“Corvette Racing” by David Kimble: A Review

Before I began reading Corvette Racing by David Kimble, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve read automotive literature before, but nothing of this style where the whole racing history of an iconic sports car is explained (and shown) in great detail. It only took a few pages for me to realize that I would be hooked.

Corvette Racing is all about the history of the iconic American sports car and its racing pedigree. Starting at the very beginning with the original 1953 Corvette, the book takes you through every year of the Corvette’s history up to 2012 with a focus on development, technology, race teams and results, pricing and sales figures, and VIPs from the Corvette’s development.

The book is filled with great photos and illustrations that go right along with the text. You’ll see Corvettes of all shapes and sizes trading paint with the on-track competition, renderings of several generations of V8 engines, technical drawings and photos of chassis, engine, and body technologies through the years, and the faces of the men and women who played major roles in the success of the Corvette.

My favorite parts of the book were the details of the research and developments that have taken the Corvette from what it was in 1953 to what it is today. Everything from drag coefficients and aerodynamics, to carburetors, cross ram intakes, RPO designations, tires, wheels, chassis technology, gearboxes, gauge clusters, interiors, advanced materials, and other topics are described in fair detail, in an easy to understand manner.

I also enjoyed reading the details of many important races in the Corvette’s long road racing history. David Kimble does a great job explaining how several races panned out for various Corvette racing teams throughout the years, filling you in on who was involved with the team, who the racers were, which numbers were on the cars, the corporate sponsors, and the paint jobs.

There’s really only one complaint I have about the book, which is that some of the subtext that describe the pictures is lifted straight from the main text, so that in some cases you read the same few sentences twice. Considering this is my biggest complaint, it should be easy to understand that this is a quality book that is well written.

For the car guys of the world, I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you have any interest in motor racing or classic cars. Even if you aren’t much of a car guy, I could see this being the sort of book that could convert someone into a gear head, or at least a Corvette fan. The Corvette is America’s greatest sports car, and is certainly automotive eye-candy. Who isn’t at least a little bit interested in it?

In the end, Corvette Racing by David Kimble exposes the soul of America’s greatest sports car and its racing heritage, and is a memorable read.