The American Legacy in Formula 1
By Phillip van Osten
This may be a promotional book for the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, but it is also a definitive history of the relationship between the United States of America and the FIA’s World Championship for Formula One, nothing less than a textbook for anyone wishing to learn about that relationship and its realities. Opening with comments from the circuit founders, it follows with a Foreword from Mario Andretti, before tracking down the pyramid of successes enjoyed by drivers from the USA in the world’s premier form of motor sport.
At its pinnacle are profiles of our World Champions, Phil Hill and Mario Andretti, and the pedestal upon which they are placed is then supported by extended sketches of the three other Yankee drivers to win GPs, Dan Gurney, Richie Ginther and Peter Revson. After them, attention turns to the six Americans who stood on at least one post-race podium, the further five who scored points and the 19 others who qualified though never enjoyed points or podiums.
Next comes a look at each of the seven teams that carried the stars and stripes into battle, the suppliers of “Made in the USA” components and a listing of the nine previous circuits to host USGPs.
Author van Osten’s words are embellished by the unmatched imagery of Bernard and Paul-Henri Cahier, per et fils of F1 photographic greatness. We cannot recommend this book too highly. Available for US$99.95 from publisher Octane Press at www.octanepress.com
Reviewed by John Zimmermann
Marvic Wheels Lola T70 magnesium wheels
Marvic Wheels Srl, established in 1954, is a sandcasting magnesium foundry based in northern Italy that supplies many Italian and European motor sport companies.
Marvic manufactures and offers a wide range of magnesium replica wheels for classic racing cars including GTA, GTAm, Stratos, Bizzarrini and Pantera Gr4, and have now introduced a new range of wheels for the legendary Lola T70. The company is proud to contribute to the timeless story of this car by producing brand-new genuine magnesium replica wheels for all the T70 versions produced: MK1/2, MK3 and the astonishing MK3B.
Thanks to 3D optical scanning of originals, all the Lola T70 wheels manufactured by Marvic conform exactly to the original Lola specifications. They are all one-piece castings (no separate centers or rims), and are therefore identical to the originals. Thus they will satisfy all safety, quality and performance requirements.
Price: POA
Marvic Wheels SRL
Via Gallarate, 4 – 21020
Brunello (VA) – Italy
Tel +390332463386
fax +390332464160
www.marvic.it
info@marvic.it
Racing Colours
By Simon Owen
Once upon a time, the racing cars we lusted after were presented in the national colors of their origins, lusty red for those from Italy, brilliant green for the British offerings, pale blue for those of France, white—and later silver—for German products and blue and white for American machines (among all the others). We knew instantly where the cars had come from and chose to cheer appropriately. Then commercialism swarmed over the sport and the cars became rolling billboards for the products of their sponsors, carrying liveries that became more “specialized.”
The late English graphic artist Simon Owen found a particular fascination with this aspect of racing cars and, after initially recreating them with watercolors, ultimately evolved into doing so digitally. This book represents his distillations of those liveries, where he took primary panels from the cars to capture their essence. He then accompanied each image with a relevant quote culled from decades of famous utterances by the main players of the sport to produce an excellent book that should prove inspirational for anyone with the slightest interest in our sport.
Available for US$32.50 / £19.99 from publisher Veloce at www.velocebooks.com or www.veloce.co.uk
Reviewed by John Zimmermann
