Archive for Items Categorized 'Biography/ Autobiography', only excerpts shown, click title for full entry.

Rudolf Uhlenhaut

by Wolfgang Scheller and Thomas Pollak 

The legendary Mercedes engineer was a hands-on wrencher and a good enough driver to embarrass professional shoes. He valued teamwork and hated blowing his own horn—which is why this is the first-ever comprehensive biography.

Frank McClean: The Godfather of British Naval Aviation

by Philip Jarrett 

Many important aviation developments wouldn’t have happened if McClean hadn’t had the means, the skills, and the convictions he possessed. At long last here’s a book to give credit where credit is due.

The Blunt End of the Grid

by Dave Roberts

Roberts’ approach to motor racing is the polar opposite to the clinical diligence of an F1 team. The best testament to this book is that if former McLaren head honcho Ron Dennis read it, he would need specialist counselling.

An English Car Designer Abroad

by Peter Birtwhistle

Recognize the cars on the cover? One man did those and many more, over the course of a 40-year career in which he saw everything—from how to shave clay to designing by committee—change.

Richie Ginther, Motor Racing’s Free Thinker

by Richard Jenkins

“I hate to see anything broken” is a strong candidate for the most unlikely quotation ever attributed to a Grand Prix driver. But Richie Ginther was no ordinary driver, and no ordinary man. Here is the first-ever authorized biography.

Not Much of an Engineer, An Autobiography

by Sir Stanley Hooker

Gravely ill, this highly acclaimed aero engine engineer managed to stay alive just long enough to finish his autobiography. A modest man, he would have been embarrassed by the praise his eulogists bestowed on him.

Niki Lauda: His Competition History

by Jon Saltinstall

He won two of his three F1 championships after the fiery crash in 1976 that almost killed him. The courage and willpower this takes defies description. So does losing the title one year by one point and winning it another by half a point. Racing is about so much more than car control; this book paints the picture of a driver who applied himself with unprecedented commitment.

World War II Veterans in Motorsports

by Art Evans

As both a former race driver and movie industry PR man, the author understands his topic from both sides. Plus, the 23 men and women covered here were personal friends of his.

Second to One: All But For Indy

by Gordon Kirby & Joseph Freeman

Winning the Indy 500 makes you a household name. Well, in some households. For a while. The ones who don’t win, no matter how long the list of their accomplishments here or elsewhere, get no love. Here’s their story.

One Formula – 50 Years of Car Design

by Gordon Murray and Philip Porter  

“Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright” – the extraordinary legacy of oenophile, soap box racer, and Bob Dylan disciple Gordon Murray. He is the man who also created the road-going sports car that won Le Mans, who designed  F1 cars that won 50 Grands Prix, and who is still pushing every envelope he can find.

Lady Lucy Houston DBE, Aviation Champion and Mother of the Spitfire

by Miles Macnair

Picture this: an air force is fighting for its very survival. A private citizen offers to buy her impoverished government several squadrons of fighter planes. The government says—no. This snub kickstarted a chain of events that culminated in Britain developing one of the important aircraft of all time.

That Thin, Wild Mercury Sound

by Daryl Sanders

Bob Dylan’s first album was released in 1962. Since then he has recorded over three dozen studio albums. He is still actively recording and performing. With all that material, it would be difficult to pick a favorite, but there seems to be a general agreement that his 1966 Blonde On Blonde is the best of the best. Sander’s book tells a very detailed, very lively tale of its making.

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