Go like heck

Many of the scenes in The Racecar Alphabet are either of actual raceways, or stand in for moments in the history of racing. The night scene on the V page, for instance, is meant to represent the 24-hour road race at Le Mans. Now there’s a new book about Ford’s efforts during the 1960s to wrest dominance of Le Mans from Ferrari, Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans, by A. J. Baime, reviewed here in the Times, that sounds like a lot of fun, if your interests go in that direction.

This also serves as an excuse to mention that I recently received a copy of The Racecar Alphabet from its latest reprinting — its tenth time back to the presses, I’m happy to say. (Tenth big printing? No. But tenth printing!) Thanks to everyone who’s picked up a copy!