological profiles by noted F1 journalist Stuart Codling and commentary fr… More >>
#1 by J. Svaicer on June 22, 2010 - 5:20 pm
The subject of the book, the cars themselves marking technical history in F1 is enticing onto itself, but the photography is somewhat lack-luster. The beauty of these one-of machines is in the details and technology and the photos fall short of capturing that element. No photo of the Ferrari engine, come on……
Further the technical summary at the end of each segment is fraught with errors, dates are incorrect and engine descriptions are mis-matched.
At this price you have to ask, who proof read this book before it went to publishing, obviously the printer could not identify these errors.
Rating: 3 / 5
#2 by WAYNE ZUEHLKE on June 22, 2010 - 6:18 pm
First of all, I must admit that I am not objective about this book because my son was its editor. On the other hand, I have followed and read about Formula 1 racing for forty years and this is one of the best books I have seen. The basic concept is to show the beauty of Formula 1 car designs. To do this, photographer James Mann shot eighteen cars in studios around the UK. The photographic emphasis is on both the overall chassis design as well as details of the engines, driver’s compartments, etc. All of Mann’s photographs are beautiful. In addition there are historical photos from the era of each car. The cars range from the Alfa Romeo of the first F1 season, 1950, to the McLaren MP4-23 of 2008. Thus it covers the entire Formula 1 era. The text is by Stuart Codling, a highly regarded UK based motorsports journalist. In addition, there is commentary by former Formula 1 designer Gordon Murray. The sum of all of these contributions is a one-of-a-kind book that is both very beautiful to look at and also a very enjoyable read. I highly recommend it.
The first user review says that the technical summaries are “fraught with errors”. Well, there are exactly two errors. On page 95, the engine displacement should be 2,993 cc rather than 3,993; and on page 170, the year for the Jordan 191 should be 1991 rather than 1981 (the correct year is included in Codling’s main text however).
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by Smokin' on June 22, 2010 - 6:32 pm
Harkens back to the days when a book like this was both fun to read, but also a conversation piece.
Rating: 4 / 5