REVIEWS OF BRITISH WOODIES & MORRIS MINOR EBG

Thanks to Russ Harvey, editor of Morris Minor Monthly for these two new reviews of British Woodies from the 1920s to the 1950s and Morris Minor & 1000 – The Essential Buyer's Guide.

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FATHER/SON PUBLISHING TEAM

Norm Mort and son Andrew, photographed in the back of a micro van featured in their first book for Veloce Publishing.
Norm, along with son Andrew, is producing a series of books about vintage vehicles for Veloce. Norm handles the writing and research, Andrew takes the new colour photographs.

The books are naturals for Norm, who is a Canadian Automotive Journalist with an appreciation for oddball vehicles and an eclectic, ever-changing collection of vintage cars.

Read the full story on Autonet.ca.

Available now! Click covers for more info

BRITISH WOODIES IS BOOK OF THE MONTH

British Woodies from the 1920s to the 1950s by Colin Peck is reviewed in the March 2010 edition of Best of British magazine.

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Forthcoming in 2010! American Woodies 1928-1953
By Colin Peck.
Looks at the American Woodies built from the 1920s to the early 1950s, which came in a variety of models including station wagons, convertibles and sedans. Whereas the station wagons were built for functionality, the Woodie sedans and convertibles were constructed purely for style.
More info.

CAFE RACER CONCRATULATIONS

Some high praise about the Cafe Racer Phenomenon sent to us by Craig Vetter.

"I just received a copy of the Cafe Racer for Christmas. Great book.

I congratulate you."


At the time, Craig was the US distributor for Rickman Brothers (Don & Derek pictured below being welcomed into Craig's Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2007).



The Café Racer Phenomenon by Alastair Walker.
The Café Racer is one of the most enduring styles of motorcycle ever created, capturing the rebellious spirit of the '50s. This is a look back at the glory days of the Café Racer, from Friday night dices on the North Circular, through the street specials craze of the Seventies, to the modern day revival.
More info.

"A MUST FOR AUSTIN OWNERS"

Thanks to Australian Classic Car for this review.

The Last Real Austins - 1946-1959 By Colin Peck

"British car enthusiasts would be well aware that, in 1952, Austin and Morris joined together to form the conglomerate known as the British Motor Corporation. Many motorists of the period were fiercely loyal to their chosen marque and the amalgamation meant a loss of identity, especially for Austin vehicles made in Longbridge. This most interesting book looks closely at those Austin vehicles made from WWII to the late 1950s when the infamous BMC badge engineering was in its stride. I found it a most absorbing read, especially on the lengths taken by Austin to secure sales success in the North American market. As with others in the Veloce ‘Those were the days...’ series it is not a huge publication, but it does cover a comprehensive range of models that were available at the time, including small family cars like the A40 through to the large A125 limousines. Also included are the various Countryman models such as the highly collectible timber-bodied versions. Commercial vehicles such as utilities, pick-ups and vans are included too. The section on sports cars is interesting as it features the less-than-successful A90 Atlantic and the Austin-Healey 100 and 100/6, but only the versions made at Longbridge. The hundreds of period and modern photographs used throughout the book are excellent and I liked the inclusion of so many from the US and Canada. The sight of an A90 pulling up a hill from a California beach is particularly evocative. Well worth a look for all British car enthusiasts and a must for Austin owners."



Click here for more info about the book.

BIRMINGHAM'S VERY OWN ROAD RACE!

Superprix
by SS Collins & David Page

The story of Superprix, Birmingham’s very own road race – the subject of much controversy amongst residents of the city, politicians' and race fans alike.
The SuperPrix was a motor racing meeting held over August Bank Holiday on a street circuit in the centre of Birmingham, from 1986 to 1990. The principal event was the Formula 3000 Championship race, but support races included touring cars and sports cars. The idea of a motor race in the heart of England's motor city (to emulate the Monaco circuit) had been mooted as early as 1966. In the end, the city's arterial roads round the Bull Ring and the city centre provided one of the most exciting racing events ever staged in the UK. This carefully researched 96-page book details the history of an extraordinary and controversial event and is available now from bookshops or from www.velocebooks.com.

KING-SIZED REVIEW FOR KINGS OF THE ROAD

British Lorries of the 1950s & British Lorries of the 1960s reviewed in Best of British magazine.

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The January 2010 issue of Best of British will be on sale December 29th, 2009, in local newsagents, WH Smith and some branches of Tesco. It costs £3.60.
It can also be ordered from their website www.bestofbritishmag.co.uk or by calling 01778 342814. Subscriptions are also available.

