---
product_id: 48468069
title: "How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Formula 1 Designer"
price: "VT17600"
currency: VUV
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 9
url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/48468069-how-to-build-a-car-the-autobiography-of-the-world
store_origin: VU
region: Vanuatu
---

# Exclusive original illustrations Detailed engineering insights 35 years F1 design mastery How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Formula 1 Designer

**Price:** VT17600
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 🏁 Unlock the secrets behind the world’s fastest machines — before your rivals do!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Formula 1 Designer
- **How much does it cost?** VT17600 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/48468069-how-to-build-a-car-the-autobiography-of-the-world)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Rare Visual Access:** Beautifully illustrated with never-before-seen technical drawings that bring the art of car design to life.
- • **Engineering Demystified:** Comprehensive yet engaging breakdowns of how cutting-edge race cars actually work — perfect for aspiring engineers and F1 fans alike.
- • **A Unique Narrative Track:** Experience Newey’s career mapped as a race track, making complex history easy to navigate and impossible to put down.
- • **Insider Motorsport Stories:** Explore pivotal moments in F1 history through the eyes of a legendary designer — from Senna’s era to Red Bull’s dominance.
- • **Masterclass in Formula 1 Innovation:** Dive deep into Adrian Newey’s unrivalled 35-year career shaping the fastest cars on the planet.

## Overview

How to Build a Car is the definitive autobiography of Adrian Newey, the most successful Formula 1 designer in history. Spanning over 35 years, it offers a rare blend of personal memoir, technical insight, and exclusive illustrations. This book is a must-have for motorsport enthusiasts, engineers, and anyone fascinated by the art and science of race car design.

## Description

Buy How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Formula 1 Designer 1 by Newey, Adrian, Coulthard, David (ISBN: 9780008196806) from desertcart's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

Review: Perfect for any racing fan - Perfect for any racing fan. I've spent this weekend thoroughly engrossed in this account of the infamous Adrian Newey's life with cars. It spans from his earliest childhood memories to his current Formula One career with Redbull Racing / Redbull Advanced Technologies; charting both personal and professional insights with his likeable, firm but fair style. As a Formula One fan since childhood I was delighted to receive a review copy from the publisher to be able to compare to the many F1 autobiographies and history books I've read across the years; I have to say this is one of my personal favourites as Newey is such an innovator of the sport and has such breadth and history amongst the pivotal teams in the sport that it is packed with detail and such a unique insight. From the early days of Fittipaldi, the internal politics at Williams, Senna's tragic Imola crash, the regulation changes in the sport over the years, highs and lows at McLaren and the evolution of Redbull Racing, the story of Newey's career is told in a clever concept that charts the chapters by each one of his historic car design concepts from the March 83G to the RB8 and formats them as a race track (his early years are "On the Grid", then his career moves are each divided in to "turns" as a track is designed). This concept is inspired; helpful as a historical guide across modern F1 history and good for quick reference if you prefer to dip in and out of the book. This book would make an ideal purchase for anyone with a love of motorsport, but also any interested in engineering/aerodynamic concepts or design. The illustrations provided for each car are just fantastic and provide such detail about key features, specifically regulation change innovations. There is a lot of technical terminology used but most important concepts are explained within each discussion and there is a handy glossary at the back if anything needs further explanation. There is so much to love about this book and I have been raving about it to several fellow F1 fans. I found it provided some important opinion on a lot of key issues within the sport that have been talked about over the years (diffusers, KERS, team fallouts) ; to hear Newey's opinion and take on such matters (as he's not typically one of the outspoken people within the sport) was very interesting, and amongst other autobiographies such as Mark Webber's Aussie Grit etc you see a broad picture of what was often left unexplained or given a media spin at the time. I found it fascinating how despite being such an innovator of modern car technology Newey prefers old school drawing by hand to any technical computerised drawings; having an old drawing board that has literally followed him from each role. It is telling how Newey seems discontent with the current state of the sport, a feeling echoed by many fans, and perhaps clearly indicates the divide of direction that has crept up over the past decade.
Review: A must for F1 fans. - Absolutely brilliant book,thoroughly enjoyed reading about Adrian’s remarkable career in F1,a true genius,who is without doubt,one of Formula One’s greatest designers.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | 3,908 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 1 in Automobile Engineering |
| Customer reviews | 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (8,829) |
| Dimensions  | 19.1 x 3.8 x 24 cm |
| Edition  | 1st |
| ISBN-10  | 000819680X |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0008196806 |
| Item weight  | 294 g |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 400 pages |
| Publication date  | 2 Nov. 2017 |
| Publisher  | HarperCollins |

