Can-Am Photo History [Hardcover]

Pete Lyons (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1999

The Can-Am race series of 1966 to 1974 offered arguably the most exciting and technologically daring auto racing ever. In fact, many of the engineering elements that race fans take for granted today -- aerodynamics, turbocharging, and space frames, for example -- were pioneered on the mighty Can-Am racers. This history of the series is an intensely visual review of some of Can-Am's greatest drivers (Dan Gurney, Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme, John Surtees, Jackie Oliver, George Follmer, Peter Bryant), constructors, and cars (Porsche, Ferrari, Ford, McLaren, Shadow, Lola, Chaparral). The photos are punctuated by first-person interviews, technical reviews, and fascinating anecdotes from the people who made the Can-Am series so memorable.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Freelance writer and photographer Pete Lyons has written articles for racing and automobile publications around the globe. He is the author of the previous MBI title Can-Am Racing: The Complete History.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks International (December 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760308063
• ISBN-13: 978-0760308066
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,824,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive treatise on a magic time in American racing!, December 16, 1999

By 

David Norton "Mr. Shrike" (Temecula, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Can-Am Photo History (Hardcover)

Taken together, this book and Pete's "Can-Am", put a human face on this unique time in American morotsports. The cars were unlimited, the men larger than life. Pete's easy flowing writing style punctuated by previously unpublished photos and interviews allow those of us who were there to return, and the newbies to grasp the flavor of what they missed.

The book fulfills the personal dream of one Can-Am enthusiast: to stroll through the pits of that golden era, camera and tape-recorder in hand, chatting with the greats and not-so-greats, with the knowledge of how it all turns out, and a historical appreciation of what surrounds me...

The photos are breathtaking, and the interviews enlightening. Take this snippet from John Surtees, on his dice with Hall at Riverside in '66: "...the Lola worked well [on the straights], we were running minimum flap and things on it. So the race had that pattern: he'd out-squirt me coming throught the hairpin on the long straight, I'd get right in the slipstream, he'd drag me along, and then I'd have to try to out-brake him again. Oh, that was a good race." Or, this one from Jim Hall: "One of the beauties of being a race car builder in the time that I did it was the fact that it could be a one-man show. I could have ideas and produce them and go try them, and find out whether they were any good or not. I got to actually feel the car was better, and it went faster. That's one of the nice things about racing, that you get instant feedback." For those of us who were there, Pete has a gift for turning history into literature, heroes into persons, then into now. Thanks Pete!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars That rare sequel that's better than the original!, December 17, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Seattle, Washington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Can-Am Photohistory (Paperback)

First of all, I have to say that I loved Pete's first book on this subject,"Can-Am". When I heard he was doing a second book, I was a bit skeptical. Was he simply milking the topic for a few more bucks? How could he top the original? Well, he did it! With its in-depth and very enlightening interview format (there's even an interview with Denny Hulme, done shortly before his death) and its wealth of superb all-new photographs, this book is a Can-Am lovers dream! Lyons captures the look and feel of the old, "real" Can-Am as we remember it, and as those who lived it remember it. My sole complaint: Too short! Tack another 100 pages onto the next one, Pete!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Men & Machines, December 21, 1999

By 

William Carsey - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Can-Am Photo History (Hardcover)

This book is the perfect complement to Mr. Lyon's first book on the Can Am series.

Rather than a race by race account, the book presents a quick season overview, a review of the machines of that year and then takes a focus on one or two personalities whose impact affected that year most strongly. Most of the material is new and it is fascinating. The material on Jim Hall and Peter Bryant alone make this book a must read for anyone who saw these cars race or wished that they had.

If you're only going to buy one book, buy Can Am. If you want a broader view of the series, the men and the machines, then Can Am Photo History is the book. Together, they're an awesome set.

As I spent many summers at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course watching these cars, the memories and insights into these awesome cars are irreplaceable.