Supported Books

Publishing Achievements. The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust has assisted the production of a wide variety of highly successful publications including:

From Ballybannon Hill to Magilligan Strand

Author: Paul Robinson
Publisher: Robinson Books

Northern Ireland enjoyed a unique status from the 1920s onwards, as the only part of the United Kingdom where public roads could be closed for motor racing. Eventually that would lead to the TT races of the 1930s and 1950s which cemented the names Ards and Dundrod into motor racing annals. This book chronicles the earlier efforts of the Belfast motor dealers and other enthusiasts to organise events which also attracted drivers from the rest of the United Kingdom. It is the story of hill climbs at Ballybannon, Craigantlet and Red Brae, sand races on Magilligan Strand and the aborted Ulster...

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Goldie – The Amazing Story of Alfred Goldie Gardner, The World’s Most Successful Speed-Record Driver

Author: John Mayhead
Publisher: National Motor Museum Publishing

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust is pleased to have supported the publication of this new title.

Goldie is the first book about this unsung hero since his autobiography in 1951, and the first National Motor Museum Publishing title. It contains new, previously unseen photographs and information from various archives and interviews, and puts a new perspective on the life of this enigmatic hero. 

Goldie moves from the brutality of an Edwardian public school, through the jungles of Ceylon and into the blood-soaked trenches of the Somme. Severely injured after being decorated for bravery during the First World...

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Aspects of Motoring History 19

Author: Edited by Craig Horner
Publisher: Society of Automotive Historians in Britain

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust has supported the nineteenth edition of ‘Aspects of Motoring History’ (usually referred to as ‘Aspects’), published by the Society of Automotive Historians in Britain (‘SAHB’). This ‘Aspects’ is the thirteenth edition of this annual publication to be supported by the MSMT. It is free to full-members of the SAHB and a limited number of copies are available directly from the SAHB at https://www.thesahb.com/aspects/. ‘Aspects’ as its name suggests, comprises a selection of articles written by SAHB members (and others) on a variety of aspects of motoring history which do not in themselves merit a book but...

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Cultra – Motoring with panache: The Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club motor meet and hill climbs 1905 to 1911

Author: Paul Robinson
Publisher: Robinson Books

Cultra – Motoring with panache is a small book recording the Motor Meet and Hill Climb held annually by The Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club from 1905 to 1911. At first sight it seems curious that motoring events should be organised by a Yacht Club, and certainly today that would not be something that would be entertained given the ubiquity of cars. Back in 1905 however, motor cars were still relatively novel and largely the prerogative of the well-heeled who were likely to indulge in sailing, owning competitive yachts and motor launches as well. The author of this book, Paul Robinson,...

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Vintage Sunbeams, The New Generation 1921-1926

Author: Don Shapland with Bruce Dowell
Publisher: Don Shapland

Vintage Sunbeams, The New Generation 1921-1926 by Don Shapland with Bruce Dowell is a self-published book, that fills a gap in the published history of the Sunbeam Company in the years before they were absorbed in 1935 by the Rootes Group. Bruce Dowell has previously written and published a company history of this period which was supported by the MSMT and a further book chronicling the standout car produced by Sunbeam, the Three Litre Super Sports. Like many British car manufacturers, Sunbeam reintroduced pre-WWI models once production resumed in the aftermath of the conflict. By 1920, these outdated side-valve models with the...

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Rover Cars of the 1930s In Detail

Author: James Taylor
Publisher: Herridge & Sons

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust is pleased to have supported the publication of this new title. This book extends its comprehensive and detailed coverage back into the late 1920s, when the first of the 1930s models were introduced, and forward into 1947, when the 1930s models that had been revived after the war finally went out of production. The story is a remarkable one, researched and narrated by today’s leading Rover historian, James Taylor.

At the start of the 1930s, the Rover Company was in a precarious position. The slowdown in car sales caused...

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Aspects of Motoring History 18

Author: Edited by Craig Horner
Publisher: Society of Automotive Historians in Britain

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust has supported the eighteenth edition of ‘Aspects of Motoring History’ (usually referred to as ‘Aspects’), published by the Society of Automotive Historians in Britain (‘SAHB’). This ‘Aspects’ is the twelfth edition of this annual publication to be supported by the MSMT. It is free to full-members of the SAHB and a limited number of copies are available directly from the SAHB at https://www.thesahb.com/aspects/. ‘Aspects’ as its name suggests, comprises a selection of articles written by SAHB members (and others) on a variety of aspects of motoring history which do not in themselves merit a book but...

