Book review
#1
Posted 07 June 2004 - 12:45
can anybody give me a short review about the following book:
Motor Racing: The Golden Age by John Tennant
Is it recommend to buy it, pics in colour or only in b&w?
Advertisement
#2
Posted 07 June 2004 - 14:31
#3
Posted 07 June 2004 - 16:31
#4
Posted 07 June 2004 - 16:58
#5
Posted 07 June 2004 - 17:08
It's a big glossy book, all in black & white, no photos after about 1967. You can have some fun correcting the captions which are in many respects off - not necessarily inaccurate, but miss out the whole story or something of note related to the pic.
However, the photo selection is wonderfully obscure. There are the usual suspects of action shots of the well known, but also some fairly random shots backstage at Brooklands or at one of the ice GPs or a number of others of some forgotten drivers. This adds to the charm; I'd rather read F1 Rejects than yet another hagiography of Senna. They were a part of motorsport as well.
And one shot from Monaco in the 40s in particular - it looks as if someone (think it's Giraud-Cabantous) is yelling at Count Troubetskoy to get out of the way...
For £12 you can't really go wrong. Even if you're fed up it makes an expensive looking prezzie for someone just getting into racing.
#6
Posted 07 June 2004 - 20:57
#7
Posted 08 June 2004 - 06:58
#8
Posted 13 June 2004 - 20:33
Although Hulton Getty get the headlines, you'll see that a lot of the photos came from the Ludvigsen Library. John was very pleased with what he found on his visit here.
The back cover is our photo, and the last photo in the book, of Jackie Stewart, was taken by yours truly.
#9
Posted 15 June 2004 - 11:13
As ensign14 pointed out, the captions are - at times - too sparse, but OTOH almost every picture screams: "Look at me! Find out what's happening!" I know I shall ....
#10
Posted 21 July 2004 - 15:42
I've not seen anything so crazy! Was it really used? Does it still exist? And just how much of a drop was it?
*(Sat 12 June 2004)
#11
Posted 21 July 2004 - 16:55
Originally posted by stylus
The Times (of London) Magazine* had an article on it with several stunning photos, amongst which was a small shot of the racetrack on top of Fiat's Turin factory...
I've not seen anything so crazy! Was it really used? Does it still exist? And just how much of a drop was it?
*(Sat 12 June 2004)
There's footage of the test track in use in the old BBC series "The Power and The Glory" (not to be mistaken for the William Court book). In fact I really must exhume my tape of it and watch again... haven't seen it for years!
#12
Posted 21 July 2004 - 17:12
Originally posted by stylus
The Times (of London) Magazine* had an article on it with several stunning photos, amongst which was a small shot of the racetrack on top of Fiat's Turin factory...
I've not seen anything so crazy! Was it really used? Does it still exist? And just how much of a drop was it?
*(Sat 12 June 2004)
it was really used, yes. I believe the design of the factory was such that the cars were assembled on a assembly line which led to the track on the roof. And there they were tested.
I am not sure how long this really worked.
BTW, this building seems to be a museum nowadays. Never been there though.
mat1
#13
Posted 21 July 2004 - 17:39
#14
Posted 21 July 2004 - 17:42
#15
Posted 21 July 2004 - 21:35
http://www.racingcir...otto/track.html
Quoted from racingcircuits.net
(info by Eelco Wind & Arbam de Boer)
Type: Test Track
Length: 0.621 Miles // 1.000 km
The FIAT factory in Turin was designed in 1917 by the architect Giacomo Mattè Trucco. The Lingotto building was opened on the 22nd of May 1923, featuring five floors of workshops covering a width of 80 meters. A 1 kilometer test track with a width of 15 meters was built on the roof of the building. The factory was closed on the 21st of February 1982, with the building later been redeveloped as the Le Meridien Lingotto hotel and conference centre.
It seems it's now a jogging track I'd still love to know how high it was or if there are any accounts of what it was like to drive around it. The photo from the book made it look more dramatic than these http://www.racingcir.../Lingotto14.JPG and http://www2.polito.i...to/i3111-03.jpg
and then i'll watch the italian job...i've heard it's got this car chase with mini coopers in it ;)
#16
Posted 05 November 2006 - 12:24
Originally posted by karlcars
It's quite an outstanding book for anyone interested in racing. John did a super job.
Although Hulton Getty get the headlines, you'll see that a lot of the photos came from the Ludvigsen Library. John was very pleased with what he found on his visit here.
The back cover is our photo, and the last photo in the book, of Jackie Stewart, was taken by yours truly.
Just found this thread as I have found the book. Before I allowed it to be put away for Christmas I have the impression that a list of corrections/amendments/additions to the captions is called for. Has anyone done that yet?
e.g. there are a lot of "photographer unknown" pictures correctly identified as being of Kitty Brunell, which were taken by Bill Brunell, her father.
It puts me in mind of "the Golden Age of British Motoring" of 1995 which had Brunell's photos and captions by Roy Bacon. A group of four VSCC members compiled two pages of corrections (50+ items) for that book.