Speed Read Supercar

After a brief introduction to what makes a car "super", Wasef takes you right to the beginnings of the supercar and introduces you to the "Groundbreakers" - such as the Ford GT40, and the Porsche 930 Turbo Carrera.

For every car there is one page filled with the story of how it came to be, and why it is important. Then Wasef added a "fun fact", "historical tidbit" and the "key person", which is vital information that could help you win a pub quiz. The right page is filled with a beautiful illustration of the car in question.

The chapters "Eye For Design" and "Tech Revolution" give you information about the key factors that were present in supercars. Often this meant that it was style over function. Even though, supercars certainly push technology forward during the modern days - which is explained in the chapter "Modern Mile Stones." Here we take a look at the supercars that are currently in production and are using modern technology such as hybrid systems to get even more performance.

The last two chapters deal with the "Sacred Grounds" of supercar testing and engineering, and the "Indie Spirit" that emerged among private constructors. At the end of each chapter, there is a page dedicated to an important visionary - such as Caroll Shelby and Enzo Ferrari.

Personally, I liked the addition of lesser known people as well. Especially Gian Paolo Dallara; as someone who follows the WEC and ELMS I had heard of the name "Dallara" as a chassis constructor before but had not known that the founder had a hand in the supercar area.

My favourite chapters were about the "Modern Mile Stone" and "Indie Spirit." The latter really told me new information that I had not known before - learning about new car manufactures. Otherwise, most of the information given in the book does not give a lot of new insight to a well-versed car enthusiasts.

"Speed Read Supercar" is meant to be an introduction in the topic "supercars" and it does this well by providing a broad insight of the important areas, meaning supercar rookies are not overwhelmed by too much information. This is accompanied by very beautiful graphics.

This book provides a sweeping but high level summary of famous and iconic cars, car-related personalities, technology, and manufacturers. While it's light on detail what's in there is very well written. Interesting details that aren't widely known are included. My only issue is there are no pictures of the subjects, just stylized graphics.

“Speed Read Supercar: The History, Technology and Design Behind the World’s Most Exciting Cars” by Basem Wasef is a truly fascinating look at the sexiest vehicles alive, ones I will drive only in my dreams. This is the kind of book that gives my engineer husband the greatest thrills and will make a fab Christmas present for him and any man on your birthday or Christmas list! 5/5

Pub Date 11 Oct 2018   

Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group – Motorbooks and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#SpeedReadSupercar #NetGalley

I learned a lot reading this book. The book opens up with an introduction to supercars. Each car gets a chapter. I enjoyed the fun facts and reading about the people behind the cars. Illustrations also accompany the text. This book will make a great gift. Enjoy this armchair drive.