Ford: The Dust and the Glory; A Racing History.

by Leo Levine

This reprint of the long out-of-print 1968 classic covers seven decades of Ford's pioneering and illustrious activities in auto racing. As author Leo Levine writes, "no other American manufacturer has been more involved with the sport. In many respects, the competition history of Ford parallels the progress of auto racing in this country." From Henry Ford's own victory at the October 1901 Detroit Driving Club race to the 1967 LeMans triumph of A.J. Foyt and Dan Gurney, this first volume of The Dust and the Glory tells the inside story of Ford's spectacular racing accomplishments. The Dust and the Glory features the stories - and numerous photographs - of the great races, the great cars, and the legendary personalities (both the famous drivers and those "behind the scenes") associated with Ford and its great competitors of the era. Covering 67 triumphant years, this first of two volumes (the second volume will cover 1968-2000) conveys, as author Leo Levine puts it, "the sound and the fury, the speed and the drama" of racing itself, while spotlighting Ford's groundbreaking accomplishments.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2001

Reviews

[Alan Birnbaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think overall the book is good and very informative. The book goes into great detail about the evolution of Ford race cars. One thing I will say is that the book gets technical with car parts so I recommend that you learn your car vocabulary before you start reading this book. I was confused at some points where the author talks about engines, camshafts, and chassis since I didn't know that this would come up at the time. An example of this would be on page 131 it states "In 1956 they decided(some say with the help of Chevrolet interests) to limit engine displacement to 4.0 liters(244 cubic inches), with no restrictions on carburetion."

Another thing about the book that you should know before you start reading this is you have to be really into racing history. Most of the book you wouldn't understand if you didn't have an interest in racing history. Throughout the book they mention many racing stars such and Mario Andretti. More Racers are introduced throughout the book. A couple a of them are: Vern Houle, Johnny Mantz and Bill Stroppe. I would definitely recommend this book if you have an interest in racing, but I wouldn't read it if you don't because otherwise you will be completely lost.

[Linda Chrisman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this when it was first published - excellent history of the Ford Marque racing history. I started following sports car & F1 racing in 1962 and I am still enjoying it!