Archive for Items Categorized 'Technology', only excerpts shown, click title for full entry.

Classic Racing Engines

by Karl Ludvigsen

A reprint of an important book makes it available to new readers. Not an easy read but the science/art of building a competitive race motor is enormously complicated so this book does help to appreciate the intricacies.

Porsche 917: The Undercover Story

by Gordon Wingrove

There is no shortage of interesting books about this iconic racecar. What makes this one stand out is that it is written by a former race mechanic who knows every nut and bolt on the car.

Rocket Development with Liquid Propellants

by W H J Riedel

In 1939 the author became Chief Designer at the V-2 rocket development center. Prior to that, he helped early German rocket designer Max Valier develop a series of CO2 and liquid oxygen-alcohol rocket engines and rocket-driven cars to promote Heylandt products.

Schlegelmilch Sportscar Racing 1962–1973

by David Tremayne

An important photographer, an important period, expect to be entertained and delighted and moved the way only images can do.

The V12 Engine

by Karl Ludvigsen

What do a tiny 1.1L motor from 1926 and a monster 112L from 1965 (which actually comprises four engines) have in common? A V12 configuration. How this is possible and why this is desirable—and why it didn’t always work—is the subject of a book first published a decade ago but now thankfully reissued.

Owning Model S

by Nick J. Howe

You may not have seen one in the wild but since their launch in 2012 tens of thousands of these things are on the road the world over. Time to find out what makes them tick (well, hum, if anything), no?

Restoring Museum Aircraft

by Robert C. Mikesh

Remember how you used to see non-original polished metal, even chrome, in the engine compartments of cars in serious concours d’elegance? Well, times have changed, and so have the philosophical approaches to automotive restoration.

The Wankel Rotary Engine, A History 

by John B. Hege

A simple design, compact size, light weight, nearly vibration-free operation . . . so why is no one using this engine? In the 1970s automakers were tripping over themselves to license it. This book explains what happened. Or didn’t.

Professor Porsche’s Wars

by Karl Ludvigsen

Ferdinand Porsche’s very successes had the unintended consequence of making him an increasingly indispensable national asset. This proximity to power kept his order books full, but at what cost?

Fast Jets, The History of Reheat Development at Derby 

by Cyril Elliott, with contributions from John Goodwin

Afterburners are a slick piece of technology. The Rolls-Royce company played a crucial role in pioneering and finessing such work.

Proprietary Engines for Vehicles

by Nick Baldwin

Proprietary engines have been used by the millions yet the subject is not well represented in the literature. This tiny book is just a tantalizing teaser—but better than nothing!