Lotus 72, 1970–75

by Pete Lyons

“The wedge” won more GPs and Driver’s and Constructor’s Championships than any other Lotus, it was the longest-lived design then and now, it scored in four of six seasons—there are several good books about it, and this is definitely one of them.

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.

Vintage Jaguar Keyrings 1955–1980

by Morrill “Bud” Marston

If you thought vintage Jaguars are interesting, just wait until you see vintage Jaguar key rings. Jaguar made over 350,000 cars during just the period covered here so there’s plenty of variety to investigate.

100 Years Ago, Anniversary of the Armistice

by Tom Dine

Bentley Motors is 100 years old and this little book celebrates the company founder’s achievements—and that’s before he ever built his eponymous cars and winning Le Mans five times.

New York City Horsepower: An Oral History of Fast Custom Machines

by Michael McCabe

What makes a New York custom bike or car different from those made anywhere else? Or modern ones different from earlier ones? Meet several generations of builders and see their shops and their creations.

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.

Stardust International Raceway

by Randall Cannon and Michael Gerry

Legendary drivers, the FBI, Howard Hughes…it’s a big story but the track was short-lived and pretty much forgotten until two local boys with racing interests put this fine book together.

We Speak from the Air, WW2 Broadcasts from the RAF

by the Ministry of Information

Read this alongside some of Winston Churchill’s speeches and there won’t be a dry eye in the house. The over 1000 RAF and WAAF personnel that made these wartime broadcasts remained anonymous but the highly personal pictures they paint cut to the bone.

Fireship: The Terror Weapon of the Age of Sail

by Peter Kirsch

A fireship doesn’t put out fires, it starts them. This profusely illustrated book is the first to examine the role of this device, from antiquity to the early nineteenth century.

Lotus Esprit, The Official Story

by Jeremy Walton

The Lotus Esprit may have held a record among British sports cars for continuous production—28 years and almost 11,000 copies sold—but pick up an automotive encyclopedia today and you’ll find that this Lotus hardly warrants a footnote.

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.

Gulf 917

by Ray Gillottti

The 917 story told from a specific angle, that of the John Wyer team whose tech chief really made the car fly. You may have stacks of 917 books already but you’ll not want to miss this one.