“Faster”, by Neal Bascomb ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Faster, by Neal Bascomb, combines narratives on early auto racing and early-20th century European political history into a fascinating and obviously well-researched book about French Grand Prix race driver René Dreyfus, wealthy American race driver and team owner Lucy O'Reilly Schell, and the estimable Delahaye 145 race car with which they triumphed over the formidable W-145 Silver Arrows of the Nazi-government-backed Mercedes-Benz at the season-opening Pau Grand Prix in 1938.

After opening with the author's description of being taken for a ride in one of the still-existing Delahay 145s by its wealthy auto-enthusiast owner in March 2019, the book dives into the past. It is a fascinating story, recounting both Dreyfus and Schell’s backgrounds and life in motor racing, with plenty of detail about the other important figures in the story, including German race-car driver Rudi Caracciaola, a star of the Third Reich's propaganda-driven backing of German motor racing.

 Backed by the government of the Third Reich, the Mercedes and Auto-Union racing teams dominated Grand Prix racing under the late-1930s formula which allowed 3.0-liter engines to be supercharged, with normally aspirated engines allowed up to 4.5 liters, and no limitations on fuel type. On tracks with long straightaways, where absolute speed was the key to victory, the German cars dominated their French, Italian, and British competitors. But Pau, with its tight city-street layout largely negated the power advantage of the German cars, and was the ideal venue for the quick and nimble 12-cylinder, 4.5-liter Delahaye to display its qualities, with René Dreyfus at the wheel.

 You may think that centering an entire book on one race is overkill, but the victory at Pau in 1938, while almost a blip in the overall picture of late-1930s Grand Prix racing in Europe, serves as a focal point for an in-depth look at the entire era, leading up to the time, just a few months later, when larger worldwide events overtook motor racing, and all sporting activity, as the Second World War swept across the globe.

 Faster drives home (no pun intended) the tremendous danger involved in automobile racing in those days, paints a vivid picture of the personalities and politics involved, and includes sufficient technical detail to satisfy all but the most detail-obsessed gearheads. It is an absorbing read – a must for every racing fan.

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