Formula 1: Car by Car 1970-1979

by Peter Higham

This book is the second in a multi-volume, decade-by-decade series covering the entire history of Formula 1 through its teams and cars. This instalment examines the 1970s, when the sport gained big new sponsors and grew into a television spectacle, with battles between Ferrari and Cosworth-powered opposition a continuing theme. As well as the big championship-winning teams--Lotus, Ferrari, McLaren and Tyrrell--this was a period when small teams and privateers continued to be involved in significant numbers and they are all included, down to the most obscure and unsuccessful. This book shines new light on many areas of the sport and will be treasured by all Formula 1 enthusiasts.

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

Published March 20, 2018

Reviews

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book accomplishes what it set out to do, i.e. provides some detail on virtually every Formula 1 entry (or attempted entry) in that racing series for the years 1970 - 79. Introductory histories for each season were informative and helped provide a somewhat limited perspective on the evolution of Formula 1 racing technology, but in some instances did not explain why some of the more significant changes in race car configuration such as the banning of high air boxes in the middle of the decade was mandated.

Details on successful racing teams generally ranged from a couple of pages of text and generally good quality images to a single paragraph for the obscure teams for each season. This book series provides a useful and handy guide for anyone wishing to get a quick background on any of the teams competing during that time period. Although rule changes and technical evolution was not the main focus, I felt a little more detail on those topics would have made the reading more enjoyable.