The voice of L J K Setright
Discussion
I remember one time he referred to 'Volkswagen Golfs' and then explained himself.
"The correct plural should of course be Golves, but in this occasion I am more concerned with being understood than with being pernickety and pedantic. This may never happen again so make the most of it."
Can anyone else remember the article on how to improve your motorbike? It seemed you had to take all the parts which Setright deemed unnecessary and throw them away to save weight. He certainly mentioned the centrestand.
"A proper workshop should be equipped with a proper workshop stand, and a gentleman does not work on his machine by the roadside."
But I don't recall what other parts he objected to.
There was another Car writer (Barker?) who mentioned accompanying LJKS on a road test and finding his speed terrifying. So much so that when they swapped drivers he drove slower than usual to calm his nerves. Only to be flagged down by a local who explained he was the local doctor and accustomed to scraping people off walls "and that's what I'll be doing to you if you don't slow down".
"The correct plural should of course be Golves, but in this occasion I am more concerned with being understood than with being pernickety and pedantic. This may never happen again so make the most of it."
Can anyone else remember the article on how to improve your motorbike? It seemed you had to take all the parts which Setright deemed unnecessary and throw them away to save weight. He certainly mentioned the centrestand.
"A proper workshop should be equipped with a proper workshop stand, and a gentleman does not work on his machine by the roadside."
But I don't recall what other parts he objected to.
There was another Car writer (Barker?) who mentioned accompanying LJKS on a road test and finding his speed terrifying. So much so that when they swapped drivers he drove slower than usual to calm his nerves. Only to be flagged down by a local who explained he was the local doctor and accustomed to scraping people off walls "and that's what I'll be doing to you if you don't slow down".
gforceg said:
There, don't say I'm not good to you.
http://s1059.photobucket.com/user/gforceg99/librar...
Hopefully this isn't breaching anything and has only been provided for the continued pleasure of those on here who appreciate his work.
Excellent.http://s1059.photobucket.com/user/gforceg99/librar...
Hopefully this isn't breaching anything and has only been provided for the continued pleasure of those on here who appreciate his work.
It isn't just that it's good writing, with a mixture of technical facts and (considered) opinion. It's also the fact that the magazine printed an article that was a good solid read even you had no particular interest in aspiring to any of those cars. Most magazines today (Bike is one exception) seem to concentrate on articles that are little more than extended picture captions. Fine if you want something to dip into, but not if you want to sit down and have a good read.
outnumbered said:
I haven't read much of his work, but always remember this quote: "Speed does not kill. Speed saves. It saves life by saving time, which amounts to the same thing".
His article about speed is quoted here, the link doesn't work but the article is reproduced in the post. http://www.pistonheads.com/GASSING/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Setright, Bulgin, Llewellin and Bishop - what a line-up of writers that was and how I looked forward to Car every month from when I 'discovered' it in 1989. Backed up by Bremner, who thankfully is still with us. I regret the day I consigned my copies from that era to the recycle bin 
No longer can I re-read the old Frontline columns or dig out Edinburgh on a Monkey or other classic articles.
LJKS had a style like no other; I did not always agree with his views, but I always enjoyed reading his work, as I did each of the other Car greats to varying degrees.
After years in the doldrums, I do think the magazine is going through a good spell right now - not as good as it's heyday, but as far ahead of the competition as it was back then.
After first reading this thread earlier, I was thinking that surely there must be motoring journalists out there who aspire to write as well as those names above. Maybe commercial pressures mean they have to write the type of regurgitated press release 'news' pages and same-old same-old style road tests. Perhaps I am wrong and they do not feel inspired when they read the old Frontlines, but I doubt it somehow.
No longer can I re-read the old Frontline columns or dig out Edinburgh on a Monkey or other classic articles.LJKS had a style like no other; I did not always agree with his views, but I always enjoyed reading his work, as I did each of the other Car greats to varying degrees.
After years in the doldrums, I do think the magazine is going through a good spell right now - not as good as it's heyday, but as far ahead of the competition as it was back then.
