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Jim Clark had a towering ability to get the maximum out of any car he drove, without appearing to be trying hard. Motor racing found in this gentle Scottish farmer a World Champion of great humility, for Clark appeared to have trouble appreciating just how great his own talent was. He raced in an era when chivalry was still an intrinsic part of the game, and he never resorted to underhand tactics. He started racing in a friend's cars, initially without the knowledge of his parents. Before long he had graduated to the famous Border Reivers team's Jaguar D Type, and soon the motor racing world was taking notice of his prowess. He won races in a Lotus Elite and a Lister Jaguar to underline his ability, but when a drive with Aston Martin's Grand Prix team collapsed together with the project, he signed for Formula Two and Formula Junior with Lotus. It was to prove the start of one of the most remarkable team owner/driver relationships in history.

Mario Andretti's life story captures the essence of the great American dream. Born near Trieste, Italy, in the early months of the Second World War, his family spent the first seven years of his life in a displaced persons camp before immigrating to the USA in 1955. Childhood memories of Alberto Ascari and the Mille Miglia fueled Mario's passion for racing, a passion that was to take him to the very top as the 1978 Formula 1 World Champion, as well as to a glorious reputation as one of racings most versatile drivers of all time, winning regularly not only in F1 but also in Champ cars, oval races and long-distance sports car races. He made the transition to F1 like a duck to water, qualifying in pole position in his first race for Lotus in 1968. He secured his first F1 win in 1971 when he drove for Ferrari at Kyalami but he did not join F1 full-time until 1975 with the Parnelli team. It was a disappointing year for Andretti and it prompted him to rejoin Lotus for the following season. After a disappointing start, results started to improve towards the end of 1976, culminating in a win at the seasons finale in Japan leading to the 1978 Drivers Championship with victories in six Grand Prix. His retirement was short-lived when he answered a call from Ferrari in 1982. It was a fitting end to Andrettis F1 career when he was asked to replace the injured Didier Pironi and race for the Italian team at Monza. Much to the admiration of the Italian fans, Andretti finished third and was asked to race in the final GP of the season at Las Vegas, where he was forced to retire with suspension problems. He was 53 years old when he won his last Champcar race at Phoenix, Arizona, in 1993, and although he celebrated his 60th birthday at the start of 2000 he was still angling after a drive at Le Mans. He remains the elder statesman of US racing and is now helping to guide the career of his grandson Marco, who tested an F1 car for Honda in December 2006.

Following the success of its sister volume, which covered the 1970s, this book features another classic era as Formula 1 - attracting growing interest via TV - became a mainstream sport. The 1980s saw the emergence of McLaren and Williams as the dominant teams. Normally aspirated engines gave way to more powerful turbocharged units, before the regulations changed in 1989 to favor non-turbo motors again. The defining drivers were Gilles Villeneuve, Alan Jones, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. The 1980s saw the demise of the privateer entrants as technology and costs escalated.

Along with Stirling Moss and Gilles Villeneuve, Ronnie Peterson is widely regarded as one of the fastest drivers never to have won the Formula One World Championship Like Moss and Villeneuve, the modest Swede was also massively popular in his day and remains something of a folk hero to today’s nostalgic fans, who recall his spectacular exuberance behind the wheel with such affection. This superbly produced book brings Peterson’s career vividly to life through stunning images sourced exclusively from LAT, the world’s largest library of motor racing images.

The outstanding images in this book chronicle the career of one of the most admired Grand Prix drivers in living memory - and surely the most loved in all of F1 history

Gilles Villeneuve's career statistics cannot even begin to explain the mystique. It was created over only four full seasons with Ferrari in F1, three of these with uncompetitive cars. He achieved only six victories from 67 starts, two pole positions, eight fastest laps and 107 championship points. He was one of the finest racing drivers never to become World Champion.

He possessed miraculous car control and frightening courage that could often overcome the flaws in his equipment. He thrilled spectators because he made them fear for his safety. He raced to win and, if that meant taking risks, so be it. He crashed often, and occasionally he broke his cars in his frustration, but he could wring from them performances far beyond their capabilities. Sometimes his starts almost defined belief, and always he was magnificent on a wet track. He never, ever, gave up.

He treated his racing cars with uncompromising brutality. Yet he was soft-natured, and emotional and devoted family man, loyal to his friends, charming to strangers. He was unwavering in his commitment to sportsmanship, to his inborn sense of right and wrong.

One dreadful day, incensed by an injustice, he took a risk too many. The memories he left us will stay with us always. There has never been a racing driver like Gilles Villeneuve. It is impossible to believe there ever will be.