Modena Racing Memories
By Graham Gauld
In the 1950s and early 1960s, Modena was at the center of the Italian sports car and Grand Prix universe, as were Ferrari, Maserati, OSCA, Stanguellini and other manufacturers that called Modena home. In his new book, “Modena Racing Memories”, author Graham Gauld explores the history of these legendary manufacturers through his own firsthand experiences and photographs acquired as an English motoring journalist living in Modena.
The book begins in 1957, when Gauld first travels to Modena to tour the Ferrari and Maserati factories for his employer the Scottish racing weekly, Motor World. Gauld recounts these and subsequent trips to racing’s Mecca with an easy-to-read, comfortable style that makes this book part travelogue, part personal journal and part historical treatise. His candid conversations with motoring greats such as Enzo Ferrari, Francesco Stanguellini, Peter Collins, Sergio Scaglietti, Adolfo Orsi and Ferrari team manager Romolo Tavoni, paint a behind-the-scenes picture of the engineering, building and racing of some of the world’s greatest automobiles.
In addition to Gauld’s insider account of the people and events that made Modena what it is today, the book also features over 175 color and B/W photographs taken throughout this period. Many of these shots display cars such as the Maserati Birdcage or the first Ferrari rear-engined prototype either during testing or in development at the factory. The book is also laced with informal pictures of many of the aforementioned personalities, including most of the leading drivers of the day.
For any fan of Italian racing cars or for the history buff looking for an inside view of one of racing’s greatest eras, “Modena Racing Memories” is a book that you will truly enjoy. This book retails for $39.95 and is available from Classic Motorbooks at (800) 826-6600 or on the web at www.motorbooks.com
