Great automotive books

Hello all,

I used to post on here many years ago, now having finished university and heading into the automotive industry I have time to re-engage in the forum.

I have recently read Duncan Hamilton's autobiography "Touch Wood" which turned out to be one of the best books I have read in a long time. It provides a fantastic insight into the early days of post-war motor racing and associated antics that would give modern day Mr Health and Safety a heart attack. It is a book I would definitely recommend to anyone who considers themselves to be interested in motorsport.

Following this I was wondering if there were any books of similar ilk or generally related to the automotive industry that people here would recommend?

[quote=DBR9;1007864]Hello all,

I used to post on here many years ago, now having finished university and heading into the automotive industry I have time to re-engage in the forum.

I have recently read Duncan Hamilton's autobiography "Touch Wood" which turned out to be one of the best books I have read in a long time. It provides a fantastic insight into the early days of post-war motor racing and associated antics that would give modern day Mr Health and Safety a heart attack. It is a book I would definitely recommend to anyone who considers themselves to be interested in motorsport.

Following this I was wondering if there were any books of similar ilk or generally related to the automotive industry that people here would recommend?[/quote]

Welcome back, I would recommend the book "Racing in the rain" by John Horsman about his time with John Wyer and the Mirage racing team, it might be a bit technical but it gives a great insight in endurance racing as it was at its pinnacle.

"Go Like Hell" by A.J. Baime on Ferrari vs Ford Le Mans battle is must read. It's like you being there!

"Hitler's Motor Racing Battles" by Eberhard Reuss - great read on pre-war German Grand Prix world, politics and cars.

"Directory Of Classic Sports-Racing Cars" by Mike Lawrence if you are into pre- and post-war not-so-obvious racing GT, etc cars (Borgward, Connaught, DB, EMW, Elva, Gilby, HWM, Kieft, Lagonda, Nardi, Pegaso, Salmson, Scarab, Skoda, Stanguellini, Tojeiro and many others)

"Motor Racing's Strangest Races - Extraordinary But True Stories" by Geoff Tibbals - just for laughs or consternation, good to read one story at time.

"Super Sports - The 220 mph Le Mans Cars" by John Allen, Ian Bamsey, Gordon Jones, Alan Lis, Ronnie Spain and Allan Staniforth. Look into Le Mans prototypes with some deep technical details and stories of developement.

Engines of Change: A History of the American Dream in Fifteen Cars (Hardcover) ...
Punching Out: One Year in a Closing Auto Plant (Hardcover) ...
Car: A Drama of the American Workplace (Paperback) ...
High and Mighty: SUVs-the World's Most Dangerous Vehicles and How They Got That Way (Hardcover)
And there are more great books about auto industry at Popular Auto Industry Books - DocsBay

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