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| The Chariot Makers: Assembling the Perfect Formula 1 Car | 
 enlarge | List Price: $12.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 18 reviews)
Sales Rank: 176905
Category: Book
Author: Steve Matchett
Publisher: Orion
Studio: Orion
Manufacturer: Orion
Label: Orion
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Original Language), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0752865242
Dewey Decimal Number: 796
EAN: 9780752865249
ASIN: 0752865242
Publication Date: August 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
An Excellent Introduction to the F1 Car Design October 12, 2007
This is a excellent introduction to the how F1 cars are designed and put together. Matchett does wonderful job walking the reading through the process of building a winning F1 car without burying them in too much technical detail. In addition he provides the reader with a history and evolution of the sport, cars, and regulations. This look back over the history of F1 gives the reader a clear(er) understanding of why the cars of today look the way that they do and what has been tried in the past.
Who would enjoy reading this book? An F1 fan who enjoys the races is but has little understanding of how the cars work and language the announcers use when discussing what the teams are doing to the cars over the race weekend. At just over 200 pages the reader will quickly be up to speed on how complex and challenging building an F1 car is and why some teams get it so wrong.
What the book is not, is a super technical breakdown of an F1 car and Matchett makes no bones about that fact. Several times in the beginning of the book he explains that if you are looking for mechanical engineering explaination, hard numbers this book more touches on the surface of the components.
Some reviewers have complained about the fictional story that Matchett uses to move from chapter to chapter and it can be a little tiring. That said, this isn't an F1 text book and Matchett had to come up with some way of creating a flow through the whole book. The story he creates helps put the reader at ease and is written in such a way to create a dialog between Matchett and the reader (the characters asking the questions you are most likely thinking). You can skip those few pages in each chapter certainly not be lost in what is going on in the book.
Why only 4 stars? Well I agree with the other reviewers who would like more drawings. What slows the reader down most often is stopping to try and picture what Matchett is explaining in detail. Another 10-20 pages would really help the reader see more quickly and clearly the parts he is discussing. It is surprising that a mechanic off all people would try and convey these parts to the reader with just words. I am sure that Matchett did not work all those years putting an F1 together by written word only.
 Dissapointed August 23, 2007
Although the writing is fine the technical content and graphics in this book are very 'lightweight'. There is nothing here that a casual enthusiast who reads F1 news stand magazines would not already know. Not recommended.
A neat perspective from someone who knows. July 27, 2007
Lots of fascinating detail on what makes up an F1 car. Sounds boring, but it isn't.
Where he goes wrong is in trying to wrap up his telling as a fictional conversation with traveling friends. It seems grafted on and amateurish, when his skill at describing the engineering the car is good enough to stand on its own.
Steve Matchett's The Chariot Makers January 11, 2007
Strange the way the book is written around Steve meeting a few F-1 fans in an airport. Nice reading but I miss illustrations!
 The Perfect Primer November 6, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
For anyone interested in Formula 1 engineering (or automotive engineering of any sort), Matchett's book is the perfect introduction to the topic. It is at once engaging and informative, droll and illuminating, and no real fan will come away without a greater insight into the machines that make up so much of the sport. Who knew an exposition on the contrasting design philosophies of push-rod and pull-rod suspensions could be so riveting? While a rabid few will pine for greater detail and pedantic density, "The Chariot Makers" will more than satisfy the curiosity of the vast majority, and I suggest that even the most knowledgeable will gain much insight, given Matchett's unique perspective as an insider in the sport. Well done.
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