Unraced.: Formula One's lost cars [Hardcover]

Sam Collins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 30, 2007

Formula 1, the worlds most popular motor sport, from a totally new perspective … Hidden in workshops around the world lie forgotten and abandoned machines – unfulfilled. These purpose built cars have never started a race, never felt the excitement of a grand prix. Yet they define an era of Formula One, changing the landscape. Unraced tell the stories of nine grand prix cars that never started. An exciting and fresh look at F1 from the Author of Autodrome. The Unraced are largely forgotten or overlooked but the stories they have to tell reveal more about the sport than any championship winner, and or the first time these stories are told in a refreshing style, backed up with 150 photos, many never published before. The book covers Honda RC100/RC1.5x (1993-1995), Lola T95/30 (1995), DAMS GD-01 (1995), Honda RC2x (1995-1996), Dome F105 (1996), Lola T97/30 (1997), Honda RA099 (1999), Premier1 prototype (2001), McLaren MP4/18 (2003) and also includes a listing of all F1 projects (raced & unraced) from 1995 – 2005. This book is completely incomparable and a must have for any motor sport enthusiast.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Anyone who is genuinely interested in Formula 1 will want to read this work, as they know that the sport is made up of more than just he cars driven by those on the podium." – Australian Classic Car

Australian Classic Cars, April 2008

Review by Patrick Quinn
Australian magazine
Circulation: unknown

The history of motor sport and especially Formula 1 is littered with cars that were designed with great enthusiasm but never quite made the grade. Some actually arrived on the grid while some others never left the workshop. This book is about cars that were built for the 3-litre formula that ended in 2005 but never made a mark for themselves or achieved victory. Frankly, I was surprised at the major players involved and honestly expected to read about cars built by unknowns. However, there were cars from Toyota, Honda, McLaren and Lola that are now sadly parked away gathering dust, overtaken by technology or simply found lacking. Other manufacturers include Dome from Japan, the French DAMs team and the Premier F1 car designed by English constructor Reynard.

The historical detail author Collins provides is very extensive and the photos used, both of the cars when new and today, make this an engaging book. Anyone who is genuinely interested in Formula 1 will want to read this work, as they know that the sport is made up of more than just the cars driven by those on the podium.

Russell Jaslow for autoracinghistory.com, September 2007, US website

If a Formula 1 car was built and raced, chances are it is documented in detail in some book or website. Technical specifications, designers, the drivers who raced it, complete qualifying and race records. Everything you wanted to know about that car can be found somewhere. But, what about those Grand Prix cars that were built but never raced? They fall through the historical record keeping cracks. Sam Collins saves some of those cars from obscurity in his Unraced ... Formula One's Lost Cars.

If you enjoy a tale, sometimes a mysterious one, about success and failure, this book is for you. Collins delves into the background of six aborted designs: DAMS GD-01, Dome F105, Lola, Honda RC2x, Toyota TF101, and McLaren MP4/18. It also talks about the Premier 1 Grand Prix prototype, the marketing exercise of forming a Grand Prix series linked with top soccer clubs, a concept that appears to have been resurrected. He concludes with a chapter on interim cars, test beds that were never made to race. It's a concise book of just over 100 pages, with many photos.

I found it an interesting read that gave proper credit to those cars and efforts that at least deserved some mention within the history of Grand Prix design. It makes me wonder about any other unraced cars from different eras of F1. Maybe Sam Collins can fill us in on those someday.

 

Octane, July 2007 - UK magazine

Here's an intriguing footnote to F1 history: nine cars from the 1993-2003 era that never actually raced. Ranging from the big names – Honda, McLaren – to the less well known (Premier 1's abortive attempt to link football clubs with F1 ...), their stories are accompanied by rare photos.
                                                                                                                                            

Autoracinghistory.com, September 2007

“If you enjoy a tale, sometimes a mysterious one, about success and failure, this book is for you.”

About the Author

Sam Collins has been involved with motor sport at all levels since he was a teenager, starting in Formula One on work experience with Williams in 1997, through to club racing. Currently he is Deputy Editor of the worlds leading journal of motor sport technology Racecar Engineering, a position that gives him unique access to the inner workings of international motor sport. Sam has always been more interested in cars than drivers and recently authored the best selling Autodrome, the lost race circuits of Europe.  He lives in Beckenham, Kent, London.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Veloce (May 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845840844
• ISBN-13: 978-1845840846
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,347,527 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)