“POWER UNLEASHED: Trailblazers Who Energised Engines with Supercharging and Turbocharging,” by Karl Ludvigsen, is now available in the U.S. This three-volume work by the award-winning author takes the reader on a tour of supercharging and turbocharging throughout automotive and aviation history.
Key Content in the Three Volumes:
- Volume 1, “Rushing Toward the Racing Zenith, 1890s to 1950s,” begins by introducing the pioneers who first won races with blowers in 1910 and then took to the air with supercharging in the Great War.
- Inventive ideas for piston-type blowers, roots-type, centrifugal, screw-type, vane-type, exhaust-driven turbos and other new compressor technologies.
- How Fiat, Mercedes and Duesenberg vied to be first in racing with blowers in the early 1920s, sparking worldwide interest in exotic supercharged road and track cars that also embraced the likes of Alfa Romeo, Bentley, MG, Miller, Sunbeam and many more.
- Volume 2, “Wartime Boost to Forced Induction, 1930s to 1970s,” focuses on the huge strides made in supercharging and turbocharging in World War II by Allied and Axis combatants.
- Post-war America powered ahead with turbocharging’s proliferation in racing at Indianapolis, followed by wider use from the 1970s for passenger cars and racers, most notably Formula One’s 1,500-horsepower projectiles.
- Volume 3, “Turbo Triumphs on Road and Track, 1970s to 2020s,” introduces the many and varied applications of boosting for petrol and diesel engines through to the present day.
- Why and how the 21st century sees sweeping conversion of both road and racing cars to forced induction for higher efficiency and the ultimate in road-burning performance.
The three volumes contain over 3,500 rare and historic images of superchargers and turbochargers, along with their designers and the cars and aircraft that have carried their creations.
According to Evro Publishing, “Power Unleashed” is a work of astonishing depth and detail. Greatly respected for his ability to communicate information while telling a compelling story, Ludvigsen explores the global saga of supercharging and turbocharging. Complete with reader-friendly technical descriptions and illustrations, he introduces the fascinating individuals who bet their businesses on boosting.
About the Author: Karl Ludvigsen
Ludvigsen has held senior positions with GM, Fiat and Ford, as well as a motor-industry management-consulting company. Active for over 70 years as an author and historian, Ludvigsen first studied supercharging applications in 1955 while attending Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute. He had a piece published by Automobile Quarterly in 1970 entitled “The Origins of Supercharging,” for which he interviewed many pioneers of the art. As author, co-author or editor, Ludvigsen has some six dozen books to his credit, including “The V12 Engine,” “Classic Racing Engines”, and “Bentley’s Great Eight.” He has received 73 awards for his writing and research.