This Christmas is expected to set a new record for online shopping, and most retailers are advising to get your orders in this week to make sure your presents arrive in time for the big day.
It’s been a good year for motorsport fans in terms of the products that have been released, from indulgent coffee table books to quirky stocking fillers.
So, if you think you’ve been good this year, here is our selection of some of the best items you might want to add to your wish list.
Final Tenth
It’s hard to make an impact selling racing merchandise these days as there’s not many ideas left unturned when it comes to new products. But I think you’ll agree that even a quick look through Final Tenth is enough to see there’s really nothing like it out there.
Run from the North of England by Daniel Coverdale, it combines his extensive knowledge of current rallying and the history of the discipline with phenomenal and unique graphic design skills.
The cup coasters modelled on ‘famous’ rallying wheels are a standout – and also come plastered onto a tea towel! – while fun designs also appear on t-shirts, stickers, mugs and fridge magnets.
RACER
When a book features forewords from not just one but four legends of American motorsport – Mario Andretti, Michael Andretti, AJ Foyt and Richard Petty – you know it’s going to be worth reading. This one’s worth it for myriad reasons.
In January 2020 John Andretti lost his battle with colon cancer at just 56 years of age. The IndyCar, CART, NASCAR and IMSA race winner was a driver known for his storytelling ability, his kind and easily-approachable nature and a fierce competitive streak behind the wheel.
John was a determined campaigner for charity and a proportion of the proceeds of this Octane Press-produced book go towards the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.
It’s hard to narrow this epic read into a few short paragraphs. What we can say is that any book written with the help of Jade Gurss – who has the epic BEAST, about the 1994 Penske IndyCar project with Ilmor, in his arsenal – shows the quality at play here.
Also, any book about an Andretti is going to contain fantastic stories, including about how the surname influenced his career. While most motorsport reads rightly focus on the achievements of the athlete, this narrative also hones in on the person and the life that John Andretti led off the track. He achieved so much more than just racing.
It’s a lovely combination of the two and a story about a wonderful human being as well as a talented racer.
Jochen Rindt: Uncrowned King of Formula 1
Fifty years on from Rindt’s terrible death, Evro has re-released David Tremayne’s definitive biography in paperback form. From Sir Jackie Stewart’s impassioned foreword, through to the detailed account of Rindt’s standout performances, this book leaves you in no doubt of the speed and skill of Austria’s first motorsport superstar.
It’s a compelling read, and the insight and analysis of Rindt’s concerns about the safety of the sport and of Colin Chapman’s Lotus designs only serve to add a more tragic poignancy to his fatal accident.
A must-read for those unfamiliar with Rindt’s career and a must-have for all fans of the 1960s era of motorsport.
Formula 1: Car by car 1950-1959
The 70th anniversary of the start of the Formula 1 world championship is a good excuse to look back in detail at cars and drivers of the past. The 1950s is perhaps the hardest era for fans of modern motorsport to engage with – the cars have almost nothing in common with today’s hybrid technical wonders, and unfortunately black and white photography is a barrier to many. Which is a shame, as it’s the images that really bring this tome to life.
Author Peter Higham is a knowledgeable and passionate motorsport historian, and his completist nature flows throughout this book. Every team that participated in a race during those formative seasons – he’s wisely chosen to ignore the Indy 500s – gets a mention, and most of them a pic.
Fans of this period will indulge in the detail, while aspiring aficionados will find plenty to get their teeth into. But probably not for new fans who discovered F1 through Lando Norris’s TikTok exploits.
Shadow The Magnificent Machines of a Man of Mystery
The life and times of Don Nichols and his Shadow team is one of the most intriguing, beguiling and occasionally tragic stories in motorsport.
From Nichols’ midwestern dust bowl beginnings through his military service and time potentially spent as a spy, Pete Lyons’ book paints a detailed picture of the man, and then goes into indulgent lengths about the men and machines who played a key part of the Shadow story.
There are some amazing candid pictures and technical drawings complemented by blow-by-blow accounts of the team’s performance. For those who like some beef in their stories there’s a great chapter on the ‘Sharrows’ affair – the legal controversy over Arrows and Shadow’s 1978 designs.
Perhaps not enough is made about the circumstances that led to the collapse of the team in 1980, which is odd given the level of analysis in the rest of the book.
Rofgo Collection
This is a beautiful book that would make any motorsport fan very happy on Christmas day accompanied by a mince pie and a mulled wine. The Rofgo collection is perhaps the ultimate private assembly of racing cars in the world. Put together by Roald Goethe, it celebrates the legendary racing cars that carried the iconic Gulf Oils logos.
From the Gulf Mirage and McLaren M8D of the 1960s through to the McLaren MP4-12C and Aston Martin Vantage GTE of just a few years past, it’s an extraordinary collection that Doug Nye brings to life with their potted histories. But ultimately the cars are the stars and the way the collection transcends eras and the various classes of motorsport makes this a fine addition to all serious motorsport libraries.
