The Best Vehicle Design eBooks of All Time

'Adrian has a unique gift for understanding drivers and racing cars. He is ultra competitive but never forgets to have fun. An immensely likeable man.' Damon Hill. The world’s foremost designer in Formula One, Adrian Newey OBE is arguably one of Britain’s greatest engineers and this is his fascinating, powerful memoir. How to Build a Car explores the story of Adrian’s unrivalled 36-year career in Formula One through the prism of the cars he has designed, the drivers he has worked alongside and the races in which he’s been involved.

A true engineering genius, even in adolescence Adrian’s thoughts naturally emerged in shape and form – he began sketching his own car designs at the age of 12 and took a welding course in his school summer holidays. From his early career in IndyCar racing and on to his unparalleled success in Formula One, we learn in comprehensive, engaging and highly entertaining detail how a car actually works. Adrian has designed for the likes of Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill, David Coulthard, Mika Hakkinen, Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, always with a shark-like purity of purpose: to make the car go faster. And while his career has been marked by unbelievable triumphs, there have also been deep tragedies; most notably Ayrton Senna’s death during his time at Williams in 1994. Beautifully illustrated with never-before-seen drawings, How to Build a Car encapsulates, through Adrian’s remarkable life story, precisely what makes Formula One so thrilling – its potential for the total synchronicity of man and machine, the perfect combination of style, efficiency and speed.

This book attempts to find a middle ground by balancing engineering principles and equations of use to every automotive engineer with practical explanations of the mechanics involved, so that those without a formal engineering degree can still comprehend and use most of the principles discussed. Either as an introductory text or a practical professional overview, this book is an ideal reference.

Modifying the Aerodynamics of Your Road Car is a unique handbook that assumes no starting knowledge of vehicle aerodynamics. It begins with simple ideas and finishes with sophisticated and effective aerodynamic modifications that work. Three major chapters cover on-road testing techniques that give you all the information you need to decide what modifications you should make - and, after you've made them, how well they work. Low-cost techniques allow you to visualize the patterns of airflow over your car so that you can actually see the problem areas that need improvement.

Uniquely, you're also shown how to measure aerodynamic pressures, so you can determine which body surfaces are creating lift, drag and downforce. Want to work out where a wing should be placed? On-road testing to find that out is covered as well. The book also shows you how to measure downforce to see if that wing is actually working! If you wish to reduce drag, more than ten different areas are covered. Reducing frontal area, lowering cooling system drag, optimizing vehicle ride height and rake, reducing the strength of the wake, achieving clean airflow separation and optimizing wheel designs are all covered using the latest research findings. And if you're a performance driver, there's a major chapter devoted to reducing lift and improving stability. This chapter includes the design and development of undertrays and diffusers, wings and spoilers. The example car developed measurable downforce when fitted with an undertray and rear diffuser, something that transformed its on-road handling. The author has been writing about the aerodynamics of road cars for more than 25 years. He is also an experienced and proficient car modifier who has performed numerous aerodynamic modifications and upgrades to his own cars. The book's technical consultant, RH Barnard, is an acknowledged world leading automotive aerodynamicist. If you want a practical, hands-on guide that demystifies and explains car aerodynamics, and shows you how to make effective aerodynamic modifications to your car, this book is for you.