Book Review: The Science of Supercars by Martin Roach, Neil Waterman and John Morrison

It’s a shame the Aston Martin Valkyrie won’t be battling Toyota’s Le Mans Hypercar in the 2021 Le Mans race. When Max Verstappen and Alex Albon were testing the Valkyrie VP1 prototype at Silverstone earlier this month, the Valkyrie looked very much a hybrid supercar with an obvious F1 inspired front wing design. The design of hypercars and Formula 1 cars share a great deal of common technology and design philosophy – a great book showcasing the Valkyrie and the history of exoticar design is “The Science of Supercars” by Martin Roach, Neil Waterman and John Morrison.

This hardback is an excellent walk through of the evolution of supercars from the 1902 Mercedes’ Simplex to the Mercedes AMG Project 1 and the Konenigsegg Regera.

Like the David Tremayne’s “The Science of Formula 1 Design”, the book covers various technical aspects of supercar design and construction from the internal combustion engine, the supercharger (on the Bentley Blower), double overhead camshafts, synchromesh gearbox, spaceframe & monocoque chassis, direct fuel injectors, mid-engine designs, turbo engines, torque vectoring, NACA ducts, honeycomb carbon fibre, twin clutch DSG gearbox, tyres, aerodynamics and CFD and KERS hybrid engines.

Several iconic supercars are discussed or profiled including the McLaren F1, Porsche 911, Lamborghini Contach, Mercedes 300SL gullwing, Lamborghini Miura, Ferrari F40, Pagini Zonda, Bugatti Veyron, Aston Martin Valkyrie, Pagini Huayra, Porsche 918, Ferrari LaFerrari and Konenigsegg Regera. The book has a more detailed emphasis on the pioneering aspects and technical influences of the Mercedes 300SL (space frame chassis), McLaren F1 (packaging), Lamborghini Miura (mid engine design), Bugatti Veyron (DSG Gearbox) and Valkyrie (aero).

David Coulthard has written the book’s foreword and the authors have also included interview quotes from Gordon Murray on the McLaren F1.

The book’s photography contains a mix of photos from respective manufacturer’s archives of Bugatti, Daimler, McLaren, Porsche, Aston Martin and also Neil Waterman. The range of photos are excellent and the pre 1930 archival photos of the fantastic.

Wow Factor/Money shot: By definition a book on luxury supercars is going to have pop. The Bugatti, Mercedes & Bentley archival photos are excellent.  1900 Lohner Semper Vivus, 1910 Sunbeam Nautilus Photos of the Lamborghini Miura (pg 60-71)

Suitable for: Sportscar fans