Essential Classic Reading
Discussion
I'm sure we all have our favourites, but two I've read over the last year are to me essential.
THE LAST OPEN ROAD by B S Levy. A classic tale of motor racing in the early fifties. Not a true story but gripping reading. Available still. He has written follow-ups but the first is the best.
ALF FRANCIS MOTOR MECHANIC A true story of a man who was mechanic to HWM and to Stirling when he raced his Maserati. Hard to find and up to £100 in A1 condition but really essential reading.
So what do you recommend I buy now?
THE LAST OPEN ROAD by B S Levy. A classic tale of motor racing in the early fifties. Not a true story but gripping reading. Available still. He has written follow-ups but the first is the best.
ALF FRANCIS MOTOR MECHANIC A true story of a man who was mechanic to HWM and to Stirling when he raced his Maserati. Hard to find and up to £100 in A1 condition but really essential reading.
So what do you recommend I buy now?
'The Bugatti Queen' by Miranda Seymour. (ISBN 0-7434-7859-2)
Racing driver, stripper and dancer of the 1920's. Fantastic book revealing the life of Helene Delangles driving for Ettore Bugatti setting new land speed records before an serious accident befell her almost ending her racing days.
Racing driver, stripper and dancer of the 1920's. Fantastic book revealing the life of Helene Delangles driving for Ettore Bugatti setting new land speed records before an serious accident befell her almost ending her racing days.
General stuff one should always have on the shelf:-
Anything by LTC Rolt (too many to choose from)
The Lanchester Trilogy - the story of the Lanchester brothers but particularly Dr. Frederick, if you think he only made some good cars think again. One of the best brains of the 20th century. Amazing read.
Anything by LTC Rolt (too many to choose from)
The Lanchester Trilogy - the story of the Lanchester brothers but particularly Dr. Frederick, if you think he only made some good cars think again. One of the best brains of the 20th century. Amazing read.
lowdrag said:
ALF FRANCIS MOTOR MECHANIC A true story of a man who was mechanic to HWM and to Stirling when he raced his Maserati. Hard to find and up to £100 in A1 condition but really essential reading.
I have modern reprint (1991), picked mine up from the remaindered pile off a book stall at Beaulieu autojumble. A real tale of hand to mouth motor racing!I'm not an ardent Jaguar fan, but anyone with the hint of interest in motor racing from the pre/post war period has to read Duncan Hamiltons' Touch Wood, you'll be crying with laughter within a few pages!
Graham - the graham hill autobiography. I great read with the last chapter written by his wife, Betty due to his untimely death.
Can't remember the name of the book but its by G N Georgano. Its huge & lists every car ever, perfect for padding out your anorak. I think the authors son has since updated the book.
Can't remember the name of the book but its by G N Georgano. Its huge & lists every car ever, perfect for padding out your anorak. I think the authors son has since updated the book.
Ten Years of Motors and Motor Racing 1896-1906 by Charles Jarrott. First published in 1906, and reprinted in several editions since.
Fantastically atmospheric account of the era of the long distance road races including the Gordon Bennett series and the ill-fated Paris-Madrid from one of the top drivers at the dawn of motorsport. These guys were true pioneers, racing epic distances over unmade roads when it was virtually unheard of to simply travel these routes by car, never mind race at speeds up to 100mph....
Lent out my 2nd edition for it to never return. Grrrr.
Still I'll never forget Jarrott's hilarious account of smashing up the hardwood furniture in his hotel room in order to fashion repair braces for the chassis of his car which had given way crossing the Alps in the Paris-Vienna. Of course, being the true English gent, he left suitable payment for the landlord while sneaking out for the pre-dawn restart.
Fantastically atmospheric account of the era of the long distance road races including the Gordon Bennett series and the ill-fated Paris-Madrid from one of the top drivers at the dawn of motorsport. These guys were true pioneers, racing epic distances over unmade roads when it was virtually unheard of to simply travel these routes by car, never mind race at speeds up to 100mph....
Lent out my 2nd edition for it to never return. Grrrr.
Still I'll never forget Jarrott's hilarious account of smashing up the hardwood furniture in his hotel room in order to fashion repair braces for the chassis of his car which had given way crossing the Alps in the Paris-Vienna. Of course, being the true English gent, he left suitable payment for the landlord while sneaking out for the pre-dawn restart.
On a similar theme to ten years of motors and motor racing is "The race bugatti missed " by Michael Ulrich. Novelwise "Early one morning" by Robert Ryan inspired by the lives of Robert Benoist and William Grover. Relates their lives as pre war racing drivers and war time resistance organisers. They were going to make a film of it but for some reason it never happened.
Jupiters Travels
Ted Simon's 1973 tale of a low budget RTW trip on a triumph Tiger (like a bonneville but with one carb)He funded the trip by writing a diary published in the Sunday Times and later wrote the book from the diary. You see his attitude and (mental) balance change through the four years the trip took.
This book inspired Charlie Boorman and the other bloke in the highly organised, funded and planned(they had support trucks and a UK office for crissakes) The long Way Round.
Life at the limit
Graham Hill's autobiography written from his hospital bed after his "big off" he never regained his career after this.
Ted Simon's 1973 tale of a low budget RTW trip on a triumph Tiger (like a bonneville but with one carb)He funded the trip by writing a diary published in the Sunday Times and later wrote the book from the diary. You see his attitude and (mental) balance change through the four years the trip took.
This book inspired Charlie Boorman and the other bloke in the highly organised, funded and planned(they had support trucks and a UK office for crissakes) The long Way Round.
Life at the limit
Graham Hill's autobiography written from his hospital bed after his "big off" he never regained his career after this.
'The Bugatti Queen' by Miranda Seymour. (ISBN 0-7434-7859-2)
Racing driver, stripper and dancer of the 1920's. Fantastic book revealing the life of Helene Delangles driving for Ettore Bugatti setting new land speed records before an serious accident befell her almost ending her racing days.
Thanks on holiday next week and need some reading
Chard
Racing driver, stripper and dancer of the 1920's. Fantastic book revealing the life of Helene Delangles driving for Ettore Bugatti setting new land speed records before an serious accident befell her almost ending her racing days.
Thanks on holiday next week and need some reading
Chard
Ooh, ooh! And W.O. of course. W.O.Bentley's autobiography. Definitely 9/10.
The development of the aluminium piston; diving in a ditch when being strafed; a chance high speed encounter in France with a prototype Rolls Royce while testing a prototype Bentley; the Bentley Boys and Le Mans; the meeting with Henry Royce when RR bought the company; working at Lagonda.
It's all there.
The development of the aluminium piston; diving in a ditch when being strafed; a chance high speed encounter in France with a prototype Rolls Royce while testing a prototype Bentley; the Bentley Boys and Le Mans; the meeting with Henry Royce when RR bought the company; working at Lagonda.
It's all there.
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