
The Chariot Makers: The Definitive Text
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Steve Matchett
-
By:
-
Steve Matchett
About this listen
Along with three fellow motor racing enthusiasts, Steve Matchett - Formula 1 world champion mechanic; accomplished television broadcaster; and best-selling author - is trapped overnight in New York: a fogbound JFK airport. With no sign of the weather improving, talk between the stranded passengers inevitably turns to Formula 1. During the course of their cloistered night, with conversation fueled by regular trips to the departure lounge bar, our protagonists draw on Matchett's encyclopedic knowledge of grand prix engineering, his easy familiarity with F1 paddock life, to piece together the perfect dream-team Formula 1 race car. By use of his enviable signature talent, his ability to explain complex issues using straightforward, uncomplicated language, Steve Matchett shows us how the various F1 teams have arrived at their current state-of-the-art designs - lays out exactly how a championship winning grand prix car is assembled.
Originally published by Orion (of London) in 2004, The Chariot Makers is Steve Matchett's third book. Along with Life in the Fast Lane, and The Mechanic's Tale, this compelling, insightful story - its warm text reading as a novel - forms the final installment of the author's entertaining, timeless, and highly acclaimed Formula 1 trilogy.
©2004, 2018 Steve Matchett (P)2018 Steve MatchettListeners also enjoyed...
-
Life in the Fast Lane
- The Definitive Text
- By: Steve Matchett
- Narrated by: Steve Matchett
- Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over the past two decades, Life in the Fast Lane has grown to become a true staple of Formula 1 literature. In essence a monthly diary of a Benetton grand prix mechanic, this essential book gives a behind-the-scenes account of daily life in the trenches of F1 during the tragic and turbulent 1994 season.
-
-
an f1 fan must read
- By scotch on 06-13-18
By: Steve Matchett
-
How to Build a Car
- By: Adrian Newey
- Narrated by: Richard Trinder
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The world's foremost designer in Formula One, Adrian Newey OBE is arguably one of Britain's greatest engineers and this is his fascinating, powerful memoir. How to Build a Car explores the story of Adrian's unrivalled 35-year career in Formula One through the prism of the cars he has designed, the drivers he has worked alongside and the races in which he's been involved.
-
-
Snooze fest
- By moo on 02-09-20
By: Adrian Newey
-
The Mechanic
- The Secret World of the F1 Pitlane
- By: Marc 'Elvis' Priestley
- Narrated by: Marc 'Elvis' Priestley
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Random House presents the audiobook edition of The Mechanic written and read by Marc 'Elvis' Priestley. In the high-octane atmosphere of the Formula One pit lane, the spotlight is most often on the superstar drivers. And yet, without the technical knowledge, competitive determination and outright obsession from his garage of mechanics, no driver could possibly hope to claim a spot on the podium.
-
-
Great insight.
- By Justin on 01-25-19
-
The Mechanic's Tale
- Life in the Pit-Lanes of Formula One
- By: Steve Matchett
- Narrated by: Steve Matchett
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Formula One Grand Prix mechanic Steve Matchett takes the listener on a compelling journey through his life in the pit-lane, from his beginnings as a young apprentice through his time at Ferrari and BMW to his later success with Benetton. He gives eye-witness views of the great drivers, including Michael Schumacher, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, and Ayrton Senna. He also talks of key Benetton personalities and explains how the team was transformed into a strong, competitive organization, winning three World Championships.
-
-
Life outside the Pit-Lanes
- By Klim on 05-14-19
By: Steve Matchett
-
Total Competition
- Lessons in Strategy from Formula One
- By: Ross Brawn, Adam Parr
- Narrated by: Adam Parr, Peter Noble
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Total Competition is the most compelling, comprehensive and revealing insight into what it takes to get to the top in Formula One that has ever been published. Across four decades, Ross Brawn was one of the most innovative and successful technical directors and then team principals in Formula One. Leading Benetton, Ferrari, Honda, Brawn and Mercedes, he worked with drivers such as Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton to make them world champions.
-
-
great insight
- By Marsha on 08-20-17
By: Ross Brawn, and others
-
These Desired Things
- A Collection of Short Stories Including Breaking Bread with Ayrton Senna
- By: Steve Matchett
- Narrated by: Steve Matchett
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
These Desired Things is a stimulating, philosophical offering; a tour de force in creative writing. Praised in review as "imagery and literature at its finest", defining this book's genre seems largely superfluous - for its immersive, lyrical text is part fiction, part memoir, part autobiography. The chapters are presented as a collection of 11 short stories: all of them varying in their individual plots, their settings and their style, yet all of them remain essential elements of the whole; for running through each is a series of subtle, uniting threads.
