ACO2005
ACO Le Mans Annual 2005 £35.00
weight 2kg by Moity & Teissedre

After some hiccups in distribution last year, the official Le Mans annual is with a new publisher this time around, though the editorial team remains the same. There have been a number of changes to the style of these books over the past few years, not all of which have necessarily been for the good, but this edition shows great strides forward and is one of the best, if not the best le Mans annual that we have seen so far. The images used seem to be larger than previously, with many double-page spreads and are really colourful. The weather does of course have a bearing on this and the bright sunshine over the 2005 race certainly helped the photographers bring out the decoratioon of the cars as well as the drama and excitement of the race. As is customary with this series there are detailed reports of practice, scrutineering and qualifying before the excellent hour by hour race coverage. The results section is as comprehensive as ever with car-by-car and hour-by-hour results. A must for all Le Mans enthusiasts' libraries.

ISBN0954543327
Pirelli World Rallying #28 2005 £24.95
weight 1.3kg by Martin Holmes

Our must have annuals are arriving thick and fast. The layout of Pirelli World Rallying is now very familiar and is extremely reader friendly. Each event is covered by a well written race report that concentrates not only the main WRC class but the Junior and Production classes too. Results include useful details for modellers such as vehicle registration numbers and there are of course plenty of excellent photographs. This season will be remembered for the dominance of Sebastien Loeb, winning 10 out of 16 rounds. Things were rather more closely fought in the lower championships, but it's all in here. As are results for all major national and regional championships. It's not all about the current season either as the various editiorial sections look at the career so for of World Champion Loeb, the impact of the Higgins family on the British rally scene and of the history of rallying in South Africa. This remains the most comprehensive round up of the rallying year and a must for rally fans.


ISBN2916206019
Automobile Year 2005/2006 (#53) £43.00
weight 2 kg edited by Ian Norris

Another of the annuals which finds its way directly onto our library shelves, Automobile Year continues to give the broadest coverage of the motoring World at large. We see the latest new models to hit the showrooms in the past 12 months, the amazing concept vehicles that hint at what we might look forward to in future years and a round up of all the top flight motorsport in Europe and America. There are also historical articles looking at the 1955 Le Mans tragedy and two Belgian motoring institutions, journalist Jacques Ickx (father of Jacky) and D'Ieteren, a company with a 200 year history that started making horse drawn wagons and is now Europes largest car rental firm and the World's largest automotive glass supplier. All fascinating stuff and that's before we've got to the highlights of the concourse and collectors vehicles season.


ISBN1858942853
The Car Design Yearbook #4 £25.00
weight 2.1kg by Stephen Newbury

While Automobile Year covers a wide range of subjects, this colourful publication concentrates on all of the new production models and latest concepts. Each subject gets two pages with excellent official photographs and a specification list. In addition to the 122 individual vehicles featured there are profiles of some of the key designers of the year and a glossary telling us where these models were launched. If you have an interest in concept cars in particular, this is a must and we can see a number of potential model subjects included.

ISBN1844252329
Official F1 Season Review 2005 £19.99
weight 1.8kg Editor Bruce Jones

It's been an eventful year with Renault and Fernando Alonso dominating the first half and McLaren putting in a strong fight to the finish. Renault's superior reliability was the decisive factor, helping Alonso to become the youngest World Champion in the sport's history. There are many F1 annuals on the market now and the fastest off the presses this year is officially licensed by Formula One Administration Limited. It has been produced in association with Haymarket Publishing, who's weekly Autosport magazine offers excellent coverage throughout the year. As a result the production quality is excellent throughout, with vivid photography, detailed race statistics and well written race reports.

ISBN8879110853
Ferrari by Vignale £29.99
weight 1.2kg by Marcel Massini
ISBN8879110039
Ferrari by Zagato £29.99
weight 1kg by Michele Marchiano
These two very useful reference sources were originally published in hard back form in the early 1990s. We have both of them in original form and they are two of the more frequently thumbed editions in our library as we try and work out precisely what it is that some model makers have produced!
The Vignale book gives an overview of the famous coachbuilder and their association with Ferrari before heading into the details of all of the cars they produced together, chassis number by chassis number. The majority of the subjects are photographed though very few of these images are in colour. As Zagato bodied rather fewer Ferraris, this book concentrates on the history on a year by year basis. Again there are loads of photographs which will be useful to modellers. In both books the main text is in English and Italian.

ISBN1844253120
Ferrari, All The Cars £12.99
weight 900g by Leonardo Acerbi

This handy pocket-sized guide claims to cover every Ferrari ever made. That is a strong claim when we consider how many were coachbuilt and unique and as such it doesn't quite make it. However, if we are simply considering every major model type then it does an excellent job. From the original 815 to the 430 spider 185 models are covered and each of these is illustrated with a small photograph, a colour profile drawing, a description that places them in Ferrari's history and a specification chart. There is also a results section at the rear showing every victory in International racing by a Ferrari. As an introduction to Ferrari history this is excellent.

ISBN0007212798
Speed Addicts, Grand Prix Racing £35.00
weight 2.4kg by Mark Hughes

We are always wary of any book proclaiming itself to be the definitive history of anything. This is a case in point. We would say it is definitely not a complete history of F1, what it is is an excellent look at the human story of those men who risk their lives behind the wheel and what makes them do it. The story is illustrated with superb photographs throughout, some of which are familiar and many that we haven't seen previously. If you are interested in F1, particularly during the 60s & 70s, this is very good.