The Ultimate Motorsport History Reading List

I love books. I love books. I've been devouring stories since the day I learned how to read, which came pretty early in my life because my parents were tired of reading to me until they lost their voices. And when I have even the most passing interest in something, there's a good chance I'm going to be reading all about it.

Motorsport history is one such interest (I might even go as far as to say it is my number one and primary interest, superseding all things in life, because there's a 95% chance that at any given point in time I'm thinking about a race that took place when my grandparents were still in school). As a result, I've amassed a pretty serious collection of race car related books that form the foundation of my library — and if you've ever wondered where to get started, boy are you in luck!

Today, I've put together a very lengthy essential reading list for anyone interested in digging into motorsport history. Whether you're looking for a damn good story to sweep you away, or if you're looking for a very specific piece of hard evidence, this list will be a great place to get started.

A few things to note first: Every book on this list is one that I own and have read at least once, so I can vouch for the quality of the publication. If I'm missing something you enjoyed, please leave it in the comments!

And second: I've organized this list into three categories based on the likelihood that you'll actually be able to easily find this book for purchase. I have a lot of great books in my collection that are, frankly, next to impossible to find because they've been out of print for decades. I'm still including them here because they have a ton of value — just know you might have to put in a little extra legwork to get your hands on a copy.

Newer, in-print books:

• Faster: How a Jewish Driver, an American Heiress, and a Legendary Car Beat Hitler's Best by Neal Bascomb (talks about René Dreyfus, Lucy Schell, and the growth of the Nazi Germany motorsport machine)

• Texas Legend: Jim Hall and his Chaparrals by George Levy (Jim Hall is one of the greatest icons of motorsport innovation and this book is insanely good talking about his chaotic car wrecks and his development of ground effect)

• Driven to Crime: True stories of wrongdoing in motor racing by Crispian Besley (who doesn’t love crime; everything from ppl imitating Jonathan Palmer to the rampant drug running in 1980s American motorsport)

• A Race with Love and Death: The Story of Richard Seaman by Richard Williams (A bio on Dick Seaman, a British driver who raced for Mercedes in the late 1930s amidst rising political tensions)

• The Limit: Life and Death on the 1961 Grand Prix Circuit by Michael Cannell (The 1961 F1 season is insane; this details the lives of Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips, and how they made it to Indy)

• Blood and Smoke: A True Tale of Mystery, Mayhem and the Birth of the Indy 500 by Charles Leerhsen (A must-have for anyone who wants to understand how the Indy 500 came to be)

• Indy Split: The Big Money Battle that Nearly Destroyed Indy Racing by John Oreovicz (The definitive guide to all of IndyCar’s fracturing)

• The Race to the Future by Kassia St. Clair (Covers the 1907 Peking-to-Paris race, which lasted 8000 miles and transformed the way ppl conceived of cars and their relevance)

• Rapid Response: My inside story as a motor racing life-saver by Stephen Olvey (The insane safety developments in the IndyCar world)

• Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans by A. J. Baime (Le Mans 1966, if you’ve seen Ford v Ferrari you know what’s up)

Books that are no longer in print but that are still decently accessible:

• Fangio: The Life Behind the Legend by Gerald Donaldson (Insane to learn how a kid from Argentina made it in the big time)

• Colin Chapman, the Man and His Cars: The Authorized Biography by Gerard Crombac (Colin Chapman you madman)

• Williams: A Different Kind of Life by Virginia Williams (Ginny Williams talks about life before and after the road crash that paralyzed Frank Williams. She was his caretaker, both of his body and his team, while he recovered, and he never acknowledged her for it)

• The Bugatti Queen: In Search of a Motor-Racing Legend by Miranda Seymour (A beautifully researched biography of Hellé Nice, a woman who became one of the most popular racers in 1920s/30s Europe and who was perhaps falsely accused of Nazi collaboration by Louis Chiron)

• The Unfair Advantage by Mark Donohue (If you’ve ever wanted to know about cheating in motorsport, this is the place)

• Janet Guthrie: A Life at Full Throttle by Janet Guthrie (Beautifully written. Legitimately one of my favorite books, ever, both within and outside of motorsport)

