Ferrari: The Red Dream Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The cover of this book caught my eye. As much as I love the technologically advanced new era of Ferrari, I have a warm spot in my heart for the older cars, both race and road.
The photographs in this book are outstanding. Many are from angles that catch the beautiful handiwork wrought by the craftsmen of these early machines. There is no effort to hide the effects of age on these great machines. On the contrary, there are photographs of the fuel tanks, filler caps, camshaft covers and suspensions with spots of rust and the dings of use evident in most of them.
Rather than detracting from the cars, these photos add life to them. Most of the examples in this book are in lovely shape, but many have not been completely restored - actually a great thing.
Two things may keep this from being your favorite Ferrari book. First, it contains mostly race or race/GT cars. It is not an exhaustive catalog of all Ferrari models from inception to date. Secondly, certain cars only have 1 or 2 pictures and these may not be from the most encompassing angle. Other have 6-8 photos including the classic side shot. This may be a bit frustrating for some readers, especially those not fully familiar with all the models.
The models include 375 F1, 500 F2, 375 PLUS, 750 Monza, 250 GT Tour de France, 315S/335S, 250 GT California, 250 Testa Rossa/58, 250 Testa Rosse/59, 250 GT SWB, 196 SP/246 SP, 250 GTO, 250 LeMans, 275 GTB/GTC, Dino 206S, 330 P3/412 P, 512 S/512 M, 312 PB, 512 BB LM, F40/F40 LM, F333 SP, 212 E Montagna, 312 T5 Formula 1.
The text in each section describes the racing history of each model and gives a technical description. I found a few misspellings in the first two chapters (all I have read so far) but these may be a result of translation.
Overall a handsome book that I would not hesitate to put on the coffee table. It is sure to start a conversation.

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Over six decades of racing, the Ferrari sports car has been every driver's "Red Dream." This book celebrates the cars that became the dream, with twenty of Ferrari's greatest models featured in sumptuous, full-color photographs and detailed accounts of the histories, the people, and the victories that made each an icon. From the legendary 250 GTO to the awesome F333 SP, the book-and Pietro Carrieri's exquisite photography-takes note of every shimmering detail and sinuous curve that mark Ferrari's style and announce the epitome of Italian auto design the world over.

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Original Ferrari: Restoration Guide for All Models, 1974-1994: 308 GT4, 308/328 GTB/GTS Series, Mondial, 348 Series, 288 GTO and F40 (Original Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you're in the market for one of Ferraris covered in this book, you'll find Bluemel's work indispensible. If you want a coffee table book, it's not bad for that either, but ultimately the tables and detail photos overwhelm the pretty car pictures.
The newest 328 is already more than 15 years old, and Bluemel's book will give you a benchmark for how a well-kept, original car ought to look. This is more important than you might think, as the Ferrari owners 'circle' really does care about originality and honest preservation -- if you're a buyer, you'll undoubtedly be more educated after reading Bluemel. Production for the 328GTS, easily the most successful regular production car in this period, was only 6000+ cars over 5 years - paltry compared even to niche companies like Porsche. The Ferrari world is a small world, and an expensive one in which to make mistakes, so consider this your essential desktop reference.
While there is some commentary interspersed regarding aesthetics, there is close to zero information on driving and maintenance, and it is certainly not a buyer's guide listing the weak spots of the various models. Also, even car fanatics are unlikely to read this straight through, as it discusses all aspects of the cars section by section. So unless you plan to go to be reading about the tires and wheels on the 348, for example, it is largely a reference. But at that it is quite a good one, and it gets pulled from my shelf frequently.

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