Inside IMSA's Legendary GTP Race Cars: The Prototype Experience [Hardcover]

J. A. Martin (Author), Michael J. Fuller (Author), David Hobbs (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Professional automobile racing has always been dominated by sanctioning bodies whose main goal was to ensure competition. That has meant seeing that cars are well matched--in body shape or chassis/engine combinations or engine size. But what about an all-out competition, in which one team's idea of the fastest race car could be pitted against another's, regardless of mechanical "parity"? This was what the International Motor Sports Association's (IMSA) Grand Touring Prototypes (GTP) race series was about. The Series ran from 1981 to 1993, and it was one of the most exhilarating racing experiences of all time.

This book is the first to profile the amazing machines that resulted from the GTP's flat-out competition among different--and passionate--ideas about what might be the fastest way around a track: the V-12 with its better ground-effect tunnels but higher center of gravity (CG); the flat six with its low CG but severely-restricted ground-effect tunnels; and others that employed elaborate wings and air dams.

Here are the people behind this engineering free-for-all, the culmination of almost a century of automobile racing experience. And here are eighteen of the most competitive vehicles they designed. Using photography, diagrams, drawings and first-person accounts from the men who built them, Inside IMSA's Legendary GTP Race Cars offers a detailed look at the technology that drove some of the world's most exciting race cars, the likes of which may never be seen again.

Book Description

The International Motor Sports Association’s (IMSA) Grand Touring Prototypes (GTP) race series was an all-out competition, with one team's idea of the fastest race car pitted against another’s, regardless of mechanical “parity.” This book tells the story of the heart-stopping result, and of 18 amazing machines that came out of the GTP’s flat-out competition among different--and passionate--ideas about what might be the fastest way around a track. Using photography, diagrams, drawings and first-person accounts from the men who built the cars, the book offers a detailed look at the technology that created some of the world’s most exciting races, the likes of which may never be seen again.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks; 1st edition (April 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760330697
• ISBN-13: 978-0760330692
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #401,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Long overdue, May 29, 2008

By	James Brooks (N. Wilkesboro, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Inside IMSA's Legendary GTP Race Cars: The Prototype Experience (Hardcover)

After all these years, somebody has written an extensive history of the IMSA GTP car. Highly readable and very informative. Even for those who don't understand the technology or the engineering involved, it's still a good read; the illustrations help at least somewhat.

My only complaint is that there is no history of the cars in competition, no won-loss record, no roster of teams and drivers who campaigned each car.

Other than that it's great value for the money

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have for IMSA race fans, May 21, 2008

By	John P. Ciastkewicz "ProMariner" (Port St. Lucie, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Inside IMSA's Legendary GTP Race Cars: The Prototype Experience (Hardcover)

A great reference for fans of mid-80's IMSA prototype racers. The most informative book I've ever seen on these cars. Great pictures and reference for model builders.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Wonderful, January 16, 2009

By	H. Uras (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Inside IMSA's Legendary GTP Race Cars: The Prototype Experience (Hardcover)

This book is a fantastic recollection of a golden age of American road-racing. To start, the photographs are superb: even if there was no text, the book would be worth the price for the excellent photos alone. I particularly liked the detail photos of engines, aero-packages and other technical details. The authors then go further an add detailed history and a decent technical overview of the cars. Overall, highly recommended.