## Images

![How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Formula 1 Designer - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71WwS9zj2qL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Perfect for any racing fan
*by G***A on 12 December 2017*

Perfect for any racing fan. I've spent this weekend thoroughly engrossed in this account of the infamous Adrian Newey's life with cars. It spans from his earliest childhood memories to his current Formula One career with Redbull Racing / Redbull Advanced Technologies; charting both personal and professional insights with his likeable, firm but fair style. As a Formula One fan since childhood I was delighted to receive a review copy from the publisher to be able to compare to the many F1 autobiographies and history books I've read across the years; I have to say this is one of my personal favourites as Newey is such an innovator of the sport and has such breadth and history amongst the pivotal teams in the sport that it is packed with detail and such a unique insight. From the early days of Fittipaldi, the internal politics at Williams, Senna's tragic Imola crash, the regulation changes in the sport over the years, highs and lows at McLaren and the evolution of Redbull Racing, the story of Newey's career is told in a clever concept that charts the chapters by each one of his historic car design concepts from the March 83G to the RB8 and formats them as a race track (his early years are "On the Grid", then his career moves are each divided in to "turns" as a track is designed). This concept is inspired; helpful as a historical guide across modern F1 history and good for quick reference if you prefer to dip in and out of the book. This book would make an ideal purchase for anyone with a love of motorsport, but also any interested in engineering/aerodynamic concepts or design. The illustrations provided for each car are just fantastic and provide such detail about key features, specifically regulation change innovations. There is a lot of technical terminology used but most important concepts are explained within each discussion and there is a handy glossary at the back if anything needs further explanation. There is so much to love about this book and I have been raving about it to several fellow F1 fans. I found it provided some important opinion on a lot of key issues within the sport that have been talked about over the years (diffusers, KERS, team fallouts) ; to hear Newey's opinion and take on such matters (as he's not typically one of the outspoken people within the sport) was very interesting, and amongst other autobiographies such as Mark Webber's Aussie Grit etc you see a broad picture of what was often left unexplained or given a media spin at the time. I found it fascinating how despite being such an innovator of modern car technology Newey prefers old school drawing by hand to any technical computerised drawings; having an old drawing board that has literally followed him from each role. It is telling how Newey seems discontent with the current state of the sport, a feeling echoed by many fans, and perhaps clearly indicates the divide of direction that has crept up over the past decade.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A must for F1 fans.
*by C***. on 21 April 2026*

Absolutely brilliant book,thoroughly enjoyed reading about Adrian’s remarkable career in F1,a true genius,who is without doubt,one of Formula One’s greatest designers.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good
*by D***N on 19 February 2018*

Generally interesting and user-friendly, so very readable. Newey's work in terms of results speaks for itself and has been mostly excellent. Not so, unfortunately, for his ghost writer on this - his grammar is sometimes dodgy and there are quite a few solecisms. The book also seems to have benefitted from only superficial copy editing as there are frequent typos. However, Newey himself has a good story to tell, with many years of innovative thinking and doing; his approach is well portrayed by the illustrations (his freehand drawing). It's also fair to say that it takes some doing to explain the more arcane aspects of vehicle aerodynamics, and this book achieves that to some extent. For £10 this is really good value and is a nice thing in itself - size, weight, quality of paper/printing and binding.

## Frequently Bought Together

- How To Build A Car
- Grand Prix: An Illustrated History of Formula 1
- The Formula: How Rogues, Geniuses, and Speed Freaks Reengineered F1 into the World's Fastest-Growing Sport

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*Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu*
*Store origin: VU*
*Last updated: 2026-05-09*