Ebook Grand Prix Ford Ford Cosworth and the DFV eBook Graham Robson

Product details File Size 33750 KB Print Length 468 pages Publisher Veloce Publishing Ltd. (May 31, 2019) Publication Date May 31, 2019 Sold by  Digital Services LLC Language English ASIN B07PCNKF5J

Grand Prix Ford Ford Cosworth and the DFV eBook Graham Robson Reviews

• While this book does give a decent history of the Ford Cosworth DFV, it is not at all a good book. The three things that stand out are editing (or lack there of), padding, and the fact that, while allegedly written by someone very familiar with race cars, it doesn't read that way.
  
  Firstly, the writer constantly uses the term "vee 8" instead of "V8" in describing the engine layout. He calls the F1 race in the US the "USA GP" or "American GP" instead of "USGP".
  
  Many of the sentences appear to have been written and then rewritten but not all the words got changed, so you end up with messed-up syntax and extra words in sentences. There are misplaced asides and run-on sentences that just become confusing. Two examples
  
  "When Fiat acquired the Abarth company in 1971, the racing division of Abarth (but not the rallies side) was sold to Vincenzo Osello, and for a time this Italian company built up, and ran, its own F1 effort, which was quite unconnected with the Abarth which prospered in the 1970s under Fiat."
  
  "In three years, Penske backed just three different 'in-house' designs, but after the F1 operation was closed down, it was because he appreciated the skills of the UK motor racing industry, and his own Poole center, that he carried on running Indy cars from the UK until the end of the 20th century."
  
  Really? Was there an editor? Did the editor speak English? And to keep harping on the editor, the misspellings such as "Jams Hunt" are also annoying.
  
  Sometime the author also gets his info wrong, such as saying that Jody Scheckter started his F1 career with Tyrrell instead of McLaren, or that the Vels Parnelli team raced in CART when it did not. What info that is new to me might be wrong in this book?
  
  Then there is the uncalled for shots he takes at some of the back marker teams that raced DFV engines. Saying the cars were, among other things, unsafe, and not backing it up with evidence.
  
  Finally, there is the padding. The entire section devoted to the team-by-team accounts is unneeded. That info can be found in many other sources, and is not completely germane to the subject. A year-by-year account of engine development would have been much better. He also repeats the same information over and over, sometimes in the same section of the book.
  
  Could have been good book, but at the list price, I expect a knowledgeable author and an EDITOR.
• Very disappointing. Much of the other review criticisms echoed here ( I should have listened to them) Many typos, poor writing and overall a format that doesn't make sense. In the mark by mark chapter, for the more famous teams we get to hear the same historical and political context several time over. Smaller teams are all dismissed as also rans with little fact or context. Then, the overall Cosworth history is retold ( with the same historical and political context revisited yet again) in a dedicated chronological chapter. Why?
  
  I would also quibble with choices of photos in the mark by mark chapter (not to mention the many mislabels of cars/drivers) 3 photos of the Amon? Or worse, 3 photos of the McLaren M26 (not a remarkable machine) while none of the MP4/1 which was arguably one of the most significant Cosworth powered F1 chassis ever?
  
  Or how about just getting it all wrong? Such as stating that 1982 was a ho hum year for Williams and the FW08 since they only won a single race? Oh, by the way, they won the Driver's Championship in one of the most competitive and emotional years in modern F1 history.
  
  Very much a wasted opportunity to tell the story of how Cosworth/Hewland revolutionized F1 fields by allowing so many "smaller fish" to gain entrance as well as for the proliferation of successful "non-manufacturer" champions.
• I was looking for detail information on the engine finding internet seraches lacking. I won't repeat what the others have said for they are spot on. However, I will add that this is a book of cars that used the DFV rather than a book on the engine itself. That said, it was interesting to see the older and smaller manufacturers which was involved with the history engine. However, not all the teams were illustrated, a major ommission in my opinion, given that this is the major portion of the book. If more pictures of the teams were provided, one could argue that this is a book on the teams. However, this not being the case, more details of the engine are in order. In other words, I was confused because it is neither a book on the DFV nor DFV users.
• 272 pages of nothing but Ford DFV - F1's Favorite Engine. From the '60's through the '80's every car , car manufacture, Drivers and team owners are covered. If you have any interest in Ford Formula one racing this is the book for you. The photographs alone are worth the price of entry.
  I highly recommend this book to you as it covers all the history.
  The 10 X 10 format removes it from the "Coffee Table" book area. With only 1500 copies best jump in.
• It's OK. The photos are great. Many of them and some unusual ones. I bought the book for those. The text is good, and detailed and informative but a little dry and keeps coming back to Ford engines- which II suppose is the point. But The whole is a little - bland. Nothing stands out or wows.