Over the course of a 60-year career, Bob Riley has been an active participant in events at the heart of American motor racing. From the airport racing era in the late 1950s to the Formula Vee craze of the 1960s to Le Mans, Indianapolis and Daytona, Riley has seen racing history first hand and created some, too.

In “The Art of Race Car Design,” Riley shares his insights on drawing cars and later creating them on computers as well as the experience of working with some of America’s best known teams and drivers. It’s a tale told with candor, modesty and humor about what it’s like to work in racing’s big leagues.

How Riley emerged from building junkyard hot rods in southern Louisiana to become one of the most inventive designers at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the go-go years of the 1970s is a saga in itself. From Indy, he moved into his ultimate specialty of sports prototypes, starting with the outrageous, front-engined Mustang GTP. Along the way, he helped recast American GT and Trans-Am road racing with game-changing designs.

Since the Riley & Scott Mk. III appeared in the mid-1990s, no individual designer has had more success with sports prototypes including nine straight victories by the Riley Daytona Prototypes in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

The design embers continue to glow brightly. Riley and son Bill are building a new generation of sports prototypes at Riley Technologies in Mooresville, North Carolina destined to compete in major endurance racing events around the globe. 

Publisher: Icon Publications

Status: Out of Print (No Stock)

Number of pages: 192

Binding: HBD