Book Reviews, August 1946, August 1946

“Indianapolis 500-Mile Race History,” by Floyd Clymer. (3.50 dollars.)

Clymer has done it again, this time with a huge, square-backed 320-page history of the 500-Mile Race held annually since 1911 at Indianapolis. As is his habit, Clymer has merely reproduced reports from various journals, putting them in in full with no attempt at editing. However, if the style of the reports varies in consequence, and odd printers’ errors remain, very complete information is included of each year’s race, and there are masses of pictures, sketches and cartoons. The Peugeot, Mercédès, Delage, Fiat and Sunbeam cars are well represented. The more recent reports incorporate some excellent, hitherto unpublished pictures and sectional drawings of the engine and chassis of the 8CTF Maserati, and there are similar views of some of the more advanced American cars, such as the Four-Wheel-Drive Miller, and the 16-cylinder Sampson-Special with De Dion rear end. Many tables and statistics are included — we learn that Indianapolis Motor Speedway paid a total of 1,560,100 dollars prize-money up to 1940, and that Stutz has covered the greatest mileage, 5,504, in the “500s.” The technical articles reproduced are most interesting, and there is not too much “Americanese” about the reports, which have been taken from such papers as: Motor Age„ Motor, Horseless Age, Automobile, Automotive Industries, etc. A happy inclusion is a photographic spread showing the cars which won each race, and another showing the winning drivers. Purchasers of this book can apply for a free supplement of the 1946 race. The book is obtainable from Floyd Clymer, 2125, West Pico Street, Los Angeles 6, California.

We have received from The Palgrave Publishing Co., Ltd., a nicely got-up little book giving a list of all the two- and three-letter registration letters for this country, together with the areas to which they belong and the period for which they were in operation. This last feature should be of considerable value to those wishing to have some means of dating the cars they see on the road. The book is available for 2s. 6d. post free from the publishers, whose address is High Holborn House, London, W.C.1.