WHEN TOURING CARS TURNED HEADS!

Image taken from British Touring Car Racing – The crowd’s favourite – late 1960s to 1990. By Peter Collins.

These evocative pictures of British Touring Car racing will bring back some happy memories. British Touring Car Racing, a new book from Veloce Publishing's Those were the Days … series is an affectionate, mainly pictorial panorama of twenty-odd years of the British Touring Car Championship, from the anarchical 1960s and early 1970s of flared wheelarches, lifting wheels and smoking tyres, through the Group 1 years when the rule-makers tried to make the cars look standard and, as a result, slowed them down.

Race car builders were subsequently galvanized into trying to get round the restrictions, eventually resulting in cars that were faster, and evolved into the tarmac-melting fire-breathing, turbo-powered frontrunners of the late 1980s. The story takes us up to the point where the rule-makers attempted another clampdown as the final decade of the 20th century dawned … this excellent little 96-page paperback book is available now from bookshops or www.velocebooks.com.

LORDS OF THE RINGROADS

-PRESS RELEASE-

Take a trip back in time to see what life was like on British roads in the 1960s, with this unique book from Veloce Publishing's Those Were The Days … Series. British Lorries of the 1960s by Malcolm Bobbitt is a well-researched historical account, which reveals much about Britain's commercial vehicle and road haulage industries of forty plus years ago.

This book is a highly visual study of British lorries built during the 1960s, and contains 120 colour and black and white images, many contemporary. The photographic content extends to publicity material as well as the preservation scene depicting historic vehicles at work. All the familiar, and less familiar, names are described in great detail and the comprehensive text reveals much about life on the road in 1960s Britain, reminding us all of those marques that were household names at the time and now form a residual memory in the consciousness of many British citizens.

Malcolm Bobbitt has a lifelong interest in motor transport. In addition to contributing to various magazines, he is the author of thirty books, some printed in several languages, with subjects ranging from Bubblecars and Microcars, Motorhomes and British Police Vehicles to marque histories of Citroën, Fiat, Rolls-Royce, Rover and Volkswagen. The author, who is a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers and the Society of Automotive Historians, is acclaimed for his biography of W.O. Bentley and a history of Rolls-Royce to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the firm's tenure at Crewe.
Click here for more info about the book.

BARMY IN THE BAHAMAS

A double whammy of Bahamas action with a review from Classic Car Mart for Motor Racing at Nassau in the 1950s & 1960s, also mentioning the other Bahamas motor racing tome by Terry O'Neil, The Bahamas Speed Weeks. Whatever the size of your wallet, we've got it covered in the Bahamas!

Click below for larger image:

"The text is entertaining and interesting in equal measure, but it's the black and white photography from the 1950s and sixties which bring the whole thing to life." – Classic Car Mart

"MORE THAN A TOUCH OF NOSTALGIA"

Many thanks to Terry Davies of the Chester Standard for this review of British Lorries of the 1950s by Malcolm Bobbitt.

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THE RIGHTFUL KINGS OF THE ROAD

-PRESS RELEASE-


Take a trip back in time to see (or remember) what life was like on the roads in the 1950s, with this unique book from Veloce Publishing's Those Were The Days … Series. British Lorries of the 1950s by Malcolm Bobbitt is a well-researched historical account, which reveals much about Britain's commercial vehicle and road haulage industries of fifty plus years ago.

This book is a highly visual study of British lorries built during the 1950s, and contains 120 colour and black and white images, many contemporary. The photographic content extends to publicity material as well as the preservation scene depicting historic vehicles at work. All the familiar, and less familiar, names are described in great detail and the comprehensive text reveals much about life on the road in 1950s Britain, reminding us all of those marques that were household names at the time and now form a residual memory in the consciousness of many British citizens.

Malcolm Bobbitt has a lifelong interest in motor transport. In addition to contributing to various magazines, he is the author of thirty books, some printed in several languages, with subjects ranging from Bubblecars and Microcars, Motorhomes and British Police Vehicles to marque histories of Citroën, Fiat, Rolls-Royce, Rover and Volkswagen. The author, who is a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers and the Society of Automotive Historians, is acclaimed for his biography of W.O. Bentley and a history of Rolls-Royce to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the firm's tenure at Crewe.



Coming soon! British Lorries of the 1960s
by Malcolm Bobbitt.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MOTOR RACING CIRCUIT?

Want to win £500 of track day fun and accommodation?



