Book reviews, March 1971, March 1971

Before the European motor-racing season starts it is comforting to remember that there are several excellent annuals which adequately summarise, analyse and illustrate what occurred in 1970. Perhaps the most elegant is the beautifully printed “Autocourse 1970-71” annual, published by Haymarket Publishing Ltd., at £3. It covers F1, F2, F3, sports-car, Indianapolis, Can-Am, Tasman and F 5000 races and International rallying, etc., and with fine colour plates and elaborate lap charts, rivals the once-leading “Automobile Year”, reviewed previously by Motor Sport, although confining itself to racing whereas the Swiss annual contains some general articles.

A similar annual is “Motor Racing Year 1971”, with articles as well as racing reviews, which Motor Racing Publications issue for £1.50. It is interesting, too, that an English edition of “Champion of the World”, which tells the story of Matra-Elf’s contribution to motor racing from 1967 to 1970, including the Stewart/Tyrrell/Matra/Cosworth/Ford World Championship, written by Edward Seidler, is available in similar format, with some good but some too-lurid colour plates, from Edita of Lausanne, who publish “Automobile Year”. Incidentally, Elf gives as the reason for Stewart severing with Matra, not his preference for a Cosworth Ford V8 engine instead of Matra’s V12, but “Matra’s new commercial orientation and their closer links with Renault, which did not allow the renewal of the agreement with Tyrrell”—presumably meaning that the Renault influence would clash with Ford support

W. B.

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A. W. Judge’s “Automobile Engine Overhaul”, a Pitman paperback, has been issued in a 5th edition, price £1.15.

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K. B. Hopfinger’s VW history has been revised to bring it up to date. Called “The Volkswagen Story”, it is published by G. T. Foulis & Co., Ltd., price £2.40.