Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Your competitors pit-pass.- Step one., 22 Nov 2001
In my quest for knowledge relevant to designing, building and driving a light-weight, high-performance sportscar, I have bought and borrowed numerous books, magazines, plans and workshop-manuals.
This book has been one of the best of my many purchases.
My one regret is that I didn't have this book much earlier; I very nearly did, but when I began my project, "Race and Rally Car" looked wrong to my novices' eyes. I hadn't realised then that my planned sportscars were so closely related to Formula racecars in all their systems and dynamics.
Now, with the benefit of my researching/learning experience, I am able to appreciate just how valuable a source Mr Staniforths' book is!
This is a truly great picture/storybook for us petrol-heads, a practical guide, and a comprehensive reference, all based on the authors' own extensive experience as a race-car designer, builder, and driver.
Those years of hard-won experience left an empathetic awareness of the broad-ranging requirements of a novice. He has created this book with just the right mix of wit and serious technical detail to inspire and encourage the reader with doubts about their own ability to "give it a go".
It encompasses all that is important in building a fast sports or racecar, thoroughly covering topics like planning, design, building techniques, technology, testing and development, with some very helpful appendices. It features excellent illustrations, really inspiring photographs, and includes historical and anecdotal material of considerable value to any aspiring Murrays, Tauranacs or Schumakers among us.
And if you feel there are processes or subjects that aren't covered in sufficient depth by Mr Staniforth, he has included a comprehensive index of the better reference books for more complete descriptions.
Overall, it's an enjoyable read and a sound investment. I suspect that the more sophisticated features of my ultimate design will owe more to this than any other single book.
It deserves a place in your library.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best single reference for car chassis dynamics, 23 Jan 2003
... All the theory included applies equally well to circuit racers, hillclimbers, rally cars, road cars or any other discipline. The author used mostly hill climb cars as case studies, because that is his own area of experience, but any intelegent and competent reader should be able to apply the theory to any car. If you are unable to do that I suggest you start with a more basic book.This book isn't "how to build a competition car" instruction manual that gives step by step instructions. It is, as the title suggests, a source of information for you to take and use in your own projects. Staniforth designed and built a hillclimber in the late sixties (detailed in his book High Speed - Low Cost) and much of the text in The Race and Rally Car Source Book is based on experience with the Terrapin and it's many derivatives. The very fact that derivatives of the Terrapin are still winning championships today is proof (if proof were needed) of Staniforth's knowledge of competition car design, and in this book he does a very good job of passing it on. It has inspired me to build my own car, which hopefully should be enough recommendation to buy this book.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good read for those wanting to understand the basics..., 25 Feb 2001
By A Customer
I found this book to be very helpful in my understanding of various parts of race car engineering. Indeed, the book covers the majority of areas that you may want to know about concerning the construction of a competition car, and then some. I highly reccomend this book to anyone thinking of designing their own chassis as it eased me into the development of my very own so that I could immediately concentrate on more advanced matters found in other books.
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