A great new publishing venture from the Discovery Media Group at www.motorsportcircuitguide.com is offering you the chance!

www.motorsportcircuitguide.com and Circuits 2010 magazine, provide complete and up-to-date information about motor racing circuits and tracks worldwide as well as local amenities and special offers.
It's time for you to have your say! Vote for "The Greatest Circuit in the World’ today and you could win over £500 of track day fun and accommodation. Email ben@motorsportcircuitguide.com with ‘Circuit survey' in the subject line and they will send you an entry form.

New! Motor Racing at Brands Hatch in the eighties by Chas Parker.
By the start of the 1980s, the Brands Hatch motor racing circuit in Kent had become firmly established as one of the world’s classic tracks. It had grown from humble beginnings as a motor cycle grass track to become an internationally renowned facility, hosting top-class motor sport. During the following decade, under the stewardship of its entrepreneurial managing director, John Webb, this enviable position was reinforced, with the circuit hosting five consecutive Grands Prix, two at very short notice, from 1982-86, along with a host of other major international meetings as well as smaller, club events.

Chas Parker spent many years visiting the track, and amassed an impressive collection of thousands of colour transparencies, the majority of which are previously unpublished.
This book picks up where his previous volume, Motor Racing at Brands Hatch in the Seventies, left off. It offers a very personal account of visits to the world’s busiest motor racing circuit during a decade of excitement and change, both on and off track, in the form of a scrapbook using the author’s own photographs, taken as an ordinary spectator from the public enclosures.
Click here for more info about the book

HENRY SURTEES: A STATEMENT BY JONATHAN PALMER

“I am absolutely devastated that 18- year old Henry Surtees lost his life in an accident in the Formula Two race at Brands Hatch. This is the saddest time in my 35 years of motor racing and my deepest sympathies are with father John, mother Jane and their daughters Edwina and Leonora, together with other family and friends.” Read full statement here.

View a moving tribute to the life of Henry John Surtees (February 18, 1991 – July 19, 2009).

TRUCKIN' WITH A TWIST

Here are 7 pictures of European trucks whose trailers are decorated to look like the sides are missing and the products they are hauling are painted on the sides and back.









Coming soon! American Trucks of the 1950s by Norm Mort.
A highly visual study examining the important role of trucks and trucking in the growth of North America in the 1950s. 120 images and evocative writing encapsulates the histories of the major, minor, obscure, but nonetheless historically significant truck manufacturers. Detailed captions and supportive text complement contemporary brochures, period literature, factory photos and over fifty new, unpublished colour photos of restored examples.
Click here for more info about the book.

PETER COLLINS INTERVIEW

I caught up with Peter Collins - Author of classic Veloce books - Lancia 037 - The development and rally history of a world champion & Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 - The development and racing history.



I also asked him about his two exciting new books - British Touring Car Racing – The crowd’s favourite – late 1960s to 1990 (Those were the days series) & Ferrari 312P & 312PB (WSC Giants series).

ALASTAIR WALKER ON TWITTER & FLICKR

This Egli framed Vincent at the Classic Motor Show 2008 - one of many great photos on motorcycle journalist Alastair Walker's Flickr photostream.

The author of The Café Racer Phenomenon (Veloce) is also now on the popular website twitter! He can found be at twitter.com/cafeRacerPhenom.






Coming soon! The Café Racer Phenomenon by Alastair Walker.
The Café Racer is one of the most enduring styles of motorcycle ever created, capturing the rebellious spirit of the 50s. This is a look back at the glory days of the Café Racer, from Friday night dices on the North Circular, through the street specials craze of the Seventies, to the modern day revival.
Click here for more info about the book.
Also, click here to see Alastair in a great interview video!

FOUR DECADES OF TOURING CARS AT THE SILVERSTONE CLASSIC

The Silverstone Classic’s David Leslie Trophy now celebrates touring cars from the ‘70s and ‘80s as well as the ‘90s.

Cars including RS Capris and BMW’s red, violet and blue striped ‘Batmobiles’, originally driven by legends such as Niki Lauda and Henri Pescarolo on tracks across Europe in the 1970s and 1980s, will join touring cars of the ‘90s. Spectators will see them racing side by side with Vauxhall Vectras, Ford Mondeos, Honda Accords and the famous Leslie-Aiello duo’s Nissan Primeras at Silverstone next month.

The under two-litre touring car race (U2TC) features cars from the 1960s. Director of Racing at Silverstone Ken Prichard Jones says: “We are delighted to add such variety to the touring car grid; due to demand, we now welcome contenders from four decades of touring cars, all running in their respective classes: forty years of touring car racing and technological development are faithfully represented in two thrilling races.”

