book review: The Anatomy & Development of the Sports Prototype Racing Car

[Stephen M]

"The Anatomy & Development of the Sports Prototype Racing Car" by Ian Bamsey

What it is:
A history of the technologies that have shaped prototype racing over the past few decades.

What you get:
2/3rds of a book about aerodynamics.
1/3rd of a book about chassis and engine.
A great appreciation for the innumerable compromises involved in building a race car.
A sense of how a seemingly simple rules change can turn a season upside down.

Where it stumbles:
The writing style is a bit convoluted at times. Run on sentences and jargon are common and acronyms are not expanded on first use. Multiple paragraphs attempt to describe a phenomenon that could have been captured by a simple drawing. Keep Google close by as you read.

In depth analysis:
This is a niche book that I enjoyed reading, despite my complaints above. It's not a must-have, though, mostly because it's not really sure what it wants to be. Technical guide? Industry expose? Motorsports history by way of anecdotes? What it really is, more than anything else, is a competently executed (if a bit obtuse) examination of....OOHH! SHINY THING!!! 

[Ultra]

Shiny thing, where?!?!?!