NICK SKEENS
John Barnard revolutionised Formula 1, and motorsport as a whole, through his unrelenting quest for perfection in racing car design. Written with Barnards cooperation and with input from dozens of associates, drivers and rivals, this biography tells the entire story, both personal and professional, of a British design genius. Barnards technical achievements are explored in detail and in accessible language with special emphasis on his brilliant initiatives while at McLaren (the first carbon-fibre composite chassis) and Ferrari (the first semi-automatic gearbox). The Perfect Car is also a human-interest story, telling a tale of innovation under intense pressure while Barnard endeavoured to maintain a stable family life. This is a landmark book that will be relished by anyone interested in motorsport and design.
Formative years as an only child from an average background but with his engineering talent nurtured at home and at school.
Aged 23, his first motorsport job was with Lola (196872), followed by McLaren (197275), working on the M23 in which Emerson Fittipaldi became World Champion.
American interlude: F1 design with Parnelli, for the VPJ4 driven by Mario Andretti, then Indycar success with the sleek Chaparral 2K that brought Johnny Rutherford victory in the 1980 Indianapolis 500 and that years championship title.
Teaming up with Ron Dennis to achieve glory at McLaren, with 31 Grand Prix wins and three World Championship titles, for Niki Lauda (1984) and Alain Prost (198586), while introducing aerospace technology to F1. It was here that he developed his fearsome reputation as the sports Prince of Darkness.
Enzo Ferrari decided he needed Barnard, who achieved the unthinkable when he refused to relocate to Maranello and instead set up his own Ferrari facility near Guildford with the added benefit that he could go home for lunch.
After four years with Ferrari (198690), Barnard moved to Benetton (199093), where his general upgrade of design philosophy and build facilities helped give Michael Schumacher his first F1 win.
Ferrari, having slumped without him, enticed Barnard back for another four-year stay (199397) that laid the foundations for the all-conquering Schumacher years.
Subsequent F1 work with Arrows and Prost, plus a foray into MotoGP motorcycle racing and indulging his passion for furniture design.