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S.F. Edge – Maker of Motoring History

Author: Simon Fisher
Publisher: Evro Publishing

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust is delighted to record that it has supported the publication of S.F. Edge – Maker of Motoring History by Simon Fisher. This important biography fills a gap in published history, where so much that has been published has been influenced by the self-publicity generated by this remarkable man.   Overview Selwyn Francis Edge, invariably known simply as ‘SF’, was a highly significant pioneer of motoring in Britain. When, in 1902, he drove a Napier to victory in the Gordon Bennett Cup, a mighty event on public roads between Paris in France and Innsbruck in Austria, he initiated serious British...

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Recreational Vehicles – A World History1872 – 1939

Author: Andrew Woodmansey
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books

Has there ever been a stranger idea in the vehicle world than putting a house on wheels and taking it on holiday? However odd it may seem, it’s an idea that has caught on. Today there are 15 million recreational vehicles, or ‘RVs’, on the roads of Europe, the USA and Australasia. So how did this fascinating family of vehicles come about? Who were the first recreational nomads, what made them want to take to the road just for pleasure and what did the first RVs look like? The wild ideas of RV pioneers around the world led to both streamlined successes...

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Formula 1’s Unsung Pioneers

Author: Ian Wagstaff
Publisher: Evro Publishing

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust is delighted to support Formula 1's Unsung Pioneers by Ian Wagstaff which has just been published by Evro Publishing. This is the previously untold story of a very special British racing team. The British Racing Partnership (BRP), which operated from 1958 to 1964, is best known for its association with Stirling Moss, who was driving a BRP-entered car at Goodwood on that fateful day in 1962 when a serious crash ended his career. Less familiarly, BRP became the first fully sponsored team in Formula 1, partnering with Yeoman Credit, a go-ahead finance house, in an initiative that...

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Herbert Austin’s Heavy Twelve – Four

Author: James Stringer
Publisher: Herridge & Sons

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust is pleased to have supported the publication of this new title. Until the publication of this book, there had been no in-depth book about the Austin 12/4. This most worthy of cars epitomised Herbert Austin’s philosophy that his cars must demonstrate longevity, robust construction, sound engineering and represent good value for money. Here we have the story behind the model’s introduction, contemporary press reports, early advertisements, from the first brochures issued up to 1934-35, the various body styles available. Those which were exported as chassis to New Zealand and Australia and then bodied locally are also included....

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Freestone & Webb, 1923 -1958 The Story of a British Coachbuilder

Author: James Taylor
Publisher: Herridge & Sons

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust is pleased to have supported the publication of this new title. Freestone & Webb was a great name in British coachbuilding for some 35 years, but as demand for coachbuilt car bodies dried up in the 1950s, the company became the first of the Big Five remaining specialists to close down. They had started in the early 1920s, as the motoring scene was settling down after the upheaval of the First World War. Early devotees of lightweight Weymann construction, they soon earned the approval of the nearby Bentley company because their bodies did not unduly hinder the...

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Aspects of Motoring History 17

Author: Edited by Craig Horner
Publisher: Society of Automotive Historians in Britain

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust has supported the seventeenth edition of 'Aspects of Motoring History' (commonly referred to as 'Aspects'), published by the Society of Automotive Historians in Britain ('SAHB'). This 'Aspects' is the eleventh edition of this annual publication to be supported by the Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust. It is free to full-members of the SAHB and a limited number of copies are available directly from the SAHB at Aspects | (thesahb.com). 'Aspects', as its name suggests, comprises a selection of articles written by SAHB members (and others) on a variety of aspects of motoring history which do not in...

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The Spiders’ Web

Author: John Bradshaw
Publisher: JRB Publishing

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust supports books on a wide range of motoring subjects, but had not featured a book devoted to the niche sport of hillclimbing since 2007 when the history of South Harting hillclimb was published, until this book in 2021. This book is the comprehensive story of just two cars: Spider I   -   the scarred and battered looking G.N. cyclecar special that dominated all the hill-climbs and sprints throughout the 1920s and 1930s. Spider II -   the same old broom, but with new heads and handles over the years, that still often beats MGs, Rileys, Nashs, Bugattis and even ERAs today! This...

