Book Review: Into the Red, Nick Mason & Mark Hales (Virgin Books £25)

Almost as good as the real thing

How can anyone be so immoderately fortunate as the Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason? It is just not fair.

Mason nurtures a lifelong love affair with automobiles, and has a priceless collection of 22 - ranging from the Panhard B1 to the Ferrari 312T3 that Gilles Villeneuve raced in the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix. Not only have these cars shaped a century of motor sport, but he uses all of them in competition.

Along with Mark Hales, Mason track tests all the cars at Silverstone and the book is accompanied by a CD. First published six years ago, Into the Red has been updated with his latest car, the fabulous McLaren F1 GTR.

The wonderful photography brings to life the 1927 Bugatti T35B, lays bare the simplicity of the ERA B Type and accentuates the lines of the Maserati 250F, Jaguar D-Type and Ferrari 250GTO. Driving any of the cars in Mason's collection is beyond the reach of all but a privileged few - this is the next best thing.