I’ve loved the looks of the I.A.R.80 since the LTD model came out. There is something about the look of the airplane that makes it look like the Hughes racer. It is sleek and sexy and relatively unknown in the western world.
Prior to this book, there have been very few references available on the I.A.R.80. There was a book published in Rumanian, and later French, I.A.R.80 – The History of an Unknown Fighter, which is very good. I have a copy and the photos make it worth the price of admission. However, I can’t read it. This book by noted Rumanian aviation historian, Radu Brinzan, fixes that.