Motor Sport Fiction

[Lee Tracey]

Having discovered Douglas Rutherford not long after I seriously got into reading, and all things related to cars I remember really enjoying his stories. Great yarns as I recall.

Michael I have finished Toly's Ghost, as well as all the other Burt Levy 'Buddy Palumbo' Books. Must say that the first two were the best mix of history and plot. The fabulous Trashwagon didn't quite hit the mark with me while Toly was just a long recitation of major racing events of the period with so believable plot to link them together.

Bob Judd wrote several racing related books beside Monza though I found most of them to be rather shallow as both stories and on the technical side.

Cheers
Lee

[Milan Fistonic]

Interesting topic....I have found the Andrew Neilson books great, and the Douglas Rutherford books not bad either. In fact, I have The Gunshot Grand Prix on my bookshelf, but lost (and want!) Rally to the Death.
I also have Breaking Point, and Dead Straight, but found White Death not so good. Incidently, the Dart racing car described in Breaking Point was said to be designed by a brilliant New Zealand designer...but I forget his name!!!!!

"If it was possible to love a racing car, Guy [Taylor] had had an affair with the Dark DR1. It was designed by a brilliant New Zealander, Don Rendel, an ex-Grand Prix designer who had decided to start his own racing-car production factory. The DR1 was a classic motor-racing example of 'if it looks right it is right', a neat single-seater with a distinctive full-width nose and a sloping cockpit surround. It was esy to work on, tough, and above all fast. The DR1 had a versatile chassis that would accept anything from a 170 horsepower Formula Three engine to a 300 horsepower Formula Two unit."

[Powder]

Interesting topic....I have found the Andrew Neilson books great, and the Douglas Rutherford books not bad either. In fact, I have The Gunshot Grand Prix on my bookshelf, but lost (and want!) Rally to the Death.

There's a copy of Rally to the Death available here:
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=9023016474&searchurl=an%3Drutherford%26sts%3Dt%26tn%3Drally%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bdeath

[thunder427]

So why did you tell the guy they were $3 each if they weren't for sale individually ?????

Powder, Quite possibly comes under ,'The figure of speech', He asked me would I sell my collection,I said 'Yes' as I had aprox 15000 magazines,he said how much, I subjested, work it out at $3 each!!!!...that way if there was only a total of 13000,then at $3 each that would be etc etc.................MJ

[Malcolm McLeod]

There's a copy of Rally to the Death available here:
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=9023016474&searchurl=an%3Drutherford%26sts%3Dt%26tn%3Drally%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bdeath

Not any more - it's winging its way to New Zealand....along with a couple of others I'm missing ("Racing Mechanic", and "Yankee Driver".)
Thanks for bucking my ideas up!
Postage almost twice as much as book cost, but bill total was only about US$55 for all 3, so not too bad.
Next book might be a LOT more...

[Malcolm McLeod]

I can recall the book Michael....I used to read it a lot.....and like you I can't recall the title!!!!!!
Milan...help!

I have also just recently bought a copy of the book "Twenty-four Hours at Le Mans", a novel by J.A.Gregoire, first published in 1955. he actually competed in the race for 4 years back in 1927 in his own creation. now I just gotta find time to read it...

I've also remembered a book I borrowed from the local library about 40 years ago based on Le Mans and a young mechanic getting upgraded to driver status..maybe?

[ERC]

I have just managed to get hold of jpg images of fiction from 1958 or so, from the UK comic, "The Wizard". There was a story called "The Heel and Toe Kid" which oddly enough was where and when I learned about heel and toe down changes, several years before I could even drive!

Maybe my memory is playing tricks, but did Katherine Mansfield pen a book with a motorsport background?

One of my favourite authors of recent times was Tom Sharpe (the writer of "Wilt", "Porterhouse Blue" etc.), and in one of his hilarious novels was a school teacher with a vintage Bentley - "Vintage Stuff". Not a motorsport theme though...

[Racer Rog]

I agree with that fact that Tom Sharpe's books are a hoot, I have the collection, and even when rereading them I just about piss myself, they are hilarious.
Roger

[ERC]

I think I have read the Wilt books about four times. The South African based ones come a close second.

[Malcolm McLeod]

And you could add to that list Slide the Corner by Fleur Beale published in 1993.

And one I found on Friday "The Rally Game" by Gayle Cresswell about a young mechanic who dreams of becoming a champion rally driver. He has an ancient Escort (what else!) rally car he is rebuilding, some good mates, and a very tolerant boss!
Published 2011, ISBN 978-0-473-19016-3
Oh, and has a photo of Chris Alexander's Suspension Tech rally car on the back...

[ian]

I dont know if this is going to work. A long time since I have done it.
i PICKED THIS UP AT rOTARY BOOK SALE.

[Malcolm McLeod]

...and I have just added to my collection a copy of Douglas Rutherford's book "Killer On The Track", the sequel to The Gunshot Grand Prix.