Customer Reviews

Can-Am Challenger

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book from Amazon without really knowing who Peter Bryant was. However, I have been impressed by previous David Bull Publishing books so assumed I would not be disappointed.

This is an amazingly enjoyable read - you would think that Peter Bryant was an experienced writer and raconteur instead of being a motor racing mechanic turned Can Am racing car constructor.

The book is filled with humorous and interesting anecdotes about life with Team Lotus in the early 1960's working for Colin Chapman (including making a home made rocket to fire off in the Lotus workshop!). The author later worked with the BRP F1 team on John Surtees F1 car and he also tells the tale of being imprisioned in Karachi with Graham Hill!

In the mid 1960's, Peter Bryant moved to the USA and worked for various race teams including an emotional entry in the Indy 500 race. Through hard work and dedication, he worked for the best teams before deciding that he should find a way to design and build a Can Am car to take on the likes of Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme, Dan Gurney etc. You will read an enthralling account of how Bruce McLaren gave Peter parts in the pit lane as he struggled to get his revolutionary titanium challenger onto the grid.

This book is full of superb stories written in an easy going style. It's packed with many of the author's own photos and is a refreshing change from the many driver biographies which are around at the moment. I can heartily recommend the book to anyone interested in the 1960's and 1970's racing scene.

While Peter Bryant's tale of chasing the impossible dream of winning a Can-Am Champioship is a delightful and informative tale, it is his ability as a story teller that makes the book such a delight. You don't have to be a follower of automobile racing to be entertained by his trials and trevails. Just read it and enjoy.

WONDERFUL READ . . . . .

A truly "must have" for any Can-Am or Sports Car Racing fan. Exceptional insight into one mans quest in pursuing his dream in automobile racing. The book follows his early career in Europe, moving to his involvement in Indy racing, and culminating with his pursuit to reach the top in Can-Am.

Can-Am fans will find the chapters delving into his insightful and richly told Can-Am career especially captivating. Plenty of technical topic to keep the veteran race fan interested.

A refreshing break from todays sterile, disconnected, cookie-cutter racing, set in the hey-day of sport car racing. Any casual or hardcore fan alike will find it hard to put down.

A very good companion to Pete Lyon's - "Can-Am Thunder" ............

The story of a passionate race car mechanic. Peter lived the true American dream. He built his own car, challenging the best teams in CanAm racing. Discover his unique and fascinating career in one of the greatest eras in motor sports history. A real poignant legacy... We'll miss you Peter.

This is an enjoyable book. Many good anecdotes from a great period of motor racing. Good details too of Peter Bryant's Can-Am efforts, plus his earlier career. Not a highly technical read. You should enjoy this if are a casual fan of motor racing history, or if you wish to learn more about the glory days of Can-Am racing. Recommended.

This is along the lines of Donohue's memoir "The Unfair Advantage." Peter Bryant either has great instincts or a great editor.

If you're interested in the technical subjects, this book covers such decisions as switching between Weismann and Hewland transaxles.

Peter Bryant has traveled the world as a mechanic and designer of Formula 1, Indy car, and Can-Am racers. A brilliant chap with wonderful British humor and wit.Written in a fun, anecdotal style that conveys a lot of technical knowledge. Goes through the trials and tribulations of becoming a U.S. citizen, balancing family obligations with racing (impossible!), working with Carroll Shelby, Mickey Thompson,Dan Blocker, and others. Great reading!

I have read about every motorsports book printed since the 60's. This is one of the best. Bryant is a great story teller and the book is just fun to read. For the technically minded, it also provides interesting information on racecar design. Several of my recent book purchases have been a disappointment, but this one is well worth the money

I was fortunate to have stumbled on to this title and quickly ordered it for a friend that works for the company that sponsored the UOP Shadow. Usually he just glances at the pictures but this time he found some interesting tidbits. From what I gather, this is the car that proved to the world that unleaded gasoline was the way to go. Even I found parts of it to be interesting. Buy it! Any engineering student from this time period likely remembers this car.

Simply put this is one of the best motor sports books I've read, that I've read twice now. Unequaled insight into the world of running a CAN-AM team.