BRAND NEW BRANDS HATCH

Thanks to all at Speedscene magazine for this very positive review of Motor Racing at Brands Hatch in the eighties (Those Were The Days ...)

"Anyone who visited Brands Hatch in that unforgettable era will find their memories revitalized by this excellent little book." – Speedscene

Click below for larger image

FROM A 1901 CAMELBACK TO A 2004 DAKOTA 4 INDIAN

Daniel Peirce, author of The Fine Art of the Motorcycle Engine has put a fantastic high resolution photo on his website www.trickphotog.com from The Old Indians Never Die Rally in Scotland. 112 vintage Indian motorcycles from around the world in a 360 degree panoramic photo. From a 1901 Camelback to a 2004 Dakota 4 Indian.

• Illustrates some of the sexiest motorcycle engines ever produced
• A MUST for every classic motorcycle enthusiast
• Features Daniel Peirce’s stunning photography from his popular UP-N-SMOKE Engine Project
• Jay Leno owns a print from the UP-N-SMOKE Engine Project
• A personal and candid journal of the project's creation
• Includes a special chapter on how the images were crafted
• Foreword by Dave Howe, head of Peckerhead Racing

Click here for more info about the book.

MOTOR SPORT RETURNS TO CRYSTAL PALACE IN 2010

Crystal Palace Park will again roar with the sound of historic racing cars in 2010 - that is the plan of Sevenoaks and District Motor Club. "The plans are all in place and we are ready to go; we now need to raise the funds to pay for repair work to the track surface and the building of safety barriers," said a spokesman for the club.

SDMC last ran a series of successful events at the venue in the late 1990s, but had to stop in 2000 to make way for a London Borough of Bromley millennium project. In 2006, they were approached by the London Development Agency to once again run motor sport in the park. The date for the first event is 30/31 May 2010.

The plans for the event are to make it a very special day out for the family in the heart of South London, taking the park back to it's heritage while supporting two local charities. The two-day event will include a sprint competition for both historic and modern racing cars, including classes for alternative fuel and electric vehicles, an old-style wall of death show, static displays (including the AA Heritage Collection), retail stands, hospitality and something very special for the kids.

In order to allow the event to take place, funding is required to repair one section of the track and to install safety barriers in other areas. The organisers are therefore seeking sponsorship.

A colour brochure - detailing the planned event plus a history of motor sport at the Palace - is available from www.motorsportatthepalace.co.uk.



Check out these books from Veloce for a look at Crystal Palace in it's heyday!

Motor Racing at Crystal Palace - London's own circuit by SS Collins.
Crystal Palace, London's own circuit, has recently been found to be one of the oldest Motor Racing venues in the world - this is its story. Focusing on the devlopment of the venue over the years and its untimely demise. Many rare and even unseen photos are included.


Crystal Palace is also pictured in Autodrome – The lost race circuits of Europe by SS Collins and Gavin D Ireland.
Around Europe lie a number of long forgotten monuments, wind swept and abandoned the derelict buildings and crumbling tarmac are all that remains of once great motor racing circuits. From the great speed bowls of Monza and Brooklands, to the parkland of Crystal Palace. All photographed as they are now but remembered in their prime.

CASTING A LOOK OVER TOY CARS

-PRESS RELEASE-

Diecast Toy Cars of the 1950s & 1960s, a new book by Andrew Ralston provides a comprehensive overview of vintage diecast toy cars and the companies that made them during the 1950s and 1960s. A collectors guide on what has become an increasingly popular hobby over the last 25 years.

As well as examining the major names such as Dinky Toys, Corgi Toys and Matchbox (Great Britain), Solido (France), Tekno (Denmark) and Tootsietoy (USA), this book is unique in its coverage of many smaller and more obscure brands, not only from Europe or the USA but from countries as far afield as Japan, Israel and Argentina.

The book provides fascinating insights into the history of individual companies, accompanied by 300 photographs of rare examples, most of them with their original boxes. A further unique feature is the inclusion of a large selection of colourful and evocative illustrations from catalogues and period trade advertisements.

For the newcomer to the hobby, this volume will provide an ideal introduction to the history of the manufacturers active in this field, while experienced collectors will make many new discoveries.

The 128-page book is available now from bookshops or from www.veloce.co.uk.

THE AUTHOR
Andrew Ralston received his first Dinky Toy car, a Riley, when he was about five years old, and ever since has been passionately interested in anything to do with cars. He has built up an extensive collection of models, with a preference for the more unusual items, and has written many articles on the subject for magazines in Britain and the USA. Educated at the Universities of Glasgow and Oxford, Andrew is a teacher by profession and has also published numerous textbooks on the English language. He lives in Glasgow with his wife, Hazel, and daughter, Miranda.

Click here for more info about the book or click the link to buy a copy now using credit card or paypal.

BRIAN LONG - "PROLIFIC CHRONICLER OF PORSCHE LORE"

Porsche 928 by Brian Long is awarded Book Of The Month in the August edition of Australian Classic Car.

Click image to see review fullsize.

