New Ferrari 8-Cylinder Book Appears: A Review
Ferrari Gli Otto Cilindri 1954 – 1965 by Francesco Scaletti
Book Review by Keith Bluemel
This is the second book by Francesco Scaletti, and is a matching companion work to his “Ferrari I Quattro Cilindri” which was published in 1998. Like that book, it has been published in a limited edition of 1200 copies, on high quality paper, and has a matching red cloth cover and hard slipcase.
The book is a large format hardback, with 280 pages. The title translated into English, “Ferrari the Eight Cylinders 1954 – 1965”, is self explanatory, and all text is in Italian and English, with a preface by renowned long time Ferrari engineer Mauro Forghieri. The book covers the eight cylinder engines used by Lancia and then Ferrari from the time that the company inherited the Lancia F1 cars in the middle of 1955, through to the 158 F1 used by John Surtees during the 1964 season to win the Drivers’ World Championship.
There is a wealth of technical detail on the various engines and their development during each season, whilst all the F1 races in the period are reported, together with the 248 SP and 268 SP sports cars raced during the 1962/63 seasons. The photographic content is predominantly black & white, with a smattering of color images, all from the period, sourced from some of the best known archives in the world, which make for a nice nostalgic trip back in time.
There are also numerous informative technical drawings, pictures and details of the various engines, plus the people involved, which provides a good insight into the development work which took place in the search for more power.
This book is a very worthwhile addition to any Ferrari enthusiast’s library, and also for fans of that period of motor racing, at a very reasonable price for a book of this production quality.
If you have any difficulty sourcing a copy, contact the author/publisher direct at:
Mito Rosso Edizioni, Via dei Berio, 61, 00155 Rome, Italy
Better yet, go to info@mitorosso.it; the author will sign each book personally to the recipient.
From Francesco Scaletti:
“It gives me great pleasure to present to you the new book Ferrari Gli Otto Cilindri 1954-1965, which is a research of the various projects, developments and the competition use of these type of Prancing Horse’s engines from the mid fifties to the mid sixties. The book is a companion edition to our previous publication Ferrari I Quattro Cilindri, in a matching format in a slip-case, with text in English and Italian.
“It is the result of a considerable effort and a detailed research, relative to the technical data and analysis of the competition results of the 8 cylinder Ferraris’ single seaters. The information and the relative technical data has been compiled through consultation of period specialist magazines, together with archive material in my library. The reports of every single competition result have been researched with the analysis of various newspapers, printed the day after each event, in order to achieve the highest degree of accuracy humanly possible.
“It would give me enormous pleasure if this book of mine were to take its place among the volumes of your own Ferrari library, where, if it does nothing else, it will, I hope, exude something of the warmth of my passionate devotion to the new legendary history of the Prancing Horse.”
Exclusive Features of this Important Book:
Authored by the brilliant researcher Francesco Scaletti
Numbered copy from a limited edition of 1200
Personally signed by Mr. Scaletti to the the recipient
Hardbound in red cloth covering, with title black engraved on the cover and spine
Presented in a custom made sleeve, printed with significant four-color photos
279 Pages, printed on heavy glossy coated paper in 24×30 cm format
Parallel Italian and English text
174 Contemporary black and white photos
8 Full color photographs from the era
13 Scale drawings and cross sections
7 Comprehensive technical specification sheets, each containing information under 17 different headings
5 Summaries of all the 55 races entered by the Ferrari 8-cylinder cars in the years 1955-1956-1957-1964-1965, together with placings and results
55 Reports, one on each race, of the 8-cylinder single seaters entered by Ferrari in the years 1954-1955-1956-1957-1964-1965
Book and Box protected by shrink-sealed transparent film
Shipped in a hard padded box for safety
Author: Francesco Scaletti; Publisher: Mito Rosso Edizioni; ISBN No: 88-900248-1-8; Suggested Price: €120.00 (Italy)
