All,
It seems like all my Christmas' have arrived at the same time;
on Tuesday I received Kas' latest revision of the Competition
Manual, and last night, I received Roger Williams' book on "Improving
the TR6/5 & 250". Needless to say I have not had very much
sleep the past couple of nights!
I have been eagerly expecting Williams' book for over a year, and to
be honest, I was quite disappointed. I have huge respect for Williams,
and his other books on "Restoring" are fabulous, and belong on any
TR owners book shelf (so good in fact, that I also have his books on
Restoring the TR2/3 and 4). The "Improving" book is basically a cursory
glance at what 6 or so UK vendors offer to the TR aftermarket.
There is very little, if any, substance and quantitative discussion about
any of the products, other than "If it exists, it must be good". Some lip
service
is paid to items that were "developed by racers", but on the whole, there is
nothing
more that one could glean from his book instead of looking through the
vendors
catalogs. Certainly an hour spent in the pits going over other people's
cars will reveal
equally or more effective solutions. E.g., while an entire chapter was
spent discussing
brakes, and the availability of aftermarket calipers etc., nothing was said
about eliminating
the booster, improving the pedal ratio, or using two master cylinders.
To add insult to injury, typo errors are liberally scattered throughout the
book - just like this
email!
In short, a grave disappointment. An advertisment for a few UK vendors that
has
little relevance here in the US (unless you have very deep pockets). 2 out
of 5.
Now, on the other hand, Kas' book is a highly polished gem. Here is the
work that is
based on hundreds, and even thousands of hours of on-track time. This is
information
that cannot be bought out of a catalog. To top it off, Kas sprinkles his
tome with personal
anecdotes and photographs. A *very* important book for any go-faster TR. 5
out of 5.
Shane Ingate in Maryland
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