Sports car racing enjoyed one of its strongest decades during the Group C era of the 1980s and early '90s. Competition was heightened by the participation of major manufacturers and private teams, as well as technical improvements in many fields. This photo history looks back at that time.

Former F1 mechanic turned TV broadcaster Steve Matchett is trapped overnight in New York, in a fogbound JFK Airport with some fellow motor racing enthusiasts. With no sign of the fog letting up and a long twelve hours to get through, talk inevitably turns to Formula 1. During the course of the night, and fuelled by regular trips to the departure lounge bar, the three protagonists, drawing upon Matchett's encyclopaedic knowledge of life in the F1 pit lane, decide to piece together the perfect Formula 1 Grand Prix car... Starting with the monocoque (or chassis) and moving through the engine type, gearbox, exhaust, suspension and aerodynamics etc, no bolt is left unexamined in Matchett's comprehensive and detailed, technical expose of the inner workings of the fastest cars on the planet. In straightforward, clear and concise language, Matchett explains how the F1 teams have arrived at their current state-of-the-art designs; how, exactly, a Formula 1 car is put together.

In what follows an estimate will be made of the magnitude of the ground effect. For the two cases where the distance a of the propeller from the ground is very small, and very large, respectively, in comparison with the propeller radius r(sub o) the relations may be simply expressed. We consider first the effect of the ground, assuming that the thrust is held constant, as may be done by a suitable change in the propeller speed.

Design, production, and service histories of our most popular subjects combined with top-notch color photograph.

Professional automobile racing has always been dominated by sanctioning bodies whose main goal was to ensure competition. That has meant seeing that cars are well matched--in body shape or chassis/engine combinations or engine size. But what about an all-out competition, in which one team's idea of the fastest race car could be pitted against another’s, regardless of mechanical “parity”? This was what the International Motor Sports Association’s (IMSA) Grand Touring Prototypes (GTP) race series was about. The Series ran from 1981 to 1993, and it was one of the most exhilarating racing experiences of all time. This book is the first to profile the amazing machines that resulted from the GTP’s flat-out competition among different--and passionate--ideas about what might be the fastest way around a track: the V-12 with its better ground-effect tunnels but higher center of gravity (CG); the flat six with its low CG but severely-restricted ground-effect tunnels; and others that employed elaborate wings and air dams. Here are the people behind this engineering free-for-all, the culmination of almost a century of automobile racing experience. And here are eighteen of the most competitive vehicles they designed. Using photography, diagrams, drawings and first-person accounts from the men who built them, Inside IMSA's Legendary GTP Race Cars offers a detailed look at the technology that drove some of the world’s most exciting race cars, the likes of which may never be seen again.

F1 Mavericks is the story of the grandest, most influential, and most fondly remembered era in Formula 1 racing as seen through the lens of master motorsports photographer, Pete Biro. The period from 1960 to 1982 saw the greatest technological changes in the history of Formula 1 racing: the transition from front engines to rear engines, narrow-treaded tires, massive racing slicks, zero downforce, and neck-wrenching ground effects—and, of course, a staggering increase in performance and reduction in lap times. In short, the period saw the creation of the modern Formula 1 car. This is also the time when legendary names who defined F1 were out in full force: Jim Clark, Jack Brabham, Dan Gurney, Sir Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, Niki Lauda, James Hunt, Bruce McLaren, Jody Scheckter. We’ll see and meet all of them. But F1 Mavericks also focuses on the designers and engineers behind the cars—men like Colin Chapman, Sir Patrick Head, Maurice Philippe, Franco Rochhi, Gordon Murray, and many others. We’ll hear directly from many of them, including a foreword from 1978 F1 World Champion, Mario Andretti. Every chapter is a photographic account of key races throughout the period, supplemented with sidebars featuring key designers and technologies, like wings, ground effects, slick tires, turbochargers, and the Brabham “fan” suction car. F1 Mavericks is an international story, and includes loads of information on designs from Japan (Honda), Britain (McLaren, Tyrrell, Cooper, BRM) Italy (Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo), France (Matra, Ligier, Renault), Germany (Porsche, BMW) and the United States (Eagle, Shadow, Penske, Parnelli). Strap yourself in for the story of the greatest era in Formula 1 racing—it's all here in F1 Mavericks.

Want to get off the beaten track? This new edition of 'Off-Road Vehicles' shows you how the most popular and rugged ORV's are designed, built, and driven. Learn about the comfortable Toyota Land Cruiser and Range Rover classics, as well as military beasts and hard-working quads. Get to grips with studded tires, sand-blasting dune buggies, and snowmobiles on skis. Take a closer look at the clever design features of the Jeep Wrangler. Strap your seat belt on and get ready for a bumpy ride! The revised and updated 'Designed for Success' series shows how designers create the very best cars, planes, motorcycles, and other exciting vehicles. It explains the many design challenges that designers and engineers must overcome and the factors they must take into account, such as materials, cost, and new technology.