No comments about British Superbikes: The First 10 Years.

1 comments about The Stock Car Racing Chassis: Design Theory Construction.

1. At the time that this book was written back in the 1970's, there was not a lot of information available on how to build and set up a stock car. This book filled that void. However, it is so out of date, with information that has since been proven inaccurate that I would not recommend this book. You might get something out of the book, but Steve Smith has so many other books that are far better, I wouldn't waste my money on this one.

3 comments about Mario Andretti Photo Album (World Champaion Driver Series).

1. Beware...this photo book has black and white photos only.



2. This book is rather disappointing. Nygaard's photographs are lackluster and the reproductions are worse than you would find in your daily newspaper. As only the second American to be crowned World Driving Champion, Mario deserves better.



3. As the United States' and Lotus' most recent Formula One champion, Mario Andretti has become an idol to the Lotus faithful. There is no lack of books detailing the extensive racing career of our Mario, however, these numerous publications are generally expansive and cover the dirt tracks, Champ cars, Stock cars and Sports cars as well as his Formula One success. Mario Andretti Photo Album does the same but is clearly focuses on his Grand Prix career. As such, there is a majority of coverage dedicated to his time with Lotus.

   Mario Andretti Photo Album is, as its name suggests, a photo album. The text is limited to a three-page history of Mario's racing exploits and subheadings with each photo. They do a decent job in giving a basic knowledge of his career, but do not give the detailed information that enthusiasts crave. Likewise too much information is repeated from page to page. But the book is not about words. It is a photo album. In that department there is disappointment as well. All of the photos are black and white. The paper they are printed on is poor quality for photo reproduction. There are few photos that details of the cars can be seen. Drama is limited to some facial expressions and some descriptions in the text.

   Still, the book does accomplish something worthwhile. It separates Mario's Grand Prix career from the rest of his extensive record. In doing so it covers a great deal of Lotus history. It is too bad the quality of the photos is not up to par.

   This review first appeared in the newsletter of Lotus Limited

2 comments about Johnson/Evinrude Outboards, 3-4 Cyl 1958-72 (Vol 3 (1958-72)).

1. I'm afraid the authors, while seeming to desire catering to the novice, merely came across as condescending with their choice of phrasing. The book is not set up very intuitively, nor does it lend itself well to general troubleshooting. The troubleshooting offered is positioned in areas of focus that would be difficult to determine without considerable knowledge up front, as opposed to assisting in isolating a problem step-by-step. Further, instead of helping identify parts, etc., the authors seem to assume that you have a thorough overall knowledge of your particular motor, and offer no path to that information. In its defense, the book does go into great detail about disassembling and cleaning or rebuilding different devices and systems. But again, it doesn't help you determine problems, so who'd know what to disassemble? Sorry kids, but major thumbs down on this one.



2. This book helped in troubleshooting my problem but said absolutely nothing about how to fix it.

1 comments about Master of Precision (Great Lakes Books Publication).

1. If you enjoy Automotive History and the underlined history of the true builders of this great industry you'll enjoy this book.
   The detail of the lives and sensitivity of the Lelands (father and son) and the team that they formed is remarkable. The precision that they mastered and required of their employees tells of the standards they held for themselves and what they produced is truly amazing.
   It also speaks of the less than fair business deals that Henry Ford had in buying a faltering Lincoln Motor Car company from the Lelands and their board members shows the ruthless nature of the early auto business.

No comments about A-Z British Sports & Thoroughbred Motor Cars: 1919-1939.

4 comments about At Speed : Up Close & Personal With The People, Places, & Fans of Nascar.

1. Monte Dutton's book is awesome! As a NASCAR fan, I couldn't ask for more insightful, entertaining, and dead-on analysis of my favorite sport. The author is honest in his assessments of NASCAR and its fans, tracks, and notable personalities--he doesn't fear he will offend anyone, and calls 'em like he sees 'em. Compared to some of the other drivel that is out there about NASCAR that does nothing but genuflect to owners and drivers, Dutton pays no mind to the politics and focuses on the racing. The result is an often laugh out loud funny and very informative book. I especially enjoyed the chapter on Adam Petty, the driver who was tragically killed recently. The author's words of praise for the talented young driver were all the more poignant. Hopefully Monte Dutton will write many more books and keep giving NASCAR fans what they want.



2. the short articles on people/tracks were not very informative nor funny. most of the time, the articles weren't even relevant to the topic. skip this one...



