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How to Build a Car

The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Formula 1 Designer

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How to Build a Car

By: Adrian Newey, David Coulthard - introduction
Narrated by: Richard Trinder
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'Adrian has a unique gift for understanding drivers and racing cars. He is ultra competitive but never forgets to have fun. An immensely likeable man.' Damon Hill

The world’s foremost designer in Formula One, Adrian Newey OBE is arguably one of Britain’s greatest engineers and this is his fascinating, powerful memoir.

How to Build a Car explores the story of Adrian’s unrivalled 36-year career in Formula One through the prism of the cars he has designed, the drivers he has worked alongside and the races in which he’s been involved.

A true engineering genius, even in adolescence Adrian’s thoughts naturally emerged in shape and form – he began sketching his own car designs at the age of 12 and took a welding course in his school summer holidays. From his early career in IndyCar racing and on to his unparalleled success in Formula One, we learn in comprehensive, engaging and highly entertaining detail how a car actually works. Adrian has designed for the likes of Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill, David Coulthard, Mika Hakkinen, Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, always with a shark-like purity of purpose: to make the car go faster. And while his career has been marked by unbelievable triumphs, there have also been deep tragedies; most notably Ayrton Senna’s death during his time at Williams in 1994.

Beautifully illustrated with never-before-seen drawings, How to Build a Car encapsulates, through Adrian’s remarkable life story, precisely what makes Formula One so thrilling – its potential for the total synchronicity of man and machine, the perfect combination of style, efficiency and speed.

©2017 Adrian Newey Motor Sports Sports Inspiring Thought-Provoking Racing Career Automotive Engineering
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Critic reviews

‘Quite superb…This book pulls off the remarkable feat of being a first-class autobiography and textbook all in one. For those studying the evolution of the F1 car between the late ‘80s and now, it decodes all the mysteries previously hidden by competitive secrecy while revealing the man behind most of the greatest cars of that time period.’ Motorsport Online
‘In this gripping memoir, Newey reveals the highs and lows of his race to the top.’ Mail on Sunday Books of the Year
‘The greatest Formula One designer of his – or any other – age.’ Sunday Times
‘Newey has a legitimate claim on the title of "Britain’s greatest living engineer".’ Daily Telegraph
‘Adrian Newey has created more winners than all the super-brain computers in Formula One put together.’ The Times
‘Creative genius… the leading Formula One designer of his generation… refreshingly honest.’ Guardian
‘The most accomplished man in the world’s most glamorous sport… The Michelangelo of motorsport.’ New Yorker
‘If you love finding out how things work, if you’re a car nut, if you’re intrigued by the sport’s politics and even if your interest in Formula 1 is but a passing one, you absolutely must read this book.’ Octane Magazine
‘How to Build a Car encapsulates through Adrian’s remarkable life story, precisely what makes Formula 1 so thrilling.’ Car Mechanic
‘How to Build a Car gives a tremendous insight…fantastically entertaining.’ Daily Express
‘Honest…hilarious…inspirational.’ Motorsport Magazine
‘Illuminating reading.’ F1 Racing Magazine
‘How to Build a Car is an emphatic hit. It’s one of the most enjoyable F1 books I’ve read in quite some time.’ WTF1
‘How to Build a Car is an essential read for all fans of motor racing.’ F1 Fanatic
‘Adrian Newey is one of Formula 1’s finest technical brains… The prose is sharp, punchy… you learn almost without realising.’ Autosport
All stars
Most relevant
Don't worry it's not too technical.
Funny, entertaining, fascinating, historical, nostalgic. A must listen for any F1 fan.

If you listen to Damon Hill's and Mark Webber's books aswel there's some nice overlap with some of the stories - so you get at least two perspecitves on some events.

For me I expected it to be a dry, tiring listen full of technical babble I didn't understand - given the subject and what I have seen of Adrian Newey interviews. Couldn't be more wrong. He is extremely funny, explains everything in a way that you can relate to and understand (think of that teacher at school who just had a way of explaining things that made everything make sense to you).

I was unsure about this book... I bought it and now have listend to it twice, and enjoyed every minute both times.
Trust me, just buy it, you WILL enjoy it!

So much better than you think it will be!

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For those of us about the same age as Adrian Newey, most of the social and motor racing history of his career span will be familiar, but what this adds is a precious, rare, brutally honest, entertaining and intriguing glimpse inside that world. OK it's a shame Adrian's attention to detail wasn't applied by Audible editors to the blatantly obvious gaffs by the narrator, which (unfortunately) isn't Adrian himself, so that taints the experience somewhat. You dread Suzuka being pronounced time after time as 'suzakka', until, strangely, towards the end the narrator must have learnt how to say it correctly. Why he didn't go back and correct the dozen or more previous gaffs, only the editors will know.
However, I would still highly recommend this to any F1 fan, car or advanced engineering enthusiast. If Adrian Newey brings out a new edition that he narrates himself, I'll buy it again.

Absolutely Enthralling!

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I loved this, I'm an F1 fan, but my partner, who is not, also derived great enjoyment from this book, to the point she was frequently upset if I decided to listen to parts without her!
It's written as an autobiography, and detials Adrian's career. This is alongside a high level, easy to understand technical insight into F1 and engineering.
Some great stories including David Coulthard, Christian Horner, Martin Brundle, and others.

Highly recommended!

Simply Brilliant

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Even if you are not a huge F1 fan, this will appeal to people with enquiring minds. It was fascinating learning how adaptations to the cars were made, with all the many changing rules and safety regulations, and to hear about the behind the scenes goings-on during some of the incidents and events I remember from races years ago and the fall-out from them.

It is easy to listen to and kept me interested from start to finish.

Loved it!

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excellent read for all, especially F1 fans
answering all sorts of questions about the team's performance and strategies.

great read

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