Duelling
at 400 mph just a few feet from sea surface left pilots little margin
for error. For over a decade, as aircraft of Great Britain, the United
States, France and Italy fought for the prize, the Schneider Trophy
represented the pinnacle of aviation development.
A
succession of world records fell to machines that combined
super-charged brute power with streamlined good looks. With the RAF’s
Supermarine S6B, legendary aircraft designer R.J Mitchell honed the
genius that produced the Spitfire, while Rolls-Royce advanced the
state-of-the-art with an powerful V-12 engine that paved the way for its
war-winning masterpiece, the Merlin.
Featuring
an extraordinary cast of characters, from Jimmy Doolittle to T.E.
Lawrence, and packed with tales of excitement, ingenuity, derring-do,
triumph and tragedy on every page, The Schneider Trophy Races brings vividly to life the world’s fastest motorsport.