When Gordon Murray conceived and designed the McLaren F1, it was his goal to create the greatest sportscar the world had ever seen. Driving Ambition: The Official Inside Story of the McLaren F1 is the story of how he, along with McLaren boss Ron Dennis, BMW engine guru Paul Rosche and a talented staff made that dream into reality. The book begins from the time the F1 was an idea in Murray's mind and covers in detail the entire process of designing and building the car, with chapters devoted to aerodynamics, engine, gearbox and production. There are detailed comments from Murray throughout about how particular problems were met and overcome, along with duplicates of the handwritten notes and sketches that Murray made in his notebook along the way.

The book also covers the racing history of the F1 GTR, from its stunning debut in the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, when McLaren's finished 1-3-4-5 overall and astonished the racing world, to the BPR championship season in 1995 and the FIA GT seasons in 1996-97. With 628 color photos and 50 black & white illustrations, this hardbound book is the definitive volume on the creation and building of the McLaren F1. It is one of the most detailed books I have ever read on a single model and I highly recommend it. Driving Ambition is available for $65.95 from Classic Motorbooks at www.motorbooks.com or by calling 1-800-826-6600.