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The Lanchester Legacy Volume IV – A Joyous Pictorial Journey

Author: Chris S. Clark
Publisher: Chris S. Clark

The MSMT are delighted to have supported the publication of  The Lanchester Legacy Volume IV, having similarly supported the publication of Volume I (1895-1931) in 1995. Volume II (1931-1956) was published in 2016 and Volume III (A Celebration of Genius - Frederick Lanchester edited by John Fletcher) in 1996. An A4 volume to match the previous volumes,  this book is in landscape format in order to show at best enlargement numerous photographs from every period and aspect of the Lanchester story. This pictorial journey begins with the first drive on public roads of the Lanchester 5hp in December 1895 and ends poignantly...

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De Dion Bouton – The Essential Library & Source Book 1888 – 1931

Author: Michael Edwards
Publisher: Surrenden Press

Over the past few years, Michael Edwards has published books detailing De Dion Bouton Types and Specifications 1899-1904, 1905-914, De Dion Bouton Tricycles 1895-1902 and other tricycles using De Dion Bouton parts 1895-1902. During the research for these books, the author has collected an enviable number and variety of references to the marque and related subjects which he has now collated into this new book. For the first time, this book presents a full bibliography of the De Dion Bouton company, with charts of passenger and commercial vehicle production, and introductory essays on the key stages of the company’s evolution. Like...

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Crossley – The Rise of the Sidevalves

Author: Tom Fryars
Publisher: Gorton Publishing

The Crossley Motors works competition team participated at sprint events between the years 1910 and 1914. Tom Fryars' new book details the story of their success and outlines the motorsport scene in Britain in the years prior to World War 1, where these efficient but lower-capacity cars beat and took over from those where ever-increasing capacity had been the only route for development. The author has amassed photographs of almost all of the events entered and this well-illustrated book also covers the stories of the works drivers Hubert Woods and Cecil Bianchi. Tom has personal experience of these cars as the...

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Aspects of Motoring History 16

Author: Edited by Craig Horner
Publisher: Society of Automotive Historians in Britain

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust has supported the sixteenth edition of 'Aspects of Motoring History' (commonly referred to as 'Aspects'), published by the Society of Automotive Historians in Britain ('SAHB'). This 'Aspects' is the tenth edition of this annual publication to be supported by the Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust. It is free to full-members of the SAHB and a limited number of copies are available directly from the SAHB at Aspects | (thesahb.com). 'Aspects', as its name suggests, comprises a selection of articles written by SAHB members (and others) on a variety of aspects of motoring history which do not in...

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Louis Coatalen, Engineering Impresario: Of Humber, Sunbeam, Talbot and Darracq

Author: Oliver Heal
Publisher: Unicorn Publishing Group

Louis Coatalen was born a Frenchman, but spent much of his adult life in Britain and took British nationality. This is the first comprehensive biography of this influential figure in the British motor industry. Coatalen emerges from this biography as a man full of Gallic charm and wit, determined to obtain success for his products by whatever means necessary. His perseverance and a certain lack of scruples, his ability to recognise a good idea and recruit talented individuals, combined with his undoubted leadership skills made him a major figure in motoring history. Coatalen's successes and failures are traced from his birth in Brittany,...

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Aspects of Motoring History 15

Author: Edited by Craig Horner
Publisher: Society of Automotive Historians in Britain

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust has supported the fifteenth edition of 'Aspects of Motoring History' (commonly referred to as 'Aspects'), published by the Society of Automotive Historians in Britain ('SAHB'). This 'Aspects' is the ninth edition of this annual publication to be supported by the Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust. It is free to full-members of the SAHB and a limited number of copies are available directly from the SAHB at Aspects | (thesahb.com). 'Aspects', as its name suggests, comprises a selection of articles written by SAHB members (and others) on a variety of aspects of motoring history which do not in...

