CAR Book Club: February 2025

Pieced together by Chris Witty, Jutta Fausel, Jacky Ickx and a number of contributors, this new publication focuses on delving into the less popular second act of the FIA’s Formula series. The Glory Years covers the 1967-84 seasons of Formula Two and the stars and talent it carried along for the ride.

The photography throughout the publication was taken by Jutta Fausel – a very prominent motorsport photographer who worked in the sampled time era and cites the golden years of F2 as between the ‘60s and ‘80s. You can get a close taste of what things were like at the tracks based off these fascinating images scattered throughout.

Because there's a great balance of images, captions, text, as well as drivers' profiles, I never found myself running out of reading energy. The only thing that stopped me getting through the book in one or two sittings was simply time constraints.

That's because it's a thick publication to behold. Spanning a total of 549 pages before you reach the Index, this book will occupy more than just a weekend - and all the better for it. What I especially like is towards the end, you get map illustrations of what the tracks of the time looked like as well as a statistics page giving you all the data you might expect from motorsport commentary.

If you thought stories from F1, rallying, or sports car series were full of great stories, we invite you to expand your mind and delve into some F2 history as well. The same level of rivalry, determination, engineering and driver skill applies here as well as F1.

I never personally displayed much interest in the sport, but after reading this excellent publication from Evro, it feels like a new chapter of motorsport wormholes has been unlocked in my mind.

Review by Aaron Hussain

Johnny Tipler’s books have done laps of our desk before, and we’ve been impressed by each one. His latest effort turns to Porsche’s incredible models of the sports prototype class between 1963-71.

This covers the nimble little 904 right up to the Le Mans monster that was the 12-cylinder 917. This era represents a time when Porsche began to step away from small, lightweight racing cars and indulged into serious speed machines capable of sharing track space with the fastest cars from the likes of Ferrari, Ford, and Lola.

It’s a neat compilation of thorough research on individual cars and the races they partook in, great photography both in-period and in more modern form – and above all – a valuable treasure trove for Porsche enthusiasts and historians with information and insights that you simply can’t get on the internet.

You also get an intricate idea of the changes Porsche engineers made to the different cars throughout their lives. But the occasional interview from drivers such as Richard Atwood and Gerard Larrousse adds a flavour of value that invites the reader to gain an insight to what Porsche’s business and racing situation was really like.

Review by Aaron Hussain

This novel threw me back within the first several chapters. Not just in the sense that it was intrinsically written to engage every minute of the reader, but because all of it seemed suspiciously realistic. It had me thinking: “hang on, did all of this happen in real life?” Because without giving too much away, has anybody really paid for a Ferrari 250 SWB and been delivered a super-accurate replica?

I then noticed the info sheet by my side that Porter Press provided with the novel. The answer is that it’s entirely fictional, but based off some bizarre tales that come from the lucrative marketplace of high-value, collectible classic cars.

It’s unlike all of the other books by Porter Press that I’ve been sent before. It’s a thriller for car nerds who have an interest in this end of the car market, and it’s a paragon of character developments, plot twists, and a lot of essential car geekery to keep petrolheads engaged. I managed to read over half of it in one sitting before finishing it off in the next.

You really have to be a car lover – and your recipient has to be if you’re thinking about gifting this book to a loved one. But once you’re in the first chapter, you’re not coming out until a long way into the story. It is that good.

Review by Aaron Hussain

If you’re into old Land Rovers – and we as car lovers suspect a lot of you are – you’re going to like this new publication from Crowood. The ultimate enthusiasts guide to Land Rover is a collection of all the great stories, trivia, and guides of Land Rovers since the brand’s introduction in 1948.

Whether you’re a Series/Defender, Range Rover, or Discovery person, this book covers all you need to know about what is possibly the most iconic off-road vehicle manufacturer in the world.

The emphasis on this publication isn’t so much the story of Land Rover, but rather the technical changes and specifications of each model to ever come out of the factory, be it standard or adapted by a series of independent firms.

It’s the bit at the back that I really spent time in: the specification list for every Land Rover model produced. This includes the different powertrains, trims, and generations. It’s here that a car geek can really thrive and learn about the changes of Landies throughout the years.

For a marque enthusiast or a car person in general, this is a useful little bible on all-things Land Rover which displays the history and development of the brand and models in a chronological and easy-to-read way.

Review by Aaron Hussain

The latest issue of CAR is a fairly comprehensive one with the feature story being a trio test of three important new premium sports cars: the hybrid Porsche 911 GTS 992.2, Aston Martin V8 Vantage facelift and the all-new Mercedes AMG GT.

CAR's power list is also contained here; where we rank the 10 most important people that'll be shaping the automotive industry. We cover 300-miles in the new Land Rover Defender OCTA, and we go behind the scenes with Ford to bring you insights into the Dakar Rally.

We're taking inspiration from the Ferrari F40 with this beautiful art-deco coffee maker. Like the Ferrari, it's made from aluminium and made in Italy, but it makes coffee as opposed to 478bhp. First introduced in 1933, this coffee maker is simple to use and makes delicious coffee.