{"product_id":"the-all-american-hero-and-jaguar-s-racing-e-types","title":"The All-American Hero and Jaguar’s Racing E-types","description":"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBriggs Cunningham’s Le Mans Dream, US road racing and the legendary Jaguar E-type\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst seen by the wider world at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show, the Jaguar E-type redefined perceptions of how a sports car could – and perhaps should – look. No less a figure than Enzo Ferrari is said to have described it as “the most beautiful car in the world”. Small wonder that demand swiftly exceeded supply after Jaguar initially laid down plans to build the car in relatively small numbers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was an instant hit on racing circuits too: little more than a month after the launch, Graham Hill took a roadster to victory on its debut at Oulton Park. Chassis 875027, the focus of this story, was the first E-type campaigned by American racing entrepreneur Briggs Cunningham’s famous team and its performances helped persuade Jaguar to use the E-type as the basis for a competition thoroughbred that has become one of the most coveted of all time: the Lightweight.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe E-type evolved from a distinguished series of Jaguar sports cars that notched up a sequence of victories at Le Mans in the 1950s. The car’s development is covered in detail and illustrated with exquisite cutaways.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBriggs Cunningham had an interesting tale to tell away from motorsport – as did many of his racing companions. He skippered the winning yacht in the America’s Cup; his right-hand man Alfred Momo won the Targa Florio as a co-driver, aged 14, and later climbed onto the wing of an airborne biplane to repair a leaking fuel line. Their contrasting backgrounds are covered in detail.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBefore aligning with Jaguar, Cunningham harboured hopes of putting together an all-American team capable of winning the Le Mans 24 Hours. His eponymous cars made their mark, without ever quite fulfilling his dream, and feature as part of an engaging wider story.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIn addition to running some of motorsport’s best-known names, including Bruce McLaren, Dan Gurney and Jack Brabham, Cunningham was also associated with several unsung heroes. Here, racers such as John Fitch, Phil Walters and Walt Hansgen receive the credit they deserve.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe book is handsomely illustrated with period photographs from some of the world’s most respected collections, as well as a gallery of studio photographs showing the car as it is today.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSpecification\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eISBN: 978-1-907085-81-9\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe author – Phillip Bingham\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePhillip Bingham has been writing about cars and motor sport for more than three decades, working in Britain and the USA as a journalist, author, and PR consultant.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePhillip started his career as a staff writer for the weekly newspaper Motoring News and monthly magazine Motor Sport, reporting in successive seasons on the Aurora British Formula 1 Championship, European Formula 2 Championship, and World Sportscar Championship. By also reporting on the BMW M1 Procar series, Phillip was introduced to many leading Formula One drivers of the time, and subsequently joined Automobile Sport magazine as Grand Prix Correspondent.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAfter all this globe-trotting, Phillip spent 18 months in London as Deputy Editor of Performance Car magazine. This led to a 14-year association with the USA’s best-selling automotive publication, Motor Trend, first as Los Angeles-based International Editor, then as UK-based European Editor in a freelance capacity.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFreelance status allowed Phillip to also write for other motoring magazines around the world and to establish and run a specialist motorsports PR agency, Media Matters, which represented clients such as Total Oil and Vauxhall Motors during the halcyon days of the British Touring Car Championship. Phillip later also handled PR for Automobili Lamborghini in the American Le Mans Series and Corvette Racing at Le Mans, and worked as strategist and writer on PR campaigns for big brands including Subaru and MINI USA.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePhillip says his most memorable working days will always be the 52 he spent in 2013 as writer-in-residence on Land Rover’s Silk Trail Expedition. This 11,000-mile trek from the UK to India traversed 13 nations and two continents on the dirt tracks, desert trails, and high mountain passes of the Silk Road trading routes which first connected Asia with Europe more than 2,500 years ago. Phillip has also written books about motor racing’s entry-level category, Formula Ford, and America’s favourite sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Porter Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55890883608961,"sku":null,"price":60.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0633\/0233\/6725\/files\/briggs-cunningham-racing-e-types-book.webp?v=1783510673","url":"https:\/\/store.hero-era.com\/products\/the-all-american-hero-and-jaguar-s-racing-e-types","provider":"HERO Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}