- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Breedon Books Publishing Co Ltd (Oct 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1859834418
- ISBN-13: 978-1859834411
- Product Dimensions: 24.4 x 17.8 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 129,572 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
The worst crash in motor racing history - killing more than 80 people - was produced by a ferocious and haunting combination of circumstances: nationalism, raw speed, the nature of a 24-hour race, and chance. The crash drew in Mike Hawthorn, the blond playboy from Farnham, in a Jaguar, and Juan-Manuel Fangio, one of the greatest drivers of all, in a Mercedes. A crowd of 250,000 watched hypnotised as Hawthorn set out to break Fangio, the two cars going faster and faster...and faster. Another English playboy, Lance Macklin, was caught up in the crash in his Austin-Healey, along with a 50-year-old Frenchman driving under the assumed name of Pierre Levegh. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It cost him his life, even as his car was torn to pieces that scythed into the dense crowd. In this new and full study of the fateful day, Christopher Hilton sets the race itself in the context of the 1950s. Through a host of interviews - with drivers, team members, journalists and spectators - and original research at Le Mans and in the Mercedes archive in Stuttgart, he recreates every aspect of the race and the crash. Much of the material has never been seen before. He examines the aftermath - the bitter blame game, the conflicting testimonies, the direct threat to motorsport in Europe - and chronicles the beginning of the culture of safety that has affected what we see of motorsport on our television screens today.
About the Author
Christopher Hilton is a leading authority and writer on contemporary motorsport, and has written more than 30 books on the subject. His book Nuvolari, published by Breedon Books in 2003, was critically acclaimed. He has also produced a ground-breaking study of the Donington Grands Prix of 1937 and 1938, as well as biographies of more modern Formula 1 drivers like Michael Schumacher and the late Ayrton Senna.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Though Formula 1 dominates the motor sport agenda these days, a novice could tell you about the annual sportscar race at Le Mans. The basic premise is this - cars go round the 8 mile track for 24 hours, and the one which covers the most distance is declared the winner. A curiosity is the fact that several classes of cars take part simultaneously, with large differentials between their top speeds. This provides some interest, but in the case of the 1955 race, it resulted in tragedy.
After about 2 hours of racing, Jaguar driver Mike Hawthorn was about to pull into the pits to hand over the car to his co-driver. At exactly the same point, Lance Macklin in his far less powerful Austin Healey had to brake and swerve to avoid him. The car behind Macklin, a Mercedes driven by veteran Frenchman Pierre Levegh had nowhere to go and ran over the back of the Austin Healey. The Mercedes flew up into the air and landed in the spectator area, and bits of high speed debris flew off into the crowd. 80 people were killed, including Levegh himself.
Hilton provides a good background to the race and the people involved, and devotes a chapter to investigating the crash and working out who was responsible. This can be difficult, due to the passage of time and the fact that Levegh, Macklin and Hawthorn are all dead. Interviews with their contemporaries and fellow drivers give the best account of the events, and as ever the witnesses provide conflicting accounts. In the end, it seems to come down to an unfortunate chain of events, the cause of most big accidents.
Thankfully, Hilton does not dwell on the more morbid aspects of the crash, and we only see a few photographs of the scene. By all accounts, it was very distressing to see. Phil Hill (driver) says it best : "The impact was about 10 pits down from us but the immediate aftermath was right in front of out pit. I understood that something terrible had happened. I can't tell you...the realisation of it was absolutely horrific, and to be in the middle of it all..."
Bravely, the book goes on to describe the equally unfortunate collision between the motor racing world and the real world. One journalist stubbornly asked why the Mercedes team (who were leading by this point) should withdraw. Levegh's co-driver John Fitch said it all by giving a probable newspaper headline : RUTHLESS GERMANS RACE ON TO VICTORY OVER DEAD BODIES OF FRENCH.
After reading this, you wish Hilton would stop referring to the 'Age Of Innocence' that supposedly existed before Le Man's 55, as if no drivers and spectators had been killed before. But that's a minor flaw. If you feel you really should know about the awful events of 11th June 1955, this is the book to have. But don't expect to be cheered or uplifted by it.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is an extremely interesting book. As an avid sports car racing fan and former sports car mechanic, I've always been interested in what actually occured on this fateful day. The author does a great job in describing the background of the spectators, drivers and factory-sponsored teams. I would definately buy other works by Christopher Hilton.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
35 of 40 people found the following review helpful
Interesting Subject but the author's style makes for tough reading
10 Oct 2005
Format:Hardcover
My old boss at my first writing gig told me - "easy readin' is hard writin' " and he was right. This book, an indepth account of the worst car crash and loss of life in all of motorsports, was fascinating but could have been much, much easier to read. I originally thought that I was just tired as I first sat down to read, but it was the same thing the next day as I struggled with the author's difficult writing style. Since I consider Le Mans one of a handfull of great races, I really wanted to learn more about the tragedy and the aftermath. The author certainly did his research and the details, maps and drawings, calculations and photos all helped to bring this event, fifty years back, into sharp focus. A definite plus. I especially loved his explanation of the German, French, British post-war tensions and how it affected the way people formed opinions about racing teams. But I really had to strain to get through some parts because his style and sentence structures are not familiar to me.
