Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Automoblog earns from qualifying purchases, including the book featured in this article. If you purchase Formula 1: Car by Car 1950 – 59 we will earn a commission (this comes at no additional cost to you).

This is an excellent book. Formula 1: Car by Car 1950 – 59 is not only a handy resource that every gearhead curious about racing history should own; it’s also well written and entertaining. Posing as a reference book, which it sort of is, it really works as an early history of the most popular sport in the world.

New Beginnings

Formula 1: Car by Car 1950 – 59 was authored by Peter Higham, the guy who wrote for Motor Sport magazine (one of the longest-running and most respected Brit racing periodicals). As the title implies, this book only covers the first official decade of F1 racing. Technically speaking, Formula 1 racing started in 1950. There was a form of it before The War, but what we know as Grand Prix racing today was first formalized in 1950. And the early years were a bewildering hodge-podge of mechanic?s specials, barnyard rebuilds, and serious, wondrous cars from the likes of Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz, and Italian newcomers Ferrari.
Part of the reason why things didn’t get revved up until 1950 was largely due to the devastation of World War II. With large sections of Germany bombed flat, Italy in shambles, France reeling, and Britain barely dealing with post-w...