An Introduction To The Realm of Supercars

§ I received a copy of this book to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this novel. § 

When we look for a new read, there are many first impressions that help us decide: the cover, the author, the title, the blurb, or in the case of "Speed Read Supercar"it was "oh look, a pun!"

"Speed Read Supercar" offers more than just a pun as a title. After a brief introduction to what makes a car "super", Wasef takes you right to the beginnings of the supercar and introduces you to the "Groundbreakers" - such as the Ford GT40, and the Porsche 930 Turbo Carrera.

For every car there is one page filled with the story of how it came to be, and why it is important. Then Wasef added a "fun fact", "historical tidbit" and the "key person", which is vital information that could help you win a pub quiz. The right page is filled with a beautiful illustration of the car in question.

The chapters "Eye For Design" and "Tech Revolution" give you information about the key factors that were present in supercars. Often this meant that it was style over function. Even though, supercars certainly push technology forward during the modern days - which is explained in the chapter "Modern Mile Stones." Here we take a look at the supercars that are currently in production and are using modern technology such as hybrid systems to get even more performance.

The last two chapters deal with the "Sacred Grounds" of supercar testing and engineering, and the "Indie Spirit" that emerged among private constructors. At the end of each chapter, there is a page dedicated to an important visionary - such as Caroll Shelby and Enzo Ferrari.

Personally, I liked the addition of lesser known people as well. Especially Gian Paolo Dallara; as someone who follows the WEC and ELMS I had heard of the name "Dallara" as a chassis constructor before but had not known that the founder had a hand in the supercar area.

My favourite chapters were about the "Modern Mile Stone" and "Indie Spirit." The latter really told me new information that I had not known before - learning about new car manufactures. Otherwise,  most of the information given in the book does not give a lot of new insight to a well-versed car enthusiasts.

"Speed Read Supercar" is meant to be an introduction in the topic "supercars" and it does this well by providing a broad insight of the important areas, meaning supercar rookies are not overwhelmed by too much information. This is accompanied by very beautiful graphics.

In the end, it gives you all the knowledge to entertain guests with your supercar knowledge before they all make an excuse to leave because you talked about being enthusiastic about cars ...

Speed Read Supercar	by Basem Wasef
Published	2018	by Quarto Publishing Group – Motorbooks
Series:	Speed Read
Pages:	160
ISBN-13:	978-0760362914
Goodreads:	Add to shelf
Buy on ...	amazon.com	amazon.de