Johnny Tipler » Books

La Carrera Panamericana – “The World’s Greatest Road Race!”

Johnny Tipler — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 12:48:25 +0000

The Carrera Panamericana was first run to celebrate the inauguration of the Panamerican Highway, and traversed the length of Mexico, from Tuxtla in the south to Juárez near the Texas border. Firms like Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Porsche took advantage, and as class winners, Porsche even applied the event’s Carrera name to its sportier models. Since its 1987 revival it’s been run rally-style with half-a-dozen special stages a day. Just as it did in the early-’50s, half the entry consists of brash American stock cars, today mostly Panamericana specials based on spaceframe chassis and 600bhp NASCAR V8 engines and running gear, lurking beneath period Studebaker, Hudson, Lincoln or Oldsmobile bodywork. The ’50s and ’60s European classics are no less heavily modified. The arrival of La Carrera Panamericana at each of the provincial towns on its seven-day, 2,000-mile progress through central Mexico last November provided an excuse for wild celebrations. Everywhere the entourage is mobbed by enthusiastic spectators, waving, cheering and demanding souvenirs. Crowds throng, brass bands play, and salsa and tequila overflows. Includes 350 images, maps of modern and original 1950s routes, plus results of original events.

Reviews

La Carrera Panamericana – “The World’s Greatest Road Race!” is now available, as of 18th September 2008 from Veloce Publishing.

Alfa Romeo Guilia GT and GTA Coupe

Johnny Tipler — Tue, 15 May 2007 06:42:49 +0000

This reprint of my early 1990s offering with Veloce Publishing tells the tale of the charismatic Giulia Sprint GT and its GTV and fantastic GTA siblings that set the benchmark for performance touring cars from the early 1960s right into the mid-1970s. The lightweight GTA and GT-AM race cars won numerous touring car races and championships during that time. The Foreword is penned by Autodelta works driver Andrea de Adamich.

TVR – An Illustrated History

Johnny Tipler — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 06:49:38 +0000

Haynes’ 2006 reprint in hardback of the Sutton Pictorial History publication features many colour photographs and a new chapter that brings the TVR saga bang up to date under its new Russian ownership.

TVR – An Illustrated History by Johnny Tipler on Amazon

Morgan – The Cars and the Factory

Johnny Tipler — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 06:53:47 +0000

When I went to interview Charles Morgan for Performance Car magazine I was astonished to find a manufacturing process little changed since the 1930s. So I spent several weeks at the Malvern plant chronicling the construction methodology including the bending of the wigs in a mangle and over a tree trunk while Simon Clay photographed the arcane processes involved. Charles Morgan wrote the Foreword.

Morgan – The Cars and the Factory by Johnny Tipler on Amazon

Lotus and Caterham Seven: Racers for the Road

Johnny Tipler — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 06:29:22 +0000

A legend in its own lifetime, the Seven was launched by Lotus back in 1957, evolving into the Caterham in 1973 when the jigs and tooling were sold off. Contains a detailed description of manufacture and assembly, racing and driving experience.

Lotus and Caterham Seven: Racers for the Road by Johnny Tipler on Amazon

Ayrton Senna – the Team Lotus Years

Johnny Tipler — Sun, 31 Jul 2005 06:56:57 +0000

Of the three years that Ayrton Senna drove for Team Lotus, 1985 to 1987, was one of the headiest periods in the history of motor racing. Not only were titanic battles raging between the four leading teams — McLaren, Williams, Ferrari and Lotus — in the second phase of the mega-powerful turbo era, rivalry between the top F1 drivers, on and off the track, was wound up to fever pitch.

Selected by both Top Gear and Classic Car magazines as Book of the Month for November 2005.

On Amazon: Ayrton Senna – the Team Lotus Years by Johnny Tipler

Alfa Romeo Berlinas (Saloons/Sedans)

Johnny Tipler — Thu, 01 Jul 2004 06:43:31 +0000

Here’s the full story of all Alfa Romeo saloon cars (Berlinas in Italian) from 1910 to the turn of the century. Fabulous full-colour production.

Mini Cooper: The Real Thing!

Johnny Tipler — Mon, 08 Mar 2004 00:34:44 +0000

Jensen Interceptor: The Complete Story

Johnny Tipler — Mon, 08 Mar 2004 00:31:33 +0000

The history of the Jensen car company has been full of change and upheaval, but it holds one symbol of permanence and continuity, known to motoring enthusiasts the world over: the Jensen Interceptor. This enormously powerful, thirsty supercar is perhaps the most potent embodiment of the Sixties’ British sports car, and against all the odds it survives today – in much the same form.

Ronnie Peterson: Formula 1 – Super Swede

Johnny Tipler — Sat, 01 Nov 2003 06:59:03 +0000

Nicknamed “Super Swede”, Ronnie Peterson rose from karts to F3 to become European F2 Champion in 1972, and came closest to winning the F1 World Championship in 1973 and 1978. By common consent the fastest driver in Formula 1 in that era, Ronnie Peterson was, paradoxically, a quiet shy person and an all-round nice guy. As Johnny Tipler’s book reveals, Ronnie invariably strove to wring the ultimate performance out of anything he drove.and that, ironically, was probably what cost him the F1 World Championship. Not content with nearly winning, he sought to annihilate the opposition and, in the process, subjected cars and tyres to stresses greater than they had been designed to accept. If they didn’t break, he usually won, but not often enough to gain the title.