MALSHER: Reading list, April 2015

Allow me to highlight another three racing titles which should be on your wish list if you enjoy delving into the history of the sport, and several more books for those who just like fast, charismatic cars.

Incidentally, this column was prompted by my desk starting to bow under the weight of output from Motorbooks, a company that produces top-quality automotive titles with the same regularity that the Kardashians trend on Twitter.

Another picture-heavy book – which you’d expect given its subject matter – is Klemantaski, Master motorsports photographer. The extensive captions are by Paul Parker, who’s renowned for his assiduous research, but of course it is the work of Louis Klemantaski himself that steals the show. He covered road racing, Formula 1 and sports car competition from the 1930s through to the very early ’70s, and his picture composition is superb and they’re done justice here by superb reproduction. But maybe the most important aspect of this book is that it shows scenes and settings that thee and me will never see for real. The Mille Miglia pictures alone are worth the $75.00 for this large, 272-page hardback. Details here.

A three-year-old book that lives up to its $89.95 price is Tony Brooks – Poetry in motion: Autobiography of a supreme Grand Prix driver. I’d place a small bet on the fact that this modest guy had his arm twisted all the way up his back to agree to that subheader…even though it’s a statement of fact! Once Juan Manuel Fangio retired, Stirling Moss was F1’s No. 1, but Brooks was his nearest threat, perhaps lacking only the ultimate devotion and ego to remain at the top for long. He retired at the age of 29.

The book reflects Brooks’ meticulous nature and throughout there’s a vibe of old-school politeness that is synonymous with the man, yet belies a driver who’d wrestle a Vanwall to pole position at Monaco, or demolish his opposition racing a Ferrari around the fearsome old Nurburgring. His writing may lack the outright flair of his driving – this has not been ghost-written – but his opinions are still eloquently expressed, and Brooks is so well-balanced, he can be trusted to deliver accurate analyses of drivers, cars, tracks and racing philosophy. Well worth the half-century wait. Buy it here.

Dodge 100 Years is by Matt DeLorenzo, a name familiar to anyone who reads the best car magazines on a regular basis, and here he manages the tricky balance of being enthusiastic without sounding like he’s drinking the Kool Aid just because it’s a marque celebration. The tale breezes along through its 192 pages without getting bogged down in trim specs and rear axle ratios, emphasizing more the fads and trends that Dodge either initiated or followed, and why.

RACER readers take note that this book does not delve into Dodge’s racing history. MOPAR’s legend in road racing, NASCAR and at the dragstrip would make a tremendous companion volume. Just saying…

Still, this book is perfect for anyone who loves Dodge and wants to convert others. More details here .

For Corvette enthusiasts, there are a couple of fine books out now which easily avoid covering the same ground and, like the car itself, are excellent value for money. $50 will get you either of these.

One is the latest update to Mike Mueller’s The complete book of Corvette; every model since 1953, which now includes the latest Stingray. It’s a massively useful reference work if you want to compare and contrast dimensions, power outputs, weights, etc., which are presented in tabular form, while there's an appendix that covers the options available each year of the ’Vette's life. The absence of these for-addicts-only intricacies frees up the main text which allows non-fanboys to dive in for a genuinely good read. Check it out here.

Art of the Corvette does exactly what you expect – majors on the designs that have been blessed with one of the most iconic brand names in automotive history. Randy Leffingwell and Tom Loeser should be congratulated on making even the bloated C5 look good, although their wonderful photography really highlights the ridiculous styling details of the 1978 C3 Indy 500 Pace Car.

On a more serious note, as a writer who’s frequently lost in wonder at the talent (and patience) of photographers, the final chapter on how Leffingwell’s “light-painting” shots were made is as fascinating as staring at the cockpit details of a ’63 Stingray. More details of the book here.

And then do yourself a favor and order both books for $100.

Winston Goodfellow has produced a very interesting book – Ferrari Hypercars; the inside story of Maranello’s fastest, rarest road cars – and it contains a narrative that is rich in entertaining anecdotes and quotes. Mercifully for one who finds concept cars a distracting and pointless bore unless they actually have a truly significant impact on a forthcoming “real-life” model, this book sticks very much to the mighty cars that made it into production. The one annoyance with the book is that it appears to have been laid out by three different people, and one of them needs to have his eyes tested, but I’m very forgiving of any publication containing pics of Berlinetta Boxers, 288 GTOs and F40s, which is why I’ve already bought a copy of my own. You can too by hitting this link.

Another book, like Art of the Corvette, which is filled with Leffingwell photography is Top Muscle; the rarest cars from America’s fastest decade. If you appreciate all the brands that contributed to America’s magic muscle car era, then this is the book for you.

Darwin Holstrom has highlighted the best of the best, and – in general – the most exclusive models from The Big Three (and AMC). I’m mildly disappointed the last great of the era, the ’74 Pontiac Firebird SD-455, isn’t among the chosen 25, but there’s little else to be upset about. The production quality is superb.

Incidentally, there's one recurring, doleful and inadvertent point of note to this lavishly produced effort. However much we love the 21st century muscle cars and appreciate the Big Three's efforts to emulate the shapes of our 40-50-year-old fantasy cars, their interiors will never recapture the cool, elegant sparseness of their ancestors' cabins. They really were works of art, much like this book.