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The Tricycle Book 1895-1902 Part Two

Author: Michael Edwards
Publisher: Surrenden Press

Having covered De Dion-Bouton Tricycles in Part One of this book, also supported by the Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust, Michael Edwards has now written Part Two, covering the developments in the UK during this period. Many of the Tricycles featured either used De Dion-Bouton engines or near copies thereof. Having set the scene in the UK and how the regulation and society norms of the time influenced development, the author goes on to record all the known examples produced in the period, even those which only amounted to a single example. This substantial book fills a gap in the published history...

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The MGC GTS Lightweights: Abingdon’s Last Racers

Author: David Morys
Publisher: Veloce Publishing

A new book telling the full story of this last-gasp competition effort from Abingdon. Features: • The development of the production road car: its conception and compromised design • In-depth technical analysis of the development of the MGC GTS • Production process for the special aluminium panels and body construction fully explained • Comprehensive coverage of all the major/minor mechanical components and electrical systems • Rare insight into the conception of the flared arches and GTS testing • In-depth competition history of the cars, race reports and race results • The re-discovery of these last and much loved MG competition cars • Rare unseen pictures of the MGC GTS in...

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RGS Atalantas

Author: Alan Shattock
Publisher: Troubador

Alan Shattock has been researching the history of his father. Dick Shattock's, RGS Atalanta sports cars, his pioneering work on the use of fibreglass for the manufacture of sports car bodies and his collaborative work with John Griffiths on the production of JAG cars. The importance of Dick's entrepreneurial sports car work in reviving the Atalanta marque after the war and how, essentially as a one-man sports car designer, Dick achieved performance capable of beating the top works sports car of the mid-1950 is recounted. This is a unique story, covering the late post war period to the present time, of...

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British Motorcycles 1945 – 1965: Aberdale to Wooler

Author: Rinsey Mills
Publisher: Herridge & Sons

From the forgotten Aberdale, of Llwynypia, Wales, to the ingeniously eccentric Wooler, of north-west London, here is alphabetical coverage – in no less than 600 pages – of British motorcycle makes of the period 1945-1965, among them great names such as AJS, BSA, Matchless, Norton, Royal Enfield, Triumph and Vincent. The two decades covered by this book represent the final flowering of the motorcycle industry in Britain, a period when British bikes were shipped all over the world, when America discovered high-performance British twins and when ton-up boys vied with each other in feats of horrific daring. In the meantime, rush-hour roads...

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The Tricycle Book 1895 – 1902 Part One

Author: Michael Edwards
Publisher: Surrenden Press

The tricycle was the original racing machine whose average speed increased from 16mph in 1897 to more than 60mph by 1902. Fifteen years earlier, the bicycle had opened up new frontiers for many, and the tricycle added excitement in great measure, at considerably less effort. The narrative of the evolution of the tricycle and its short-lived successor, the quadricycle, cannot be told simply by reference to De Dion Bouton. For this reason, The Tricycle Book 1896 – 1902, De Dion Bouton and its Contemporaries, sets out to paint the picture of activity in Europe, encompassing more than 40 manufacturers and engine...

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Aspects of Motoring History 14

Author: Edited by Craig Horner
Publisher: Society of Automotive Historians in Britain

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust has supported the fourteenth edition of 'Aspects of Motoring History' (commonly referred to as 'Aspects'), published by the Society of Automotive Historians in Britain ('SAHB'). This 'Aspects' is the eighth edition of this annual publication to be supported by the Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust. It is free to full-members of the SAHB and a limited number of copies are available directly from the SAHB at Aspects | (thesahb.com). 'Aspects', as its name suggests, comprises a selection of articles written by SAHB members (and others) on a variety of aspects of motoring history which do not in...

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Reid Railton, Man of Speed

Author: Karl Ludvigsen
Publisher: Evro Publishing

Winner of the Michael Sedgwick Award 2018. Presented by the Society Of Automotive Historians in Britain for the best motoring book in the English language demonstrating excellence in research and writing, published in the previous 12 months. 2018 review by James Loveridge. For much of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s the World Land Speed Record was held by British drivers in British cars and that predominance was in large measure down to an extremely gifted Motor Engineer, Reid Anthony Railton (1895 – 1977). Railton’s life and achievements are now the subject of a magisterial two-volume book entitled “Reid Railton, Man of Speed” (ISBN 978-1910505250)...

