Riot

TWO things you can

ount on come
Christmastime: parents
will be paying an out-
landish mount of
money for some useless
toy; and store book
sheives will be stocked
with great automotive
titles. In the spirit of
the season, we'll skip
the Furby and get right
to the books.

@ At the Limit (Twenty-
one classic cars that shaped a
century af motorsport) by
Nick Mason anc] Mark Hales;
MBI Publishizg Co.; 300
colour photos, 174 pages.
$39.95.

The first thing { wanted to
do after reading, this book (in
one sitting, no less) was run
out and buy the entire Pink
Flovd catalog.

The British supergroup’s
drummer, Nick Mason, not
only co-authored this: great
book — he owns all 21 of the
cars featured, from a 190!
Panhard BI to a 1990 Porsche
962. 1 figured the royalties
from the Floyd CD pure
would give of Nick a few
pence to keep his stable of
supercars in mutor oil.

Unlike many classic collec-
tors, Mason likes te not only
drive, but race full out, his

sed possessions (As to being
a “collector,” Mason writes: “I
generally try and avoid using
the word ‘collection’ to
describe the cars I own. Ir

$730 Marine Dr.
West Vancouver

bring he

sounds too deliberate, toc pas-
siontess."} For recent evidence
of Mason’s aturude about his
cars, this past) week on
Speedvision a one-hour show
on the Goodwood “98 vintage
race weekend featured leg-
endary Grand Prix racer John
Surtees piloting Mason's 1952
Ferrari 230GTO (commenta-
tors of the race estimated the
value of the car at £5-million).

The idea behind Ag the
Limit is quite simple: get a pro-

onal race car driver (in this
case journalist, Mark Hales),
put him ar the wheel of
which best represent the centu-
ry of sports car technology, and
ler him loase on a high speed
race track (in this case
Silverstone in England}.

The result is breathtaking
photos and equally thrilling
words trom both an obviously
exhilarated Hales and a typical-
ly calm Mason. Hales sa
blow-by-blow account of dri-
ving each car seat position,
gear shift position, the sound
of the engiae as it climbs and
descends through the gears),
while Mason, in witty English
fashion, describes his affection
for each car and how it came

north shore news

#2 AUTO

into his possession. ).

Hales states that, without
question, his favourite ride was
the Ferrari 250GTO, though
Mason will not be dragged into
any “favourite” discussion.

Motorsport fans are well
served to have a collector tke
Mason, a rock star who doesn’t
squander his millions on super
models, sprawling estates and
the products of the Golden
Triangle.

8 50 Years of Classic Sports
Cars by Bill Reynolds;
Bramlcy Books, distributed
by Whitecap Books; 288
pages. $29.95.

‘A collection of this sort is
an easy target for criticism as
the marquees and models cho-
sen will never be compicte nor
agreed upon as definitive.

Author Reynolds states as
much in his introduction.
Taken in that spirit, 50 Years af
Classic Sport Cars is a pleasure
to look through. Looking,
rather than reading, is the key
here as apart from the intro-
duction the only words are in
captions which accempany the
colour photes.

& The Concise Encyclopedia
of Formula One by David
Tremayae and Mark Hughes;
Whitecap Books; 256 pages.
$29.95.

As far as a factual resource,
which by definition is what an
encyclopedia should be, this

k hits the mark.

All the drivers, marquees,
circuits, team owners, Movers
and shakers that make this
sport so appealing are in The
Concise 4 ti
Formita One. What isn’t is the
passion that Grand Prix racing
fans have tor thei

As of late, Formula One has
Jost much of that passi
technological a
taken much of the open-wheel
to open-wheel duelling out of
the sport. Too often in the past
decade the race leader is so far

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Friday. Decernber 18, 1998 ~ North Snore News - 41

THE coffee tabie
book 50 Years of
Classic Sports Cars
(right) features such
exotics as the 1950
Ferrari Barchetta
(above) and the 1993
Nit McLaren (top
and at left. Note the
M1's unique centre
seat position).

ahead of the pack the only
undetermined outcome is what
colour Jacques Villencuve’s wi
be for the next race.

Visit our web site:

If it’s Grand Prix facts
you're after, this is the book for
you — but if it’s passion, it’s Ar

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