After first reading this thread earlier, I was thinking that surely there must be motoring journalists out there who aspire to write as well as those names above. Maybe commercial pressures mean they have to write the type of regurgitated press release 'news' pages and same-old same-old style road tests. Perhaps I am wrong and they do not feel inspired when they read the old Frontlines, but I doubt it somehow.
FRA53R said:
Why don't we do something about it? We have many people with a talent for writing, engineering, driving. Why not make Pistonheads the beacon for those who wish to know about cars and the automotive industry in greater detail and with more enthusiasm than is found in mainstream journalism.
That's interesting and I really think Pistonheads does have the potential to achieve something along those lines. There are many people who are passionate about cars, knowledgeable about the industry and no doubt able to write interesting articles. Another fan of the late 80s/early 90s Car lineup here, and of Setright in particular.
I recall a few of his columns, particularly one that I'm still reminded of on a regular basis where he described the optimum method for traversing "sleeping policemen" at speed, a technique I've been trying (and failing) to master for about 25 years. It went something like 'brake hard as you approach the hump, the spring should be approaching full compression as you hit it, you then let off the brake and accelerate, allowing the suspension to rebound as you crest the hump'. There was undoubtedly more to it than that, but as ever he made it sound easy and how stupid were others for not adopting his manner!
Other columns that stick in the mind were the 'review' of Ivor Tiefenbrun's fancy boat where I'm sure he (rightly!) decried 'precision tolerance' in marine engineering as being "within one quarter of one inch", and an impassioned argument that the greatest safety innovation in motoring was air conditioning.
Some man.
I recall a few of his columns, particularly one that I'm still reminded of on a regular basis where he described the optimum method for traversing "sleeping policemen" at speed, a technique I've been trying (and failing) to master for about 25 years. It went something like 'brake hard as you approach the hump, the spring should be approaching full compression as you hit it, you then let off the brake and accelerate, allowing the suspension to rebound as you crest the hump'. There was undoubtedly more to it than that, but as ever he made it sound easy and how stupid were others for not adopting his manner!
Other columns that stick in the mind were the 'review' of Ivor Tiefenbrun's fancy boat where I'm sure he (rightly!) decried 'precision tolerance' in marine engineering as being "within one quarter of one inch", and an impassioned argument that the greatest safety innovation in motoring was air conditioning.
Some man.
loudlashadjuster said:
Another fan of the late 80s/early 90s Car lineup here, and of Setright in particular.
I recall a few of his columns, particularly one that I'm still reminded of on a regular basis where he described the optimum method for traversing "sleeping policemen" at speed, a technique I've been trying (and failing) to master for about 25 years.
Some man.
Excellent, I recall that too. I think another of his was about the value of anticipation and momentum conservation, and likening unnecessary braking to 'throwing fuel overboard' or something similar. That was one that stuck with me.I recall a few of his columns, particularly one that I'm still reminded of on a regular basis where he described the optimum method for traversing "sleeping policemen" at speed, a technique I've been trying (and failing) to master for about 25 years.
Some man.
longblackcoat said:
I'd say that a good 50% of the words are wasted in those quotes, but that's a matter of opinion!
A writer like Setright wasn't simply aiming to communicate information. His writing gives eloquent, weighted meaning to hard facts. A comparison with someone like Clarkson (loquacious, lots of similies)or even any of the people who write for EVO/CAR shows that up clearly. I teach English lit, and I find myself reading through Setright's old articles not simply to know what some old car was like thirty years ago, but because it is good writing - engaged and engaging, and witty to boot. He does have his odd purple moments, and I don't always agree with what he has to say (and since when is that the measure of quality?), but I enjoy how he says it.I mean, I don't for one second think a 560SEL is so inferior to the XJV12/Bentley Turbo R, but that summation ("Setright Decides") is wonderful to read. He is the Henry James to Jeremy Clarkson's PG Wodehouse.
BristolMS said:
That's interesting and I really think Pistonheads does have the potential to achieve something along those lines. There are many people who are passionate about cars, knowledgeable about the industry and no doubt able to write interesting articles.
