The Mechanic's Tale and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more


or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
or
Amazon Prime free trial required. Sign up when you check out. Learn more
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
or
Get a £0.25 Amazon.co.uk Gift Card
The Mechanic's Tale
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book
Start reading The Mechanic's Tale on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

The Mechanic's Tale [Paperback]

Steve Matchett (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
RRP: £9.99
Price: £6.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £3.00 (30%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.
Only 9 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).
Want guaranteed delivery by Friday, June 1? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details

Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition £5.99   -- --
Hardcover --   -- --
Paperback £6.99   -- --
Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in The Mechanic's Tale for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with Tales from the Toolbox by Michael Oliver Paperback £9.09

The Mechanic's Tale + Tales from the Toolbox
Price For Both: £16.08

Show availability and delivery details

  • This item: The Mechanic's Tale by Steve Matchett Paperback

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Tales from the Toolbox by Michael Oliver Paperback

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

Product details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Orion; New Ed edition (3 Feb 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0752827839
  • ISBN-13: 978-0752827834
  • Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13.1 x 1.9 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 69,224 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

Steve Matchett
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Steve Matchett Page

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Steve Matchett's philosophical account of life behind the scenes of Formula One is a gem of a book which will keep the reader enthralled from beginning to end.

In The Mechanic's Tale, a follow-up to his previous offering Life in the Fast Lane, the former Benetton mechanic produces an account of his 10 eventful years in the sport.

From his days as an apprentice, to working with the high-tech Ferrari and BMW road cars and then making the switch to the demanding world of F1 supercars, the author remains level-headed and analytical about his experiences.

The book is an endearing and revealing tale of a young and determined F1 team going from the development of a fast and reliable car to the heady days of a double world championship victory and then back to the drawing board.

The author details the fickle and harsh side of the sport, recounts his conversations with and experiences of some of F1's most famous faces, but never loses touch with the reality of the outside world.

Some may criticise the book as slightly indulgent, but it is well-written and thoroughly entertaining, with a picture section that invokes memories of star drivers such as Brazilian greats Nelson Piquet and the late Ayrton Senna. Such a glowing appraisal is not given out lightly, but this book, offering a unique insight into one of F1's most exciting and eventful decades, truly deserves it.--Joanne Wells

Book Description

Essential reading for anyone interested in life behind-the-scenes at Formula One.
See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
At the end of 1988 I took the decision to leave Ferrari, and moved to main BMW dealership, still working as a mechanic. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

› Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Steve Matchett returns with a book that in some ways expands on his earlier "Life In The Fast Lane" -- but whereas that was a race-by-race account of the turbulent 1994 season, this is a more relaxed account of his entire career as a mechanic, from apprenticeship in the late 70s via Ferrari and BMW dealerships through his F1 career with Benetton in the '90s. Sounds like it's of minority interest? Wrong. This is one of the best "insider" accounts of F1 I've ever read. Matchett is intelligent, perceptive, and writes with wit and economy about the characters, the deals, the technology and the atmosphere of F1. Since this is less "chronological" than his previous book there is more room for Matchett to reflect on what F1 has meant to him, and how working in it has affected him.

A unique and fascinating work.

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The aspect of this book that really struck me was Matchett's ability to combine elements of a personal autobiography with an enthralling account of those first (and last) championship years for Benetton. I enjoyed reading about his ascension through the ranks of the team (he makes it sound all too easy!) but also about everything else he experienced that makes F1 such a special business to work in.

It was particularly interesting to read the book after having read 'The Death of Ayrton Senna' (Richard Williams), comparing the two different viewpoints of the Great F1 Witch-hunt of 1994, and Benetton's involvement in it. But, but offsetting the serious parts of the book are some wonderful comic moments (such as Nelson Piquet's ability to, ahem, break wind on cue).

I would say you don't have to be an F1 fan to enjoy this book (although it helps to have a little bit of technical knowledge, since Matchett's descriptions aren't always perfectly clear) but if you are an F1 fan, I guarantee you'll enjoy it. If you've ever watched a pit stop and thought, "I wonder why..." or "I wonder who..." this is the book for you.

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Steve Matchett's second book, The Mechanic's Tale, is a quite extraordinary work, in essence the memoires of a Grand Prix mechanic throughout his ten year career with the Benetton Formula One team. That an engineer has written such a fascinating and interesting account of his life inside the somewhat secretive world of Grand Prix racing is unique in itself, but what makes this book so outstanding is the authors original approach to the subject and his natural flair for writing: his style is witty, rhetorical and very readable. "Every so often in the endless stream of biogrophies churned out by the Formula One book industry," says Motoring News, "something different comes along. This is it." Matchett touches on all aspects of this prestgious job, describing the incredible effort that the team are expected to give, the dangers and high stress of the pit-stops, the myriad of famous drivers he has worked with, and how Benetton and Schumacher stormed the world championships - amid great controversy - in 1994 and 1995. But The Mechanic's Tale is more than a collection of derring-do racing escapades; through his occasional digressions Matchett takes the reader on many colourful diversions, including an ill-fated ballooning trip, his views on the future of computer technology and his slightly surreal comparisons between Formula One and Orwell's 1984. All of that, combined with his attemps to make reason of Lewis Carroll's Jabberwoky make this book anything but predictable.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject
















i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback


Amazon.co.uk Privacy Statement Amazon.co.uk Delivery Information Amazon.co.uk Returns & Exchanges