Books that have been out of print for ages but that are well worth a read if you can find a copy:

• Francois Cevert: A Contract with Death by Jean-Claude Hallé (A personal favorite of mine but Cevert’s life story is wild)

• The Stainless Steel Carrot: An Auto Racing Odyssey by Sylvia Wilkinson (An award-winning writer shadows John Morton and his Trans-Am team in the 1970s and paints a beautiful picture of American racing)

• Enzo Ferrari by Brock Yates (Maybe not the DEFINITIVE Enzo bio, but absolutely the most entertaining and worth the $200+ you’ll spend to get your hands on it)

• The Chequered Year: The Story of a Grand Prix Racing Season by Ted Simon (Ted Simon went to every race of the 1970 F1 season; starts off introducing the debut of the March team and then then transitions to a championship-following narrative later)

• Cars at Speed: The Grand Prix Circuit by Robert Daley (One of my MOST REFERENCED BOOKS, EVER. Daley shares mini histories of the big races on the F1 calendar in the early 1960s / late 1950s, and it’s insane what kind of contemporary context you get, and how it differs so drastically from modern conceptions of these events or tracks)

• Fast and Furious: The Story of the World Championship of Drivers by Richard Garrett (Digs into the 1966 F1 season, with a focus on the British teams coming in to upset continental classics)

• The Men by Barrie Gill (Mini profiles of F1 drivers of the late 1960s, beautifully written, and incredibly heartbreaking as several of the subjects died during the writing process)

Women in Motorsport History

• Driven By Desire: The Desire Wilson Story by Alan Wilson

• Lella Lombardi: The Tigress of Turin by Jon Saltinstall

• A Life at Full Throttle by Janet Guthrie

• Driven: A pioneer for women in motorsport — an autobiography by Rosemary Smith

• Shirley Shahan: The Drag-On Lady by Patrick Foster

• Linda Vaughn: The First Lady of Motorsports by Linda Vaughn

• Mad for Speed: The Racing Life of Joan Newton Cuneo by Elsa Nystrom

• Williams: A Different Kind of Life by Virginia Williams

• Lyn St. James: An Incredible Journey by Lyn St. James

• The Ride of Your Life by Lyn St. James

• Gloria — A Lifetime motorcyclist: 75 Years on Two Wheels and Still Riding by Gloria Struck

• Maria Teresa de Filippis by Stefano Chiminelli

• The Bugatti Queen: In Search of a French Racing Legend by Miranda Seymour

• Shirley Muldowney's Tales From the Track by Shirley Muldowney

• Fast Ladies: Female Racing Drivers 1888 to 1970 by Jean François Bouzanquet

• Lone Rider: The First British Woman to Motorcycle Around the World by Elspeth Beard

• Breaking the Limit: One Woman's Motorcycle Journey Through North America by Karen Larsen

• Faster: How a Jewish Driver, an American Heiress, and a Legendary Car Beat Hitler's Best by Neal Bascomb

• Your Mom Races Rally by Kelly Conroy

• 100 Years of Women: Motorsport and Monaco by Nancy Heslin and Lacey da Costa

• Her Own Wheels: American Women and the Automobile, 1893-1929 by Carla R. Lesh

• Irom Horse Cowgirls: Louise Scherbyn and the Women Motorcyclists of the 1930s and 1940s by Linda Back McKay and Kate St. Vincent Vogl

• The First Lady of Dirt: The Triumphs and Tragedy of Racing Pioneer Cheryl Glass by Bill Poehler

• By Motor to the Golden Gate by Emily Post

• “A Reliable Car and a Women Who Knows It": The First Coast-to-Coast Auto Trips by Women, 1899-1916 by Curt McConnell

• The Women and the Car: A Chatty Little Handbook for All Women Who Motor or Who Want to Motor by Dorothy Levitt

• Roberta Cowell's Story by Roberta Cowell

• Fay Taylour: Queen of Speedway by Brian Belton

So, there you have it. My essential motorsport history reading list! If you end up nabbing a copy of any of these, please let me know — I'm always desperate to gush over these books!