Colin Chapman: The Man and His Cars - The Authorized Biography

Hardcover, 384 pages

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Reviews

(Rated 3 out of 5)

Although this is a worthy book about a capable man it does not show what an `Essex man' he was. He was a free thinker who always look for an angle on everything not just the FIA rules.
But this said he definitely changed racing car design faster than it would have happened without him.
chrispage sportscar.tv

(Rated 5 out of 5)

This book genuinely did inspire me.What Colin Chapman achieved in his life was extraordinairy.The man was nothing short of a genius! In my top three of all time motor racing books!

(Rated 4 out of 5)

Colin Chapman was a genius - unpredictable, tempramental, complex and contrary. "Jabby" Crombac's excellent biography traces Chapman's life and the history of the company and racing team he built. The book is at its best describing the early years at Lotus - as the company becomes more and more successful there is rather more about racing politics and high finance than cars (although Crombac keeps well clear of the De Lorean scandal). There are moving accounts of the fatal accidents to Clark, Rindt and Peterson - a reminder of how much safer racing is these days.

Illustrations are good without being spectacular - this is a book to be bought for the text rather than the pictures. There are other books that cover some aspects of Lotus better than this, but this is the best one-volume history of the marque up to Chapman's death. Highly recommended.

The "new edition" seems to add relatively little to the old one - a couple of pages of introductory material. However, it's still very reasonably priced for the amount of book you're getting. Highly recommended.