How to Build a Car

By: Adrian Newey

Narrated by: Richard Trinder

Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's Summary

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 35-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 and Sebastian Vettel, 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.

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.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2017 Adrian Newey (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic Reviews

"The greatest Formula One designer of his - or any other - age." ( The Sunday Times)

"Newey has a legitimate claim on the title of 'Britain's greatest living engineer'." ( The Daily Telegraph)

"Adrian Newey has created more winners than all the super-brain computers in Formula One put together." ( The Times)

if you like f1 or you're a gear head this is great

Adrian tells a great story through his builds and the experiences and characters he meets along the way. Would highly recommend this to anyone with F1 interests.

BEST BOOK EVER!

This is one of the best books I’ve ever heard before! Great for people who are very enthusiastic about motorsport racing. This book has lead me to what field of business I want to work in and he explained it so well. Get this book if you definitely like the thrill of racing and engineering!

Great book for the modern F1 enthusiast!

Fascinating look into the design, production, and racing of some of the most exciting formula 1 cars of the last two decades.

Awesome

I've always loved F1 and the cars. Having the engineers perspective and insight on the whole scene was great. As an aspiring engineer his story was very inspiring.

A must read for all petrol heads!

An engineering life well lived and a story very well told! Kept me riveted while not being too technical. I utilized the audiobook and the hours turned to minutes as the reader was pleasant and the story was captivating. Enjoy!

Story of man and his passions

As a life long fan of motor racing of all kinds and a relatively newer fan of Formula 1, this narrative was a fantastic way to deliver the parallels of life and Motorsport. I would highly recommend this to anyone, regardless of if they liked Motorsport or not. Newey is a fascinating man and his story is worth listening too.

Detailed and Insightful

Awesome read for all petrol heads.
Current cars are 1.6 L in displacement not 1.5...plz fix it.

Excellent technical journey into the sport of F1!

I really related to the author when it came to getting excited about the technology side of racing. What an amazing career!

A great look into the mind of an absolute genius!

Very few people have taken the time to record personal events in the motorsport world. I read every book on the subject I can find and this is one the best I have ever read!

One of my favorite books on racing

If you could sum up How to Build a Car in three words, what would they be?

Personal story of passion

Who was your favorite character and why?

Senna. Some great insight into his driving style and personality. Though Newey himself comes out as quite an unpredictable man of genius

Which scene was your favorite?

Newey crashing into things.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes for sure. but then I loved stretching it out. didn't want it to end

Any additional comments?

Racing fans should read this

So much better than you think it will be!

Don't worry it's not too technical.
Funny, entertaining, fascinating, historical, nostalgic. A must listen for any F1 fan.

If you listen to Damon Hill's and Mark Webber's books aswel there's some nice overlap with some of the stories - so you get at least two perspecitves on some events.

For me I expected it to be a dry, tiring listen full of technical babble I didn't understand - given the subject and what I have seen of Adrian Newey interviews. Couldn't be more wrong. He is extremely funny, explains everything in a way that you can relate to and understand (think of that teacher at school who just had a way of explaining things that made everything make sense to you).

I was unsure about this book... I bought it and now have listend to it twice, and enjoyed every minute both times.
Trust me, just buy it, you WILL enjoy it!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

engineer's/Motorsport must read this

a must read for engineering and Motorsport enthusiasts. inspirational. fascintaing hearing about performance efficiency energy tactics and aerodynamics

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Very nerd orientated

Great if you are interested in F1, which I am, but probably hard to follow if not

A must for F1 fans.

A gripping listen from start to finish. From those who like the drama to those who like the details of the minutiae, this covers all. Also, Trinder’s narration is incredibly well suited.

Fantastic book, dreadful narrator

If you are into motorsport this book is really interesting, a great insight to a motorsport legend who had great success on both sides of the Atlantic.

Only probably I had was the narrator and his shocking pronunciation and his appalling impressions of accents. He really did spoil the experience of the book but I couldn’t let that reflect in my rating of a book - it’s not Adrian’s fault audible hired this dreadful guy!

Brilliant

For anyone interested in cars or any motor racing, this is a must. Explains things in detail with which you can easily imagine what he is referring to. interesting view into the world of F1

brilliant!

Really interesting book, from both nerdy car design and autobiography perspectives. The book is an emotional ride covering my years as a F1 fan - highly recommended!

Good listen if your into F1

The narrator obviously had very little knowledge of Formula 1, mispronouncing several of the Circuits. Also there was not emotion placed on the Narration.

The story was interesting if your a fan of Formula 1 and your old enough to remember the races in the 80s, 90s & 00s.

You probably need to be an F1 fan to enjoy

Excellent listen if you are interested in the development of the F1 car from the mid eighties to the present day. Not a great deal of focus on the personalities if this is what you are after. Let down by a slightly boring delivery and much mispronouncing of names.

Audiobook destroyed by the narrator not being the author

What a shame! I would have loved for this tale to have been read by the author, but the personal nature of the autobiography is destroyed by the narrator. The voice just doesn’t fit the gentle, husky tones that Adrian Newley possesses, so the telling of the story automatically feels distant and fake. Then there are the cringeworthy moments when the narrator puts on foreign accents! Sorry, this just isn’t for me.