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Aspects of Motoring History 13

Author: Edited by Craig Horner
Publisher: Society of Automotive Historians in Britain

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust has supported the thirteenth edition of 'Aspects of Motoring History' (commonly referred to as 'Aspects'), published by the Society of Automotive Historians in Britain ('SAHB'). This 'Aspects' is the seventh edition of this annual publication to be supported by the Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust. It is free to full-members of the SAHB and a limited number of copies are available directly from the SAHB at Aspects | (thesahb.com). 'Aspects', as its name suggests, comprises a selection of articles written by SAHB members (and others) on a variety of aspects of motoring history which do not in...

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Trucks of the Soviet Union – The Definitive History

Author: Andy Thompson
Publisher: Behemoth Publishing

Following the author's highly regarded Cars of the Soviet Union and Cars of Eastern Europe, this sister title is a detailed record and history of the trucks produced by the Soviet Union and its successor nations. It is also a unique collection of pictures and photographs of these trucks, with particular emphasis on the post-war era. The author explores the historical and socio-economic context within which the Soviet Union developed its truck industry and the intimate relationship between trucks and life in the Soviet Union. Finally he looks at the changing shape of the post-Soviet truck industry in the post-communist era....

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De Dion Bouton – An illustrated guide to type and specification 1905-1914

Author: Michael Edwards
Publisher: Surrenden Press

This is the second volume of a series of publications on the De Dion Bouton company. The first volume: ‘An Illustrated Guide to Type & Specification 1899-1904’, published in 2016, documented the development of single and twin motor vehicles in the first five years of production.​​ By the end of 1904, De Dion Bouton had established an enviable reputation for the performance of its well-designed single and twin-cylinder engines, ignition systems and transmission, coupled with a robust lightweight chassis suitable for a wide range of two and four-seater coachwork. During the initial five years of production, fourteen single cylinder and two twin...

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Aspects of Motoring History 12

Author: Edited by Craig Horner
Publisher: Society of Automotive Historians in Britain

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust has supported the twelfth edition of 'Aspects of Motoring History' (commonly referred to as 'Aspects'), published by the Society of Automotive Historians in Britain ('SAHB'). This 'Aspects' is the sixth edition of this annual publication to be supported by the Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust. It is free to full-members of the SAHB and a limited number of copies are available directly from the SAHB at Aspects | (thesahb.com). 'Aspects', as its name suggests, comprises a selection of articles written by SAHB members (and others) on a variety of aspects of motoring history which do not in...

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Caithness to the Cote D’Azur

Author: David Whyte
Publisher: SpeedReading Books

A book covering the story of the first British driver to win the Monte Carlo Rally - Victor Bruce in 1926- and the cars and drivers who followed in his wheel tracks from John O'Groats over the next 13 years. Drivers such as 'Sammy' Davis, Glen Kidston, Katy Brunell, Amy Johnson, Norman Garrard, Lionel Martin and H J Aldington. Their cars included Lagonda, Bentley, Rolls Royce, M.G., Alvis, Jaguar, Triumph, Lancia and Talbot. Over 200 men and women took on the challenge of the Monte starting from the north of Scotland when even getting to the start was an achievement in...

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Wolseley: A Very British Car

Author: Anders Ditlev Clausager
Publisher: Herridge & Sons Ltd

Winner of the Michael Sedgwick Award 2017, presented by the Society Of Automotive Historians in Britain for the best motoring book in the English language demonstrating excellence in research and writing, published in the previous 12 months. 2017 review by Guy Loveridge. To most of us Wolseley is a somewhat peripheral British marque. It was never a “Glamour” name in the same way as Riley or MG and did not seem to possess the staying power of an Austin or a Morris, and yet, as this meticulously researched new “tome” reveals, Wolseley were in at the very beginning of the British motoring industry,...

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Aspects of Motoring History 11

Author: Edited by Craig Horner
Publisher: Society of Automotive Historians in Britain

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust has supported the eleventh edition of 'Aspects of Motoring History' (commonly referred to as 'Aspects'), published by the Society of Automotive Historians in Britain ('SAHB'). This 'Aspects' is the fifth edition of this annual publication to be supported by the Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust. It is free to full-members of the SAHB and a limited number of copies are available directly from the SAHB at Aspects | (thesahb.com). 'Aspects', as its name suggests, comprises a selection of articles written by SAHB members (and others) on a variety of aspects of motoring history which do not in...

