Automobile Year

This lavishly produced tome must require approximately one giant redwood per copy. It weighs as much as a Lennox Lewis punch: do not drop it on the cat.

Automobile Year, of which this is the 39th edition, is edited by Ian Norris, published in the UK by Motor Racing Publications and costs £27.95. It differs from other motoring annuals in that it covers both industry and the sport in great depth. Photography in both sections is lavish, though there are a few too many PR handout shots in the road car section.

The sports coverage is not the most comprehensive you can find, but it compensates with its breadth and a detailed results appendix. There are perceptive analyses of F1, F3000, Group C, CART, NASCAR, IMSA and the World Rally Championship, though the early publication date means that the outcome of the Cataluña and RAC Rallies and hence the destiny of the championship title was unknown at the time of going to press.

As it stands, it is thus an excellent record of most of the year. SA