-
-
A Very Good Book
- By Amazon Customer on 04-15-19
By: Steve Matchett
-
Life in the Fast Lane
- The Definitive Text
- By: Steve Matchett
- Narrated by: Steve Matchett
- Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over the past two decades, Life in the Fast Lane has grown to become a true staple of Formula 1 literature. In essence a monthly diary of a Benetton grand prix mechanic, this essential book gives a behind-the-scenes account of daily life in the trenches of F1 during the tragic and turbulent 1994 season.
-
-
an f1 fan must read
- By scotch on 06-13-18
By: Steve Matchett
-
How to Build a Car
- By: Adrian Newey
- Narrated by: Richard Trinder
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The world's foremost designer in Formula One, Adrian Newey OBE is arguably one of Britain's greatest engineers and this is his fascinating, powerful memoir. How to Build a Car explores the story of Adrian's unrivalled 35-year career in Formula One through the prism of the cars he has designed, the drivers he has worked alongside and the races in which he's been involved.
-
-
Snooze fest
- By moo on 02-09-20
By: Adrian Newey
-
The Mechanic
- The Secret World of the F1 Pitlane
- By: Marc 'Elvis' Priestley
- Narrated by: Marc 'Elvis' Priestley
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Random House presents the audiobook edition of The Mechanic written and read by Marc 'Elvis' Priestley. In the high-octane atmosphere of the Formula One pit lane, the spotlight is most often on the superstar drivers. And yet, without the technical knowledge, competitive determination and outright obsession from his garage of mechanics, no driver could possibly hope to claim a spot on the podium.
-
-
Great insight.
- By Justin on 01-25-19
-
The Mechanic's Tale
- Life in the Pit-Lanes of Formula One
- By: Steve Matchett
- Narrated by: Steve Matchett
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Formula One Grand Prix mechanic Steve Matchett takes the listener on a compelling journey through his life in the pit-lane, from his beginnings as a young apprentice through his time at Ferrari and BMW to his later success with Benetton. He gives eye-witness views of the great drivers, including Michael Schumacher, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, and Ayrton Senna. He also talks of key Benetton personalities and explains how the team was transformed into a strong, competitive organization, winning three World Championships.
-
-
Life outside the Pit-Lanes
- By Klim on 05-14-19
By: Steve Matchett
-
Total Competition
- Lessons in Strategy from Formula One
- By: Ross Brawn, Adam Parr
- Narrated by: Adam Parr, Peter Noble
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Total Competition is the most compelling, comprehensive and revealing insight into what it takes to get to the top in Formula One that has ever been published. Across four decades, Ross Brawn was one of the most innovative and successful technical directors and then team principals in Formula One. Leading Benetton, Ferrari, Honda, Brawn and Mercedes, he worked with drivers such as Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton to make them world champions.
-
-
great insight
- By Marsha on 08-20-17
By: Ross Brawn, and others
-
These Desired Things
- A Collection of Short Stories Including Breaking Bread with Ayrton Senna
- By: Steve Matchett
- Narrated by: Steve Matchett
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
These Desired Things is a stimulating, philosophical offering; a tour de force in creative writing. Praised in review as "imagery and literature at its finest", defining this book's genre seems largely superfluous - for its immersive, lyrical text is part fiction, part memoir, part autobiography. The chapters are presented as a collection of 11 short stories: all of them varying in their individual plots, their settings and their style, yet all of them remain essential elements of the whole; for running through each is a series of subtle, uniting threads.
-
-
A Very Good Book
- By Amazon Customer on 04-15-19
By: Steve Matchett
-
Surviving to Drive
- A Year Inside Formula 1: An F1 Book
- By: Guenther Steiner
- Narrated by: Guenther Steiner
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Surviving to Drive, Haas team principal Guenther Steiner brings listeners inside his Formula 1 team for the entirety of the 2022 season, giving an unobstructed view of what really takes place behind the scenes. Through this unique lens, Steiner guides listeners on the thrilling rollercoaster of life at the heart of high-stakes motor racing.