This book covers the full history of the Porsche 928, looking at the variants sold on the domestic, American, British, Australian and Japanese markets, from the time the car was launched in 1977 until the last one was built in 1995. In line with the policy established by the author in his other Porsche titles, contemporary material – supplied almost exclusively by the factory – has been used to illustrate the book for authenticity, and to help owners pinpoint what is and what is not correct for any specific year in any given country. Advertising and brochures are also reproduced, giving the reader a feel for the era and marketing tactics.

Click here for more info about the book or click the link below to buy a copy now using credit card or payapl.

JOBS WORTH FIGHTING FOR

We have a fantastic book coming out this month Save the Triumph Bonneville! – The inside story of the Meriden Workers’ Co-op by John Rosamond.

A book described by Tony Benn as "one of the most important and relevant histories of British industry that I have ever read...and I strongly recommend anyone interested in the future of Britain to read it carefully."

In 1973 Britain was the biggest and best motorbike manufacturing nation in the world, but motorbike manufacture became a political football. This is the inside story. The autobiography of a 25 year-old welder who became a national celebrity overnight.

The story has great relevance today with the six workers who have been staging a sit-in at Britain's only major wind turbine factory for more than two weeks in an attempt to save it from closure with the loss of more than 600 jobs. The men, who say they are determined to remain inside the Vestas Wind Systems plant on the Isle of Wight until bailiffs come to remove them, want people around the country to show support on Wednesday 12 August by downing tools for an hour, holding a rally or hanging up a banner. (Photograph: Chris Ison/PA)

In October 1973 the Triumph workers staged a sit-in that lasted for 18 months. And they eventually won. In the interim period the governing Conservative party lost power and the incoming Labour party eventually loaned the Triumph workers millions of pounds to get the factory running again.

Written by the ex-chairman of the workers’ board of directors of the famous Meriden co-op, this is the real story of the last bastion of British motorcycle production following the collapse of the industry. It’s also the story of a workforce’s refusal to let the Triumph Bonneville die ...

There is no more famous motorcycle than the Triumph Bonneville, the Bonnie, "the best motorcycle in the world," and the Meriden factory producing this icon was a personal Mecca to fans of the marque. Film stars such as Steve McQueen visited Meriden for their Triumphs. But on the brink of what should have been its biggest ever sales season, the BSA parent company dramatically collapsed. The Conservative government reacted, and Norton-Villiers-Triumph was created. The new owners decided to close down Meriden ... so the workers locked them out.

(Photograph courtesy Mick Duckworth)
There followed protracted political negotiations, affected all the while by national government changes, ministers’ attitudes, national and international economic conditions and, throughout all this, the world's continuing desire for the Triumph.
As much a study of changing sociopolitical attitudes as of an economically traumatic time for both Triumph and the country, socialist John Rosamond's unique position within the workers’ co-operative makes this work a fascinating account of a story never before told from the inside. The reversal of his role from worker to chairman brought with it new responsibilities, bringing home to him the passion that employees, customers and dealers had for Triumph, and how that could keep Meriden from closing and the Bonneville in production. During all these desperate struggles, the Triumph Bonneville became the best-selling motorcycle of its class, winning the coveted Motor Cycle News Motorcycle of The Year award at the end of the seventies. Yet within just a few years of this, Meriden and the Bonnie were finally gone.
All the rescue attempts, the lifesaving international orders, and the negotiations for a reprieve with the new Thatcher government are covered here in unique detail, as is the introduction of new models that Meriden hoped would attract a 'white knight'. Illustrated with never-before-seen photographs from the personal collections of the factory's workers, this inside-story of Triumph's last years at Meriden is the definitive history of the most famous of the Tony Benn worker's co-operatives.



The Triumph Bonneville celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2009 and we will be there at The Triumph Owners Club's Bonneville Celebration at The Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon (22nd & 23rd August 2009) selling signed copies of the book!

ALL THE CZARS' CARS!

Russian Motor Vehicles – The Czarist Period: 1784 to 1917 by Maurice Kelly.
Bearing in mind that by 1937 the Soviets had become the largest producers of motor vehicles in Europe, albeit with the help of Henry Ford, it may appear strange that nobody has attempted to document this enterprise in any shape or form in the west. This new book from Veloce Publishing covers the motor vehicle industry in Russia prior to World War I and provides data on steam vehicles, electric vehicles, motor cars, trucks, motor cycles and military vehicles. The writer spent time in the then USSR researching the book, and to his knowledge it is the most comprehensive account of the subject ever produced. The archives of the Polytechnical Museum in Moscow were consulted in depth, and a large number of Russian books in the author’s possession have also been examined to achieve a reliable record of these fascinating machines.

Acknowledging the importance of the information it contains, the publication of this book has been supported by the Michael Sedgwick Trust, based at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, England.

THE AUTHOR
Maurice Kelly had a public school education before going into the armed forces, where he was staff on a troopship. He was initially employed in the aircraft industry as a development engineer, and, in 1960, he went to sea as an engineering officer in the British Merchant Navy and the Royal Research Service as well as the Marina Mercante de Republica de Panama, remaining in this capacity until 1979. Since leaving seafaring he has worked as an ISO9000 quality consultant and as a technical author. He has five published works on engineering subjects, and specialises in historical road transport. He is married and has two grown-up children.