The Silverstone Classic takes place from 24 to 26 July 2009, featuring the world’s iconic racing cars and marques. Grids celebrating over ninety years of racing include pre-war sports cars, Grand Prix race cars, Group C Le Mans racers, pre-’63 GT and sports cars, alongside other crowd favourites such as Mini racing, touring cars and Formula Junior. Both young and seasoned racers, as well as celebrities and racing heroes will take to the track for three days of atmospheric and thrilling on-track action. Silverstone Classic will host over 20 races, more than 80 car clubs, 4000 cars on display, 700 cars and 900 drivers, automobilia sales and Bonhams’ classic car auction, with further entertainment provided by Harley-Davidson® stunt bikes and drag racing. Alongside the racing, free live entertainment throughout the day and into the evening will add an additional soundtrack to that of historic engines. History also features in the aerobatic display and Victorian fun fair, making the Silverstone Classic both an extraordinary event for classic car and racing enthusiasts, and a unique outing for the family.

Racing at Silverstone Ltd is the licence holder until 2017 of the Silverstone Classic.

Source: www.silverstoneclassic.com

Coming soon! British Touring Car Racing – The crowd’s favourite – late 1960s to 1990 By Peter Collins.



An affectionate, mainly pictorial panorama of twenty-odd years of the British Touring Car Championship, from the anarchical 1960s and early 1970s of flared wheelarches, lifting wheels and smoking tyres, through the Group 1 years when the rule-makers tried to make the cars look standard and, as a result, slowed them down. This had the predictable effect of galvanising race car builders into trying to get round the restrictions, eventually resulting in cars that were faster, and evolved into the tarmac-melting fire-breathing, turbo-powered frontrunners of the late 1980s. The story takes us up to the point where the rule-makers attempted another clampdown as the final decade of the 20th century dawned ...
Click here for more info about the book.

DAYS THEY'LL REMEMBER ALL THEIR LIVES

-PRESS RELEASE-

The Last Real Austins. Those were the days ... The perfect gift for Father's Day (June 21)

The Last Real Austins – 1946-1959, a brand new book by classic car collector, restorer and writer, Colin Peck is the latest in the Those Were the days ... series from Veloce Publishing.

Austin remains unique as the only manufacturer to build everything from small family cars to large luxury limousines; taxicabs and military vehicles; sports cars and trucks. The Last Real Austins places in context how, when and where each model was used.

Published by Veloce at £14.99, this new book examines how Austin bounced back after WWII, and how, despite the severe materials shortage, amazingly, managed to develop the largest range of vehicles produced by any automaker in postwar Britain. How these innovative vehicles were received and used in these markets is detailed, and the book is illustrated with rare archive photography depicting the weird, wonderful and the downright imaginative!

Cars featured, include the bold, if not radical A90 Atlantic, the A40 Cambridge and the wooden-bodied A70 Hampshire Countryman shooting brakes.

Did your dad have one of these great British cars?

This 96-page book is available now from bookshops or from www.veloce.co.uk.

Veloce books make the ideal Father's Day gift. With subjects ranging from practical do-it-yourself manuals, through marque and model histories to modern and classic motorsport, at prices for every pocket, there will surely be something very special for every dad. Plus, if you subscribe to the free Veloce Newsletter 'On the Grid' at www.veloce.co.uk before Father's Day, June 21, you will get details on how to claim a special Father's Day discount as a registered Newsletter reader.

STOCK NEWS: THE LAST REAL AUSTINS NOW AVAILABLE

One of the great pictures from the brand new book The Last Real Austins - 1946-1959 by Colin Peck. Click here to see more on flickr.

This book chronicles how Austin overcame the tough austerity period immediately after WWII and went on to design a comprehensive range of cars, sports cars, limousines, taxicabs, off-roaders, military vehicles, vans and trucks that has never been equalled by one single manufacturer.

In the immediate post-war years its modern and innovative range of cars, trucks and vans were forced to take on world markets as a result of the British Government’s “Export or die” mandate to help pay off massive war debts. At its peak, Austin was required to export 75% of production, resulting in long waiting lists for new vehicles on the home market. As a result, many of its impressive range of modern vehicles were to find customers in the four corners of the world, helping to establish Austin as one of the world’s best known auto makers at the time. This book chronicles each model and focuses on how and where it was used and received, and is illustrated with rare archive material and stunning new colour photography which will be appreciated by enthusiasts and restorers alike. Click here for more info about the book or buy it now using paypal or credit card.