-
-
Different perspective
- By Gary on 03-09-24
By: Guenther Steiner
-
Lights Out, Full Throttle
- The Good, the Bad and the Bernie of Formula One
- By: Damon Hill, Johnny Herbert
- Narrated by: Damon Hill, Johnny Herbert
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Drawing on a lifetime of sniffing petrol fumes, Lights Out, Full Throttle stands large over the landscape of Formula One and takes the temperature of the good, the bad and the ugly of the petrolhead’s paradise. Johnny Herbert and Damon Hill between them competed in 261 Grands Prix, amassing 25 wins, 49 podium finishes, one World Championship, 458 championship points, a Le Mans win, two smashed ankles, a broken arm, wrist and leg, 60 broken ribs and two bruised egos.
-
-
Funny, yet good insight.
- By Lauri A Reznak on 06-17-21
By: Damon Hill, and others
-
How to Be an F1 Driver
- By: Jenson Button
- Narrated by: Jack Hawkins, Jenson Button
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his 17 years as a Formula 1 driver, Jenson Button has picked up a thing or two about how to do the job properly. Sure, you need to be able to drive a car fast - and Jenson is on hand to pass on a few tricks of the trade here - but you also need to know the real rules for making it to the top. Like, how to tell a multiple F1 champion they need to check their blind spot. What the difference is between a helmet and a hat, and indeed a 'helmet-hat'. How to practise your champagne spray ahead of the big day.
-
-
Great Book - Great Narration
- By Ashley on 10-20-19
By: Jenson Button
-
Driven
- The Men Who Made Formula One
- By: Kevin Eason
- Narrated by: Kevin Eason
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Driven: The Men Who Made Formula One tells how a small group of extraordinary men transformed Formula One from a niche sport played out on primitive tracks surrounded by hay bales and grass verges into a £1 billion circus performing in vast theatres of entertainment all over the world. Led by Bernie Ecclestone, the billionaire ringmaster, this clique started by scraping a living to go racing and ended up creating space-age cars and turning drivers from amateur gladiators into multimillion-pound superstars, like Ayrton Senna and Lewis Hamilton, while the names of Ferrari, McLaren and Williams are now as familiar around the world as Manchester United or Real Madrid.
-
-
Proper F1
- By Amazon Customer on 02-20-24
By: Kevin Eason
-
Jenson Button: Life to the Limit
- My Autobiography
- By: Jenson Button
- Narrated by: Jack Hawkins
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The full-length, in-depth and intimate autobiography from Jenson Button, one of the greatest racing drivers of his generation. His 17 years in Formula One have seen him experience everything the sport has to offer, from nursing duff cars round the track to winning world championships and everything in between. Here, Jenson tells his full story for the first time in his own honest, intelligent and eloquent style.
-
-
Absolutely Amazing
- By Carlos C. on 05-23-18
By: Jenson Button
-
Go Like Hell
- Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans
- By: A. J. Baime
- Narrated by: Jones Allen
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By the early 1960s, Ford Motor Company, built to bring automobile transportation to the masses, was falling behind. Baby boomers were taking to the roads in droves, looking for speed not safety, style not comfort, and Ford didn’t offer what these young drivers wanted. Meanwhile, Enzo Ferrari lorded over the European racing scene, crafting beautiful, fast sports cars that epitomized style.
-
-
Goldern age of racing
- By Dan R. on 01-26-15
By: A. J. Baime
-
The Carroll Shelby Story
- By: Carroll Shelby
- Narrated by: Chris Abernathy
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Carroll Shelby wasn’t born to run. He was born to race - some of the fastest cars ever to tear up a speedway. The exciting new feature film Ford v Ferrari - starring Matt Damon as Shelby and Christian Bale as fellow racer Ken Miles - immortalizes the small-town Texas boy who won the notorious Le Mans 24-hour endurance challenge and changed the face of auto racing with the legendary Shelby Cobra. But there’s much more to his high-velocity, history-making story.
-
-
Interesting but not what I expected
- By Pablo Puente Jr on 01-01-20
By: Carroll Shelby
-
Project Hail Mary
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
-
-
Bazinga
- By Davidgonzalezsr on 05-04-21
By: Andy Weir
-
Flat Out Flat Broke
- Formula One The Hard Way
- By: Perry McCarthy
- Narrated by: Perry McCarthy
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Perry McCarthy is simply unique; he is an ex-Formula One racing driver and was 'The Stig’ from the world-wide BBC Top Gear TV show. Highly popular in the world of motor racing, The Telegraph headlined him as ‘a new cult hero’, The Times called him ‘the world’s unluckiest racing driver and America’s Sunday Express described him as a ‘comedian locked inside a racing driver's body’.