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De Dion Bouton – An illustrated Guide to Type & Specification 1899-1904

Author: Michael Edwards
Publisher: Surrenden Press

In the first few years of the 20th century the level of technical progress in the construction of motor cars was remarkable, as evidenced by the output from De Dion Bouton’s Puteaux works. ​ In September 1899 the company produced its first rear-engined, four-wheeled, twin-speed vehicle with a single cylinder engine, an unsprung back axle, no rear brakes, and very limited accommodation. ​ Five years later, in December 1904, a four cylinder, four-speed vehicle, fully sprung and capable of carrying limousine coachwork and a full complement of passengers in comfort over long distances, was available. Between 1899 and 1904 De Dion Bouton produced 16 Types of...

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Harry Lester – His Cars and The Monkey Stable

Author: Stewart Penfound
Publisher: BR Books

Winner of the Michael Sedgwick Award 2015, presented by the Society Of Automotive Historians in Britain for the best motoring book in the English language demonstrating excellence in research and writing, published in the previous 12 months. Garage owner and expert tuner of MG cars, Harry Lester was one of the more successful sports car competitors in the late 1940s and early 1950s. In 1949 he designed and built his own car, with a rigid tubular chassis, lightweight aluminium body and utilising the favoured engine of many club racers of the time, the XPAG unit from the MGTC. So successful was the...

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Aspects of Motoring History 10

Author: Edited by Malcolm Jeal
Publisher: Society of Automotive Historians in Britain

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust has supported the tenth edition of 'Aspects of Motoring History' (commonly referred to as 'Aspects'), published by the Society of Automotive Historians in Britain ('SAHB'). This 'Aspects' is the fourth edition of this annual publication to be supported by the Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust. It is free to full-members of the SAHB and a limited number of copies are available directly from the SAHB at Aspects | (thesahb.com). 'Aspects', as its name suggests, comprises a selection of articles written by SAHB members (and others) on a variety of aspects of motoring history which do not in...

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The English Model T Ford Beyond the Factory -Volume 2

Author: Chris Barker, Neil Tuckett and Drew Lilleker
Publisher: Model T Ford Register of Great Britain

Written by the Model T Register of Great Britain's current Archivist, Chris Barker, together with Neil Tuckett and Bruce Lilleker's son, Drew. It complements Volume 1 by describing what happened to British Model Ts after they left Trafford Park. In the years before and after WWI, Ford sold 300,000 Model Ts in Britain. Customer choice was limited; two seats or 4 (with or without a roof), a van, or later on, a truck. For ten years they only came in black. Henry Ford believed his Model T was perfect for everyone just as he built it. Customers and inventors thought differently....

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Aspects of Motoring History 9

Author: Edited by Malcolm Jeal
Publisher: Society of Automotive Historians in Britain

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust has supported the ninth edition of 'Aspects of Motoring History' (commonly referred to as 'Aspects'), published by the Society of Automotive Historians in Britain ('SAHB'). This 'Aspects' is the third edition of this annual publication to be supported by the Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust. It is free to full-members of the SAHB and a limited number of copies are available directly from the SAHB at Aspects | (thesahb.com). 'Aspects', as its name suggests, comprises a selection of articles written by SAHB members (and others) on a variety of aspects of motoring history which do not in...

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Morgan – International Adventure

Author: John C. Clarke
Publisher: John C. Clarke

In 1938 Morgan appeared on the world stage, competing at the famous 24 hour race at Le Mans against the best sports cars of the day driven by the best international drivers. Two enthusiastic amateurs, Prudence Fawcett, a pretty young society lady and Geoff White from the Winter Garden Garages brought the Morgan home to 13th place having covered over 1,350 miles. Now the story is being told in full together with Morgan's foray into other international pre war races, remarkably all in the same Morgan 4-4. This book tells the story of Morgan's adventures in the RAC Tourist Trophy races in...

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Bert Hadley – Son of Birmingham

Author: Geoff Roe
Publisher: The Pre-War Austin Seven Club

This book is the biography of Bert, one of the famous Austin Works drivers competing pre-war in the Side Valve and Twin Cam racers and post war in the Austin Seven Grasshoppers, as well as driving for Healey, TR, Jaguar and Jowett. This is an important work with much new information, very well researched and written by Mr Roe. A necessary "must have" for all Seven enthusiasts. This book is published by the Pre-War Austin Seven Club (PWA7C), the largest international club for Austin Seven enthusiasts everywhere. Founded in Derby, England in 1962, the Club has grown to over 1000 plus members in...

