Faster: How a Jewish Driver, an American Heiress, and a Legendary Car Beat Hitler's Best

I read Faster after reading The Boys in the Boat about USA rowing team winning in Berlin Olympics.Add in Jesse Owens and you will understand why the little man with the funny mustache was always yelling. This is actually a great historical story with just enough auto technology text to move the story along.

This is not written as a single story but jumps to talk about different competitors, manufacturers, and the changing politics and loyalties of the time that affected motorsport competition at the time. Not a fantastic read, but a very good one and well researched.

To say that I liked reading "Faster" is an understatement. In fact, I loved it so much that I made a point of not reading more than one chapter a day to make the enjoyment last longer! I also wanted to let it soak in as the book is so well researched and full of fascinating historical references.  I spent as much time searching for videos and photographs on the internet to complement the reading!It reminded me a lot of "Go Like Hell" written by AJ Baime as it provided me with a clear window to the past of Auto racing. The subsequent blockbuster movie "Ford vs Ferrari" was great, even though the book was better (pretty often right?).  I only hope that some producers will see that "Faster" would make for another incredible movie, like a prequel ?!Congratulations to the author!

Excellent Read

The story’s subtitle and the book’s description tell almost everything you need to know, but there’s more. American Lucy Schell and her totally dedicated French husband Laury (Lawrence) were not only auto racing enthusiasts, they were talented sports and rally car drivers too. And so they pursued their passion for racing and each other, producing two sons along the way. As their racing interests escalated, and there was nowhere else to go but up, they decided on Grand Prix racing. That’s where Rene Dreyfus entered the picture. Black-balled by the German and Italian racing teams because of his Jewish heritage, he was easily convinced to drive for the feisty heiress Lucy’s French team. Yeah, she was the boss. Plus she had the money and the personality needed to talk struggling auto maker Delahaye into building a car to her specifications. Together they couldn’t match Nazi Germany’s might, but they had what the Third Reich never had. They had heart.

I love f1 and this book tells about international open wheel racing in the era before modern f1. It’s well researched and well written. These drivers were real gunslingers and their game was dangerous. There was drama and surprise in those days.

After reading initial reviews, I was expecting a good book when I ordered this one. What I got was a gem that shines out among books about racing history and social history as well. I have been involved in auto racing my entire life and am a perpetual student of the history of all things racing. This book combines fascinating biographies of racers, designers, engineers, manufacturers and sponsors from The United States to the European continent and beyond. It all takes place during the 1930's as Hitler's Third Reich arose and engulfed so much of the culture in its geographic sphere. The framework of Bascomb's articulate and fascinating book is the Grand Prix racing circuit that was largely dominated by Hitler's pet automakers, Mercedes and Auto Union, with their exquisitely engineered performance demons, the Silver Arrows, piloted by the most talented and successful drivers of the day. Challenging this automotive powerhouse was American heiress Lucy Schell (a successful rally racer in her own right), her French race cars made by underdog Dellahaye and obscure driver Rene Dreyfus, a Jewish ace rejected by the Reich machine. Events culminate in a showdown at a wartime Grand Prix wherein Dreyfuss and the Schell team beat the Germans in a highly contentious setting. I especially liked Bascomb's portrayals of other drivers involved in the Grand Prix arena, including the Reich drivers who were not competing for the greater glory of the Reich as was expected by Hitler, but rather competing for the love of the sport. Anyone would enjoy this book, do not make the mistake of passing it thinking it is only about racing !

Loved this book! It zips along in its telling of the amazing life of little-known racecar driver Rene Dreyfus. Its set in an era when speed in cars meant so much more than today and the racing world grew into its prime. Pioneer car makers like Bugatti with his fascinating backstory, dominated Europe and the UK. I couldn't put it down.

An excellent account of the work done to produce a car that beat the state funded Silver Arrows.Would it have been possible with any other driver,or without his American benefactor?We will never know but reading this book gives a very good idea of the huge effort involved.

am not a race car aficionado or a mechanic or an expert in anything related to cars. yet loved to hear about all the details on what challenges they were experiencing at that time. Also the historical context was fascinating and an eye opener. excellent read by the talented writer @nealbascomb.

Good historically. Not too keen on the style of writing.

A very well researched book on a specialist subject but none the worse for it. Only downside is poor reproduction of photographs

Very good story a present much read