By: Perry McCarthy
-
The Way I Heard It
- By: Mike Rowe
- Narrated by: Mike Rowe
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Emmy-award winning gadfly Mike Rowe presents a ridiculously entertaining, seriously fascinating collection of his favorite episodes from America’s number-one short-form podcast, The Way I Heard It, along with a host of memories, ruminations, and insights. It’s a delightful collection of mysteries. A mosaic. A memoir. A charming, surprising must-have. Mike Rowe’s The Way I Heard It collects 35 fascinating stories “for the curious mind with a short attention span”.
-
-
I could listen to Mike read all day. And I am!
- By Amazon Customer on 10-15-19
By: Mike Rowe
-
On Writing
- A Memoir of the Craft
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Stephen King, Joe Hill, Owen King
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
“Long live the King” hailed Entertainment Weekly upon publication of Stephen King’s On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King’s advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999—and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery.
-
-
Who needs a print edition when King reads King?
- By Cather on 11-18-05
By: Stephen King
-
The Martian
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive - and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet.
-
-
I love Wil Wheaton but why not R. C. Bray?
- By L. Newman on 01-11-20
By: Andy Weir
What listeners say about The Chariot Makers: The Definitive Text
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Luis F.
- 07-17-21
An engineering master class
Steve Matchett is an amazing story teller. This audio book is a therapy and a master class all together. I am in my mid 40s, so I can remember most of 80s seasons of formula 1 and everything that came after that. I felt like traveling back in time while examining every detailed of the events, people, concepts, jokes and opinions of Mr. Matchett. Good job, mate! :)
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Stephanie
- 03-19-19
A little more depth for the F1 fan
Well performed and well written. A story within a story with no shortage of information and substance.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 03-07-19
Great Listen!!
Want to know how to build a Formula 1 car, then this is your book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- James Spellman
- 01-03-19
A fantastically written book for Formula One tech heads
I’ve always been fascinated about the technical aspects of Formula One and if your like me, then this is the book for you. Every component of the car is explained is wonderful detail with small bits of history thrown in for good measure.
Technical enough to make you feel like your learning something. But not so much that you need a degree to enjoy it.
Excellent Book 🏎🏁
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jorge
- 12-29-18
Amazing once again!!
Yet another masterful delivery by the great Steve Matchett!! This is a gem for any F1/Motorsport enthusiast who wants to understand how a race car works. The delightful delivery in a Steve’s own
voice brings this book to the next level. It feels like sitting with the chap having coffee and having a gran old time!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ed
- 04-16-19
just technical enough
Enough detail of the construction and inner workings of an F1 car, as well as the forces acting on it, to keep an engineer happy and interested. Written and spoken in a style that will (I think) appeal to noon-engineers who are curious about F1.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- JJ Donohue
- 12-27-18
Another Spellbinding F1 Journey!
This is my third Steve Matchett audiobook reading and as was true of the others, I was sorry that we ran out of pages. Having previously read all three and enjoyed them immensely, his voice...and narration make the stories so much more meaningful. Just the right balance between the technical and the back stories and his honest emotional accounts of all that happens in the paddock, pits and wherever “Life in the Fast Lane” has taken the author.
What a literary talent Mr. Matchett is, in my humble opinion. In addition to the importance of what he has to say, his skill as a narrator is superb. I dare say that his delivery is better than any book narrator I have listened to...ever!
I greatly, if not impatiently, look forward to his next audiobook, hopefully “These Desired Things” in the near future. I recommend this book as well as his others to not only F1 enthusiasts, but also to those who appreciate an honest account of life told the way a sensitive scribe records his reality. Thank you, Mr. Matchett!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- TJ347
- 11-02-21
Boring as all get out
Not at all what I was expecting from Steve... Not recommended to any F1 fans. It was dry, boring,.and just blah, blah, blah. As an F1 fan, this was an unexpected dud from a guy who certainly has many interesting tales he COULD HAVE told.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- alyoregon
- 09-13-20
Takes more than a third of the book just to start
The author takes literally over tla third of the entire book just to meander around telling you about the frech house he bought, or the job he took, or the flight he had where he met friends and imagined designing the perfect car. As someone who bought the book to actually HEAR about the technical components of F1 design, i found myself shouting at my phone in frustration waiting for the author to get on with it. Eventually, I just kept skipping chapters until I finally heard and actual word about F1.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful