Ferrari

The book starts out with approximately 15 pages about Enzo Ferrari, the man; then there are maybe 10 pages about Ferrari, the marque; the next 330 pages(!) deal with the Ferrari cars in all their splendor: all color, many-times huge, (several full-spread -- roughly one foot high and two foot wide), highly-detailed and incredibly clear photos of the most gorgeous cars in the world.... perfect examples of priceless cars in absolutely wonderful settings; following the several hundred pages on the cars of Ferrari, there is one page devoted to the author and the photographer (Lehbrink, and Schlegelmilch, respectively); the book concludes with about 15 pages of specifications.

To provide a little more detail on the actual vehicles covered in the car section... There are more than 50 car-series included, starting with the Spider Touring (166 & 212) in 1948, and concluding with the F50 in 1995. The majority of the vehicles covered in this book are road cars, (many of those being the early road-and-racing cars, such as the original Testa Rossa; 250GT swb; GTO; etc), but other true competition vehicles are included -- a few examples would be the P-series cars (i.e. 330P4), the CanAm cars (350; 612; 712), and the 512M, 312PB, and 333SP. The number of photos for each series of cars range from about 6 to as many as 15 or more (often-times including interior, engine, and/or detail shots). There are roughly half-a-dozen paragraphs written about each car or series of cars (appearing first in English; then German; then French; then Spanish or Italian). As mentioned above, this section on the cars of Ferrari ends with the F50 introduced in 1995 (and therefore does not cover the 360 Modena nor the 550 Maranello).

As for the specifications part of the book... For each and every series of cars photographed and written about in the preceding section, there are corresponding details listed here. There are from 2 to 4 car-series on each page; for each series, there is a small line drawing representing the most common body-style for that particular series; then things such as all the model designations in that series, the years they were built, the total number built, and specifics for the engine, transmission, and chassis, as well as top speed, are listed.

For anyone who is looking strictly for reading material, whether it be the cold, hard facts, or someone's interpretation and personal bias on Ferrari... I would suggest you look to the myriad other books concerning themselves with the countless details about the history, drivers, race wins, squabbles, fights, and (sometimes) cars of Ferrari. However, if you want to "feel" Ferrari -- a 330GT sparkling in a field of Goldenrod; a 250GT Lusso patiently waiting on a damp, foggy road; or a 333SP tearing around a track with the surrounding scenery blurring by -- look no further. This book allows you enjoy the aesthetic side of the great Marque From Maranello -- it is photographic proof of the beauty of the rolling sculptures called Ferrari, and the artistry of (mostly) Pininfarina. This is the first book I've seen that lets you feel as if the cars are actually sitting in front of you -- it almost seems possible to reach out and touch these phenomenal machines.