Isbn: 9780854298679 - aero-engined racing cars at brooklands (4 resultados)

Hardback. Condición: Near Fine. There comes a point in the history of motor racing when someone inevitably looks at an already rather fast racing car and says, "You know what this really needs? An aircraft engine." Mercifully for the rest of us, nobody stopped them. The result was a glorious collection of machines that possessed roughly the same power-to-weight philosophy as strapping a cathedral organ to a wheelbarrow and hoping for the best. Aero-Engined Racing Cars at Brooklands by the legendary Bill Boddy is a fascinating tribute to one of the most outrageous chapters in British motoring history. Published by Haynes in 1992, this richly illustrated volume explores the extraordinary racing specials that thundered around the famous Brooklands circuit powered not by conventional car engines, but by enormous aero engines originally intended to propel biplanes through the skies rather than motor cars around concrete banking. If the idea sounds faintly ridiculous, that?s because it was. Wonderfully, magnificently ridiculous. Bill Boddy was uniquely qualified to tell these stories. As one of Britain?s most respected motoring historians and for many years editor of Motor Sport magazine, he knew Brooklands better than almost anyone. His affection for the circuit, its engineers and its fearless competitors shines through every page, transforming what could have been a dry technical history into an affectionate celebration of engineering audacity. The stars of the book are, naturally, the machines themselves. Famous monsters such as Chitty-Bang-Bang , Babs , Higham Special and other aero-engined leviathans appear in all their improbable glory. These weren?t sleek racing cars in the modern sense. They were gigantic mechanical contraptions built around engines of absurd proportions, often producing enough horsepower to alarm the tyres, the driver and occasionally the spectators. Steering one at speed required equal measures of courage, optimism and perhaps a slightly unconventional understanding of personal safety. Brooklands itself provided the perfect stage. The world?s first purpose-built motor racing circuit became a playground for inventors, daredevils and engineers who viewed phrases like "probably impossible" as little more than friendly suggestions. If an idea sounded unlikely to succeed, somebody at Brooklands generally tried it anyway. Occasionally it even worked. This is precisely why these cars remain so endlessly fascinating. They represent an era before wind tunnels, computer simulations and marketing departments. Problems were solved with bigger engines, stronger chassis and astonishing levels of ingenuity. Fuel consumption was regarded as somebody else?s concern, and the concept of subtlety had clearly taken the afternoon off. Our copy is in Near Fine condition, having survived considerably more gracefully than many of the thunderous machines featured inside. The pages remain crisp, the photographs are beautifully reproduced, and the binding is tight. It has clearly avoided life on a dusty workshop shelf beneath oily spanners and half-finished magnetos, preserving itself as an excellent example of a highly sought-after motoring history. Like every carefully rescued title sold by Crappy Old Books , this isn?t merely another second-hand motoring book. It?s another piece of engineering history beginning its next lap. Somewhere, a previous owner has marvelled at the sheer audacity of fitting a twelve-cylinder aircraft engine into something with four wheels, before reluctantly closing the covers and wondering why modern cars have become so terribly sensible. Because Aero-Engined Racing Cars at Brooklands reminds us that the golden age of motoring wasn?t always about refinement or efficiency. Sometimes it was simply about asking the most gloriously unreasonable question imaginable: "What happens if we fit an aircraft engine into a racing car?" The answer, as this wonderful book demonstrates, was noise, speed, spectacle and a legacy that continues to delight enthusiasts many decades later. It is engineering at its most wonderfully excessive?and all the more lovable for it.…

FIRST EDITION 4to. green clothbound hardback, gilt, with dust jacket. 160pp. with b/w illustrations. Dust jacket has not been price-clipped. Previous owner's attractive bookplate to inside front cover. Some foxing to prelims. VG/VG. (Shelf 94) ISBN: 0854298673 PLEASE NOTE: Buyer is responsible for any additional duties, taxes, or fees required by recipient's country.** Pictures available upon request.** Visit our homepage for our shop opening hours. Over 20,000 books in stock - come and browse. PayPal, credit and most debit cards welcome. Books posted worldwide. For any queries please contact us direct.…

hardcover. Condición: Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read but remains in clean condition. All of the pages are intact and the cover is intact and the spine may show signs of wear. The book may have minor markings which are not specifically mentioned.…

Hardcover. Condición: Very Good. Estado de la sobrecubierta: Very Good. 1st Edition. These are the stories of the monster aero-engined racing cars which raced round Brooklands between the wars. Each car is recorded in detail, together with its performance in the short handicap races at Brooklands.The book is extensively illustrated with evocative black and white photographs of the period. Inventory # C1404.…