Vanwall - Green for Glory

When Guy Anthony Vandervell's Vanwall Grand Prix team clinched the World Championship for Constructors in 1958, it was not only the culmination of nine full seasons of racing to achieve the ultimate prize but, tragically and ironically, it was also the end of that same team, as Vandervell's vast energy was finally spent, and the death of a key driver in this final race brought the glorious Vanwall effort virtually to its end. Ed McDonough tells a tale of dogged determination, which saw one man's huge drive cause him to break away from the English racing establishment and work unceasingly to achieve his dream of a true British Grand Prix winner. But this book also delves into the anomalies of Tony Vandervell and debunks some of the myths about him and his team. It is the first book about Vanwall to ask the drivers of the time - Tony Brooks, Sir Stirling Moss, John Surtees and Alan Brown - what they experienced in the heady days of Vanwall, and the problems they had to overcome, racing a most unorthodox car in an unconventional team. While the passing years have seen a nostalgic glow develop around Vanwall, times were truly hard and the victories very hard fought. Euphoria was often countered by tragedy and failure in a time when Grand Prix aspirations were achieved without the massive funding of today's corporate circus. The author has chosen to take a difficult path and argues against some of the long-held views of this team and its founder Tony Vandervell, who has been portrayed as something of a xenophobe, and this book attempts to look beyond this limited caricature. It is also the tale of a great and glorious time in motor-racing history. Along with chassis number details, there are rare photographs reproduced, including a superb colour record of Vanwall at the 1957 Italian Grand Prix.