The Perfect Car: The Biography of John Barnard

John Barnard's biography is an excellent book. John is/was a true genius, responsible for many innovations including the carbon monocoque, paddle shift gearboxes, suspension flexures and much more. But like many geniuses he had a ferocious temper, ego and demand for perfection that held his career back from what could have been. This well written book explores both sides of his personality and the result is a well rounded picture of a complex man. Recent works by Newey and Brawn are good F1 design books but this is the best I've read so far. Huge at 600 pages but highly recommended. Plus a surprisingly warm ending featuring Ron Dennis that is truly a highlight. Well done Nick Skeens.

So grateful for beautiful prose style, meticulous detail, remarkably clear explanations of technical issues and achievements, keen eye for personality and nuance, effort to give all individuals their due. Thanks for this terrific book.

Interesting read. Very thorough, detailed and well researched with inputs from all the personnel involved. My only gripe is the seeming appeasement of John Barnard's raging ego. It seems he invented, well, just about everything. Occasionally a third party is mentioned as an "inspiration" to his invention. (Not an actual quote): "John had seen that square wheels were very inefficient and had noted that other teams had experimented with wheels that seemed to not have any flat sides. He then drew out the concept of the round wheel that revolutionized the sport and was immediately copied by the rest of the paddock."

Full of technical detail about a sport where a second's difference can define a career, and a brilliant man whose infinitely detailed and revolutionary contributions were compromised sometimes by his lack of people-science. As with the drivers who risk everything as they sit at the pinnacle of this demanding endeavor, so did Barnard.

I'm a tough customer - a lifelong club racer, designer, fabricator, student of racecar engineering, holder of hard learned lessons - and I'm constantly disappointed by these kinds of bio's. Newey's, Forghieri's, Bennett's, etc...sometimes interesting stories but always so light on tech that the rest couldn't make up for it. There's still not enough tech in John's book, though More than in anybody else's that side of Len Terry, but the Human stories More than make up for that. You know how much you love Mark Donohue's book? This is Even Better. The Epilogue had me in tears. Thanks for sharing John, and Thanks too to Nick Skeens who tied it all together beautifully.

Any fan of the sport that followed these cars and races and personalities at the time, and perhaps longed for blanks to be filled-in will find this book a completion of a chain. The Parnelli and Chapparal days until now have not received their just attention.

A compelling and thorough biography of arguably the best Formula One designer ever. Skeen really knows his stuff and this book was painstakingly researched. I didn’t care for many of Skeen’s “humorous” anecdotes about Barnard- maybe it’s just British humor? The biggest disappointment was the complete lack of photos or appendix. I found myself constantly leaving the book to google this car or hat one to get a visual idea of what he was talking about. Even the sample version had photos. Come on, Amazon!

The book is an excellent resume for John Barnard’s engineering experiences, I liked the “fly on the wall” subjectivity the author used which left me in awe of Mr. Barnard’s impressive groundbreaking innovations, particularly the ubiquitous use of carbon fiber to make motor racing as safe as it is today, and the Formula 3 raging driver Sophia Florsch should thank Mr. Barnard’s carbon fiber monocoque Invention for surviving the Macau Formula 3 fatal air borne accident. It’s ironic witnessing the Macau Formula 3 accident at the same time I’m reading The Perfect Car and seeing who was responsible for saving Sophia’s life

私にとっての、No1エンジニアはジョンバーナード。 今でこそ、ニューウェイなどの価値が高まり、バーナードは頑固ゆえの気難しさで９０年代までの活躍で 若い人にはあまり評価が高くなくなっていますが、近代F1のエンジニアリングの基礎、それはボルトから ホイールナットに至るまで簡素化と基礎エンジニアリングのメインストリームを作り上げた天才エンジニアです。 この本は基本はバーナードの経歴を追う形で書かれていますので、エンジニアリングの解説本ではありませんが MP4シリーズ前の経歴などはなかなか貴重に感じます。 本来はバーナードにエンジニアリング解説本とか書いてほしいかなと思うのですが、それはちょっと無理かもなあ・・・。

I've been waiting for this book for a long, long time. The book fills in a lot of the gaps that I had during a time I became in love with the sport of F1. From design to politics, it covers it all and in great detail. Can't wait to read it all again :)

To the reviewer who criticized John Barnard as being a huge ego - well it is a biography not an autobiography and Mr. Barnard is not tooting his own horn! There is no doubt that John Barnard is a genius and working for John wasn't easy - he doesn't suffer fools and even really bright people gladly. It is a warts and all biography and kudos for Mr. Barnard to give it his blessing. Clearly he is one of the major links in moving racing from an expensive hobby to the highly sophisticated industry it has become and creating the culture necessary to do that. The book is well written and engaging and gives you a feel for what John is all about. I think photographs of his various cars, colleagues and innovations would help to break it up.

The Perfect Car: The Biography of John Barnard is a meticulously researched and insightful deep dive into the life and career of one of Formula 1’s most influential designers. Skeens captures Barnard’s relentless pursuit of perfection, detailing his ground breaking innovations—from the carbon-fibre monocoque at McLaren to the semi-automatic gearbox at Ferrari. Barnard’s experimental zero-drag radiator design, inspired by Spitfire aircraft, exemplifies his fearless approach to engineering. Although it faced challenges in execution, it highlighted his bold vision for aerodynamics and cooling efficiency in F1. What sets this book apart is its human element. While Barnard’s technical genius is well-documented, Skeens also explores his personal struggles, his uncompromising nature, and the political battles within F1 teams. The book doesn’t shy away from Barnard’s difficult relationships with colleagues, making it a balanced and honest portrayal of a visionary who reshaped motorsport. For F1 enthusiasts and design aficionados alike, The Perfect Car is a must-read—a fascinating blend of engineering brilliance and personal ambition.

Excellent book that shows in details the mindset of one of the brightest heads in the History of Formula 1 and the history behind many motor racing technical breakthroughs.