McLaren Sports Racing Cars

Rating:
Summary: McLaren Sports Racing Cars
Review: McLaren is known today for the Formula One championships they have won in the 1980's and 1990's with drivers like Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, and Mika Hakkinnen. But many people don't know who founder Bruce McLaren was or that the team was selling sportscars and winning sportscar championships in the 1960s and 1970s. McLaren Sports Racing Cars by Dave Friedman is a wonderful photo history of the early Team McLaren.

Starting with a brief section on Bruce McLaren's early racing career, it moves through the formation of Team McLaren, their Can-Am championships, Bruce's death in a testing accident, and the team finally quitting sportscar racing to concentrate on F1. There is also a chapter on McLaren's foray into racing at Le Mans in the '90s -- coming back to its heritage.

The book does not go too deep into facts on the old Can-Am outside of Team McLaren, but as in his other books, Dave Friedman's photos (both B&W and color) are wonderful. Fabulous action shots, close-ups of the engines and chassis, and candid photos of Bruce and the other drivers of McLaren cars, such as Chris Amon, Dennis Hulme, Dan Gurney, and Peter Revson. Included are not only the race team's cars, but also those of the Can-Am privateers, who bought and raced McLaren customer cars. A beautiful photo history of an age in racing when bigger was better and engineers were only beginning to come to grips with aerodynamics. A must for every fan of Bruce McLaren, Team McLaren, the old Can-Am series, or vintage sports racers in general.

Rating:
Summary: McLaren Sports Racing Cars
Review: McLaren is known today for the Formula One championships they have won in the 1980's and 1990's with drivers like Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, and Mika Hakkinnen. But many people don't know who founder Bruce McLaren was or that the team was selling sportscars and winning sportscar championships in the 1960s and 1970s. McLaren Sports Racing Cars by Dave Friedman is a wonderful photo history of the early Team McLaren.

Starting with a brief section on Bruce McLaren's early racing career, it moves through the formation of Team McLaren, their Can-Am championships, Bruce's death in a testing accident, and the team finally quitting sportscar racing to concentrate on F1. There is also a chapter on McLaren's foray into racing at Le Mans in the '90s -- coming back to its heritage.

The book does not go too deep into facts on the old Can-Am outside of Team McLaren, but as in his other books, Dave Friedman's photos (both B&W and color) are wonderful. Fabulous action shots, close-ups of the engines and chassis, and candid photos of Bruce and the other drivers of McLaren cars, such as Chris Amon, Dennis Hulme, Dan Gurney, and Peter Revson. Included are not only the race team's cars, but also those of the Can-Am privateers, who bought and raced McLaren customer cars. A beautiful photo history of an age in racing when bigger was better and engineers were only beginning to come to grips with aerodynamics. A must for every fan of Bruce McLaren, Team McLaren, the old Can-Am series, or vintage sports racers in general.