It's on my motorsports book shelf but I don't think it needs to be on yours unless you too are a motorhead.
It's on my motorsports book shelf but I don't think it needs to be on yours unless you too are a motorhead.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Le Mans '55: The Crash That Changed the Face of Motor Racing
17 Nov 2008
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Wow! LeMans 1955... What can you say about this epic event? Great cars & Driver; Peter Collins in the DB3S Aston Martin, Moss & Fangio in the Mercs', Hawthorn in the D-Jag and Ken Miles sharing the EX182 (MGA Prototype)...
Great book... fantastic photos, yet a sad tail. My father, Dickie Green, was on the pit counter with the MG team when all hell broke lose on the Saturday. It was the one thing he didnt' like seeing "Replayed over and over on TV." Like battles against the Afrika Corps in WWII (Dickie was British Army Tank Driver) seeing the "accident" firsthand was enough. Aston Mechanic Tug Wilson was one of the first into the wreck with a fire bottle, and was nearly run over by Fangio as he dashed across the front straight! Few know this fact... In the end the race went on. Personally I think the Merc team should have kept going... my 2 cents. A must buy book for any collection. Michael Green / West Coast British
Great book... fantastic photos, yet a sad tail. My father, Dickie Green, was on the pit counter with the MG team when all hell broke lose on the Saturday. It was the one thing he didnt' like seeing "Replayed over and over on TV." Like battles against the Afrika Corps in WWII (Dickie was British Army Tank Driver) seeing the "accident" firsthand was enough. Aston Mechanic Tug Wilson was one of the first into the wreck with a fire bottle, and was nearly run over by Fangio as he dashed across the front straight! Few know this fact... In the end the race went on. Personally I think the Merc team should have kept going... my 2 cents. A must buy book for any collection. Michael Green / West Coast British
Le Mans '55 the crash the changed the face of Motor Racing
26 July 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is the pinnacle of information on the Mercedes-Benz Jaguar Duel at Le Mans in 1955. It was A PERFECT STORM. Author Christoper Hilton is very precise at delivering the overwhelming information in a book you can not put down.
I have heard about this tragedy the took 85 lives at the Le Mans but could never fine a book on the subject as good at presenting the facts. know I am aware of what really happened. the characters are played out as if you were their. The story is real and Mr.Hilton did an excellent job of presenting the facts.
With out going further into detail It is a good read that any Motor Sport fan or Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar enthusiast will want for their library. Two of the greatest automobiles the Jaguar Works Long nose D-type with its innovations of the first disc brakes and feline good looks capable of 190 MPH with Jaguar Star driver Michael Hawthorn behind the wheel and Mercedes-Benz new 300SLR with its innovations of desmonic vales ,air brake and world renouned driver Juan Manuel fangio order to race not pace while Jaguar's strategy was given to Hawthoren drive flat out and break the Mercedes-Benz cars. the tragedy was waiting for then 50 year old Pierre Levegh drivng # 20 Mercedes-Benz 300SLR his encounter with Lance Macklin Austin Healey out of control.
This book does not put the blame on any one of the Race drivers involved it simply
is a book, that is jam packed with information and facts. Once you read it you may as I have done move on to learn more.
It is history and the question remains 55 years after the tradgy, despite all the safety regulations and changes to Motor sport racing it is still a dangerous sport.
Robert Geco
Automotive enthusiast and historian.
Long Beach, California USA
I have heard about this tragedy the took 85 lives at the Le Mans but could never fine a book on the subject as good at presenting the facts. know I am aware of what really happened. the characters are played out as if you were their. The story is real and Mr.Hilton did an excellent job of presenting the facts.
With out going further into detail It is a good read that any Motor Sport fan or Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar enthusiast will want for their library. Two of the greatest automobiles the Jaguar Works Long nose D-type with its innovations of the first disc brakes and feline good looks capable of 190 MPH with Jaguar Star driver Michael Hawthorn behind the wheel and Mercedes-Benz new 300SLR with its innovations of desmonic vales ,air brake and world renouned driver Juan Manuel fangio order to race not pace while Jaguar's strategy was given to Hawthoren drive flat out and break the Mercedes-Benz cars. the tragedy was waiting for then 50 year old Pierre Levegh drivng # 20 Mercedes-Benz 300SLR his encounter with Lance Macklin Austin Healey out of control.
This book does not put the blame on any one of the Race drivers involved it simply
is a book, that is jam packed with information and facts. Once you read it you may as I have done move on to learn more.
It is history and the question remains 55 years after the tradgy, despite all the safety regulations and changes to Motor sport racing it is still a dangerous sport.
Robert Geco
Automotive enthusiast and historian.
Long Beach, California USA
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