Description
Author: George Monkhouse, Hardbound, 167 Pages, ISBN: monkhouse1938 - First Edition, 1938 - **very rare Second-Hand book in excellent condition!**
While reading the proofs of this book I heard the terrible news of Bernd Rosemeyer's tragic death, which has robbed the world of one of its greatest drivers. He was killed on 28th January, 1938, when trying to regain the record taken from him earlier in the day by Rudolf Caracciola.
Driving the streamlined Mercedes, Caracciola had made two runs on the Frankfurt-Darmstadt Autobahn, covering a mile at the colossal average speed of 268.3 miles per hour, thus handsomely beating Rosemeyer's Auto-Union record of 253 miles per hour made last October.
Notwithstanding a gusty wind, Rosemeyer took out the Auto-Union and made several trial runs. On the actual record attempt, however, the car had covered the flying kilometre, failing to beat Caracciola by a small margin, when on coming through a cutting a gust of wind caught the tail of the Auto-Union and sent it into a broadside.
The car was completely out of control, even for Rosemeyer, and somersaulted several times end over end.
Rosemeyer was flung out and killed instantly.
* From the author's Foreword
