DESIRABLES
BRUN MOTORSPORT 1966–2009
The man, the machines and the mustache – the rise, fall and rise of the Porsche-beating privateer
Lime Rock Park: The Early Years 1955-1975
Few teams can claim to have defeated a Works racing outfit within just a year of setting up shop, but Walter Brun did just that. With 964 pages, this expansive, $495, three-volume set chronicles the life and works of ‘Walti’ between 1966 and 2009 – yet it is Brun Motorsport’s rise and fall from 1983 to 1991 that anchors the tale. But to focus on this era is to diminish the talents of one of Switzerland’s most driven performers. By the end of the 1960s he’d come to prominence in circuit racing and hillclimbing, winning a European title in the latter in 1971, the same year as his Le Mans class victory in a Porsche 907. After a decade of privateer racing in BMW Procars, DRM and endurance events, Walti moved into team management, and having bought the assets of the GS-Sport team, he purchased a Porsche 956. This brought Walti’s first Interserie win, and much more competitive showings in sportscar events. The second volume runs from 1984-87, and covers a tumultuous period. Successes soon followed, with Brun’s first WSC victories and a DRM title for Stefan Bellof, but it would be marked by tragedy. Bellof’s death at Spa in 1985 in a Brun car is still a great source of pain for Walti, as revealed in his foreword. However, it spurred the team on to greater success in 1986. Brun won the WSC, beating the Works Porsche team, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz, and would be highly competitive around the globe. That’d be the high point, though – from 1988, there was a disastrous foray into Formula 1 (as EuroBrun), and a brave but doomed attempt to build the team’s own endurance racer. By the end of 1991, it was all over. As covered in volume three, Walti stepped away from the limelight, taking the rest of the 1990s to pay off his debts. But the passion never went away, and in 2000 he returned to the track for sporadic GT racing efforts up to 2009. This is all captured in sumptuous archive photography, printed on quality paper. It’s a shame there isn’t space for Thomas Nehlert, Eckhard Schimpf and Peter Wyss to relay more tales of Walti’s unconventional antics. You do get fleeting hints of this character, with rare images of Brun gatecrashing Fiorano with a Porsche 959 for a magazine twin test with Gerhard Berger in a Ferrari F40 – the two swapping places midtrack, much to the chagrin of the Ferrari PR team. This is only a small moan, however, because this lovingly produced book, which was instigated by Brun’s son Sascha, is a delight for avowed Group C fans. Just 350 copies are being printed, and it comes highly recommended. sportfahrer-zentrale.com M1 MOMENTUM
The US’s oldest continuously operated road-racing circuit has had as much drama offtrack as on, with financial crises, legal wrangles and disputes with race organizers. Tragedy and turmoil were also backed up with superb action, and this 680-page, $225 book is brimming with stories and 900-plus images. Terry O’Neil’s tribute to ‘the road-racing center of the east’ is filled with intrigue, and a great sense of the early days. daltonwatson.com
Raoul ‘Sonny’ Balcaen
While most teenagers were building box carts, Sonny was crafting a Top Fuel dragster at home. He was always destined for great things, and his talents took him to the door of Lance Reventlow and the Scarab team. From there he became
Jim Hall’s crew chief and then embedded in Carroll Shelby’s team, before striking out on his own with IECO, tuning the Chevrolet Corvair and later assisting with the setting up of the Petersen Museum. Although Sonny rubbed shoulders with the greats, it doesn’t stop this being a refreshingly personal book ($40, 320 pages), and his tangible enthusiasm for motor sport and down-to-earth nature shine through – and that’s before you get to his other passion, wine. evropublishing.com
Saint Christophe: Dashboard Badges of the Golden Era of Motoring
While keeping an image of St Christopher, the patron saint of travelers, about yourself or your carriage was nothing new, by the 1920s a steady trade in intricate coins and medallions to be affixed to dashboards sprung up. Maximiliano Garay’s exquisite guide to the firms involved, such as Hermès, Lalique and Cartier, plus lovingly rendered imagery, make this 312-page, $90 book a fascinating read. Just 500 copies are being produced. artonwheels.com.ar 127