3. I bought this book thinking it would have good info on tracks, drivers and what not. If that is what you are looking for, At Speed is not that book. Dutton has spent time on each driver at a certain race. He gives no information about them, just a comment here or there. Nothing new about the tracks. Magazines can tell you more about individual tracks. I didn't notice much about the fans in NASCAR, either. Dutton clearly couldn't have spent much time on that anyway, judging from the rest of the book.



4. This book is WAY overpriced for the content you get. Each of the many topics is only covered by a short little blurb - at best a couple of pages. Sometimes the blurbs are interesting, sometimes they aren't. But they all end, and sometimes abruptly. Sometimes you get drawn into the subject and then the author pulls the plug. It's like a tease. I almost think the author was hunting for a Nascar topic to write on, couldn't pick one, so decided to publish his notes instead.

   You'd actually be better off spending more money on better developed books covering in more detail a topic you are interested in. You might think that this book will give you a broad overview, but the information it provides is often too choppy to do even that.

   If you've just got to have this one, then at least go to Ebay and pick it up for a buck fifty. [Price] is really a steep price to pay for what you'll be getting here.

2 comments about Jaguar Sports Racing Competition, 1954 On.

1. This 624 page volume 2 is a most worthy companion to volume 1. Jaguar and historic racing fans can enjoy the authoritative, detailed text, along with hundreds
   of photographs (some never seen before in print). Extensive coverage is given to
   Jaguar D-types, the XKSS, E1A & E2A prototypes, early E-types, Jaguar and private
   owner involvment in motor racing...and more! This is a book to be treasured and
   enjoyed again and again.



2. This book is huge! If you like the E-types,D-types,XJS,
   Group A,group C this book is for you.Superb color and B&W photos and detailed text will impress any Jaguar lover.
   Published by "Hayne's" books and the Author,the Late Andrew Whyte.Add this book to your collection.

4 comments about Ford GT40 an Anglo American Competition Classic (Marques & Models).

1. Tecnical info, a race/development history, chassis record. Even a brief look at the replicas. If you could wish for something more it would be better picture reproduction.



2. If I could wish for more, it would be more context. It would be nice to have seen some better coverage of races outside of Le Mans, and more coverage of the principal opponents. It's a little like looking at the world with GT40 tunnel vision. Of course I shouldn't complain too much, this is a comprehensive history of the GT40 afterall.



3. If this were a less expensive book the rating would go to 3-4 stars but compared to books of similar subject matter (Porsche 917: The Winning Formula) the photographs are not very good and the paper and printing process is at best mediocre. To add insult to injury, the book is more than "Porsche 917".

   I purchased this book as reference for model building. It is some help in this respect. But the paucity of color photos and the poor resolution cause me to downrate this book.




4. I purchased this book as a referance for building a model of this car. I found the book to be very helpful for that purpose and as an intersting book to read about Le Mans race cars. I would like to recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the world of racing.

2 comments about Mariner Outboards, 3,4 & 6 Cyl 1977-89 (Seloc Marine Tune-Up and Repair Manuals).

1. very helpful, just what i needed and recomend any one with a motor that is in this book to get it. The price of the book would only pay for 1 hour of a mechanic that may only be an apprentice on advice, you can do it buy the book and save.



2. Outboard motors sorely need a good, detailed manual. If you're used to the careful, detailed organized auto repair manuals put out by Haynes for various automobiles, you'll probably conclude that this is not that book.
   
   In addition to the weak writing, the authors are up against the problem of several different models crammed into one book. This is probably a neccesity since the market may not be big enough to make a manual for one class of motors. In using this book, set aside a few days before any repair job to study the book to figure out what part of the book applies to your motor.
   
   Carberators are particularly problematic in outboard motors, because of idleness over the winter, the complex control system and a design that links it closely to ignition system setings, as well as the problems getting proper performance at low RPM and the need to run it in water for some adjustments. This is where I wish the Seloc manual had a little more to offer. When you finally figure out which carberator is yours, the pictures and instructions are useful to a point, but the reinstall instructions are weak and without warning for the pitfalls of realligning the parts. The primay advice of the authors after a rebuild is "when in doubt" set the idle screws too rich rather than to lean. Better trouble-shooting info is needed.
   
   Simpler instructions like the water pump rebuild and lubricating the lower end, or rebuilding the fuel pump were great and you can do fine with simple jobs like this using this manual. It's worth it to get to know your engine and to save some money. They also do a great job of warning the novice about disturbing factory settings and various ways you might overrun or damage the engine. It's the details of powerhead operation and design, tuning, adjusting, and how to adjust it that left a lot wanting.