Etienne Psaila
For over a century, the 24 Hours of Le Mans has served as the crucible in which the world’s most extraordinary road cars are forged. Le Mans Legends: Road Cars Born on the Circuit is the definitive narrative history of how the world’s greatest endurance race has shaped the performance, design, and technology of roadgoing automobiles. From Bentley’s pre-war Speed Six and Alfa Romeo’s twin-cam thunder, through Ferrari’s golden age, Porsche’s fibreglass revolution, and Ford’s roaring comeback, to the carbon-hybrid marvels of the Hypercar era, this book reveals the direct DNA link between Le Mans prototypes and the machines we see on the road today.Award-winning automotive historian Etienne Psaila traces a riveting, fact-based story that blends engineering breakthroughs with cultural shifts and showroom evolution. With 24 richly written chapters and four detailed appendices, it shows how titanium conrods, monocoque tubs, disc brakes, spool-valve dampers, and hybrid torque-fill moved from pit lane to driveway-often within months. Accessible, elegant, and exacting, this is essential reading for motorsport lovers, supercar enthusiasts, and anyone who’s ever heard echoes of midnight Mulsanne in a city street.