I think motoring journalism, in its current iteration, is at a place where long-form journalism of the kind Setright and company practiced is considered anachronistic or out of place. EVO tries something similar, but to be honest the writing isn't as well-crafted. That's not to slight EVO - one can't pull a sack-cloth and ashes routine at the passage of time. I think that we're just in an age where slow journalism will always come second to easily-absorbable quickly-rendered information.Car magazines, in paper and online form, are aimed at the greater masses now. They don't want to just appeal to committed car nuts but to people who are vaguely interested in cars and people who want to keep up with the latest car fashion. They have to compete in the newsagents with gaming magazines and all the other non car related magazines and online with absolutely everything else that's out there. Long winded articles with vocabulary from the world's hardest spelling contest can't really do that.
longblackcoat said:
I've never read a Setright column I enjoyed, and often came away with the impression that he was just trying to be provocative for its own sake.
And don't get me started on George "at a car launch I enjoy a '73 Pomerol" Barker......
Ah some good points, and I do agree with most of what you say about LJK but what he wrote stuck in your mind far more than other motoring writers. Although strangely I find Chris Harris' stuff sticks too.And don't get me started on George "at a car launch I enjoy a '73 Pomerol" Barker......
However we'll disagree on George Bishop, I loved reading George's reviews of car launches and what he got up to, ate, went etc.. (touching only briefly on the car itself). Just so different from the norm.
Oh and his beloved diesel Citroen (and it's horror when it was destroyed) when such things were unpopular.
crostonian said:
CAR was such an education back in those days and really helped me with reading, I still have every issue from the 80s, some great writers then besides LJKS - Phil LLewelyn, George Bishop, Bulgin and a few still plying their trade - Steve Cropley, Gavin Green, Jamie Kitman and Georg Kacher. I still get CAR and despite general opinion I feel it's at as good now as it has been for a long time and far superior to EVO.
Absolutely agree with this. 
The mags turned up, and very fine they are too, not least for the splendid byline pics of LJKS wearing what appears to be a leopardskin trench coat. Reading Car for 1979 reminds me what a formative era for modern motoring that was. The long term test cars being enthused about by the staff included a Rover SD1 3500 and a Lancia Beta 1600 Coupe, and the new cars reviewed or mentioned as forthcoming included the Metro, the TR 8, the BMW M1, the FWD Escort, and the Audi Quattro.
Setright was driving a Bristol 412 and lots of big bikes, but also singing the praises of the Citroen GS, the Fiat X1/9, small Fiats in general, and the Lotus Elite.
Setright was driving a Bristol 412 and lots of big bikes, but also singing the praises of the Citroen GS, the Fiat X1/9, small Fiats in general, and the Lotus Elite.
Breadvan72 said:
longblackcoat said:
Breadvan72 said:
I do not agree with all that Setright wrote. He was probably a climate change denier, amongst other things. He was not, however, inveterately opposed to modernity, and welcomed many innovations. His best technical writing was probably done in the 60s and 70s. Later on he had a persona to maintain.
His prose style was that of an highly educated and Latinate writer. Notwithstanding my satire of his style above, he was not in fact verbose
Really?His prose style was that of an highly educated and Latinate writer. Notwithstanding my satire of his style above, he was not in fact verbose
"Sculptor Alberto Giacometti said that his pieces were justified by the shadows they made. Thus the sculpture, which (like the Chrysler Crossfire) is tangible, is reduced to something intangible. The Crossfire is not as simple as a Giacometti, for it casts its shadows in space and in time."
"You will remember the subaltern who, asked the place of cavalry in war, described its function as "lending tone to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl". The CBX does the same for motorcycling, with that effortless superiority which is the mark of the true aristocrat. Alas, a man is often ill at ease with a silver spoon if he was not born with one in his mouth, and it is not difficult to identify among motorcyclists that same resentful rejection of the best because of lack of familiarity with the best. It is a kind of craven lack of confidence, as though a mortal man were offered Aphrodite but, daunted by the prospect, ran back home to the girl next door."
Bottom line if you think reading poetry is a waste of time then by all means dislike what he wrote, Philistines be like that http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=phi...
WJNB said:
I have his book LONG LANE WITH TURNINGS on the shelf above me as I write this. His passing & those of similar intellect highlights how low motoring journalism has sunk & how easily the unwashed masses are pleased with the Sun/News of the World as was/ Top Gear standard of writing.
Not just motoring journalism. 
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