Author: Karl Ludvigsen
Publisher: Evro Publishing
The biggest book ever supported by the MSMT, Karl Ludvigsen’s Power Unleashed, is a meticulous study of the history of supercharging and turbocharging, which comprises of three large-format volumes (within a slipcase), stretching to nearly 2,000 pages and containing three-quarters of a million words and 3,500 illustrations. The MSMT contributed towards the cost of compiling the index, which itself consumes 33 pages across the three volumes.
It is no exaggeration to state that Power Unleashed has been many decades in the making. The author’s first close encounter with supercharging occurred as a youth in the early 1950s when he redirected a ventilation tube to the carburettor of his mother’s 1949 Buick Super convertible. Supposed to deliver more oxygen by ram effect, this succeeded only in leaning out the mixture, to the dismay of the Buick dealer’s service staff in his hometown of Kalamazoo, Michigan; the budding young engineer learned that boost needed to be fed to the float bowl as well. He first wrote about forced induction in a 1970 issue of Automobile Quarterly, the research for which brought him into personal contact with some of the early exponents of this exotic art. Their recollections served him well when he began serious work on Power Unleashed 12 years ago.
Volume 1, ‘Rushing toward the racing zenith, 1890s to 1950s’, begins by introducing the bold pioneers who first won races with blowers in 1910 and then took to the air to gain altitude with supercharging in the Great War. Fiat, Mercedes and Duesenberg vied to be first in racing with blowers in the early 1920s, sparking a world-wide swathe of interest in exotic supercharged road and track cars that also embraced the likes of Alfa Romeo, Bentley, MG, Miller, Sunbeam and many more.
As befits its title, ‘Wartime boost to forced induction, 1930s to 1970s’, Volume 2’s focus is 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.
Volume 3, ‘Turbo triumphs on road and track, 1970s to 2020s’, explores the wider use of turbocharging for passenger cars and racers, most notably Formula 1’s 1,500-horsepower projectiles of the 1980s. Into the 21st century turbocharging has found its way into more and more cars to enhance both performance and fuel efficiency.
Power Unleashed is published by Evro Publishing at £395. That is a high figure but when judged by ‘price per page’ — about 20p per page — it compares favourably with many other profusely illustrated motoring books of high quality. It is available from leading motoring booksellers as well as from the publisher direct on www.evropublishing.com.
Published 2025
Price: £395
