TodayApril 15, 2022

The World’s most exciting cars by Basem Wasef

Automotive journalists travel the world looking at some of the most beautiful cars in the World. Basem Wasef has chronicled his adventures from the Arctic Circle to Modena, Italy back to his home in Los Angeles, CA. He has attended the most prestigious Concours’, from Villa d’Este to Pebble Beach. The book is brought to you through the eyes of a windshield, a personal perspective breaking the cars down into seven distinct area of thought that allows you to follow the growth of the supercar.

Wasef goes through each car adding fun facts, historical tidbits and key people that really brought each car to fruition. The forward gave us a glimpse of the book, “When Lamborghini unleashed its Miura on an unsuspecting world in 1966, it set off a high-performance arms race that continues to this day. Ferrari, Maserati, Jaguar, Porsche, and Lotus all accepted the challenge. Over the following five decades, numerous others stepped up, including stalwarts like Aston Martin, BMW, and Audi, as well as small-volume specialists such as Koenigsegg, Pagani, Noble, and Spyker. The result is a veritable smorgasbord of blazingly fast and delicious-looking land missiles available to anyone with several hundred thousand dollars to spare.”

Wasef’s favorite part of the book “was describing the supercars of my youth, the ones I had on posters on my wall; cars like the Lamborghini Countach, Ferrari F40, and McLaren F1. That sense of fascination and awe is what supercars are all about. The most difficult part was creating a throughline between all the different elements that make up supercar history– choosing the personalities, test tracks, and technology that makes these vehicles so exceptional. But when these elements are viewed together, it helps paint a picture of how art, science, and history came together to create the supercar genre.”

The cutest part of Basem’s life that I didn’t know about was that when Basem Wasef was a child in London, he was known to sing Happy Birthday to his extensive collection of Matchbox cars.”

The book takes you through seven great categories and some of the most beautiful cars in the World.

Buy the book, learn about these beautiful cars, the design and the hallowed grounds you should visit if you are a car enthusiast.

Groundbreakers

Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Gullwing”
Ferrari 250 GTO
Ford GT40
Lamborghini Miura
Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona
Lamborghini Countach LP400
Porsche 930 Turbo Carrera
Ferruccio Lamborghini

Eye for Design

Dangerous Curves
The Wedge
Scoops, Ducts and Vents
The Downforce Game
Form Battles Function
Biomimicry Incarnate
Super SUVs
Gordon

1980s Renaissance

Lamborghini Countach LP500S
Porsche 959
Ferrari F40
Ferrari Testarossa
Vector W8
BMW M1
Lotus Esprit Turbo
Carroll Shelby

Tech revolution

Engine Configurations
Carbon Fiber Construction
Turbocharging
Carbon Ceramic Brakes
Traction Control
Active Aerodynamics
Hybrid Powertrains
Where the Rubber Meets the Road
Gian Paolo Dallara

Modern Milestones

Jaguar XJ220
McLaren F1
Porsche Carrera GT
Ford GT
Ferrari Enzo
Lamborghini Aventador
Bugatti Chiron
Pagani Huayra
Koenigsegg Agera RS
Ferrari LaFerrari
Porsche 918 Spyder
McLaren P1
Enzo Ferrari

Sacred Ground

Modena
Sant’Agata Bolognese
Stuttgart
Nardo
Ehra-Leissen
Nürburgring Nordschleife
Ferdinand Piëch

Indie Spirit

Gumpert
SSC
Hennessey
Saleen
Noble
Cizeta
Christian Von Koenigsegg

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Lou Ann Hammond

Lou Ann Hammond is the CEO of Carlist and Driving the Nation. She is the co-host of Real Wheels Washington Post carchat every Friday morning and is the Automotive, energy correspondent for The John Batchelor Show and a Contributor to Automotive Electronics magazine headquartered in Korea. Hammond is a founding member of the Women's World Car of the Year #WWCOTY, and board member of the Women in Automotive.

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