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Rippon Brothers – a coachbuilder of Renown

Author: Jonathan Wood
Publisher: James Hinchliffe & Annabel Sleigh

In this carefully researched, readable book, awarded the Antique Automobile Club of America’s Thomas McKean Cup, award-winning motoring historian Jonathan Wood recounts the history of Rippon Bros, a family coachbuilding business established in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire in 1870. Renowned for quality of its coachwork and closely allied with Rolls-Royce for most of its corporate life, Rippon survived until 1970. It's bodies, created by some of the trade's finest craftsmen, also featured on examples of the best British and Continental makes of their day, with Bentley, Daimler, Delage, Railton and Renault chassis being so enhanced. Copiously illustrated with hundreds of rare contemporary...

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Panhard – The flat-twin cars 1945-1967 and their origins

Author: David Beare
Publisher: Stinkwheel Publishing

Until now an informative in-depth, fully-illustrated English-language history of Panhard’s ingenious post-WW2 flat-twin cars has never been published. French language books abound; many are well-written milestone works illustrated with Panhard company archive images, studying models from 1945 to the company’s demise in July 1967. This book, “Panhard, the flat-twin cars 1945-1967 and their origins,” is the result of four years research and writing. It covers all the factory- made models including light commercials, estates, sports cars and convertibles and references Panhard’s many competition successes. The in-depth study of often-revolutionary technology used by Panhard for their flat-twin cars is illustrated throughout by...

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Aspects of Motoring History 8

Author: Edited by Malcolm Jeal
Publisher: Society of Automotive Historians in Britain

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust has supported the eighth edition of 'Aspects of Motoring History' (commonly referred to as 'Aspects'), published by the Society of Automotive Historians in Britain ('SAHB'). This 'Aspects' is the second edition of this annual publication to be supported by the Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust. It is free to full-members of the SAHB and a limited number of copies are available directly from the SAHB at Aspects | (thesahb.com). 'Aspects', as its name suggests, comprises a selection of articles written by SAHB members (and others) on a variety of aspects of motoring history which do not in...

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Russian Motor Vehicles: Soviet Limousines 1930-2003

Author: Maurice A. Kelly
Publisher: Veloce Publishing

A book concerning Russian Limousines, and the Chinese models that were initially derived from them, has never been attempted before. This book investigates the whole story of why the Soviet Communist Party required such a bourgeois product, and how production was subsequently achieved. Following the orders of Stalin, work on the Limousines commenced during the first Five Year Plan (1927-1933) at the Putilov Works, late the Kirov Zavod, where the Leningrad L-1 was made in a limited number. From these beginnings, the Moscow and Gorky models emerged, and later the Chinese-derived types made with Russian aid during the late 1950s. Covering...

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The Book of the Standard Motor Company

Author: Graham Robson
Publisher: Veloce Publishing

Starting with the original Standard prototype of 1903, this definitive and highly illustrated record covers the scores of Standard models built until the brand was discontinued in 1963 (Britain) and 1987 (India).It also covers the Ferguson tractor involvement and the manufacture of military aero-engines (including the Rolls-Royce Avon turbo-jet), military aircraft (including Beaufighter and Mosquito fighter-bombers) and of course, Triumph cars. Graham Robson studied Engineering at Oxford University and joined Jaguar Cars as a graduate trainee, becoming involved in design work on the Mk II, E-Type and Mark X. In 1961 he joined Standard-Triumph as a Development Engineer, mainly on sports car...

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Archie Frazer-Nash…Engineer

Author: Trevor Tarring and Mark Joseland
Publisher: The Frazer Nash Archives

Archie Frazer-Nash, was not one person, but several heroes rolled into one. Four of our reasons for remembering him bear his name. These are the Frazer-Nash gun turrets fitted to most British World War II bombers; the Frazer Nash sports car of the twenties; the Vickers-Nash crane safety indicator; and last but not least, his record as an extremely successful racing driver from 1919 to 1931. As this biography sets out to show, even these achievements do not tell the whole story. Before and after World War I, together with Ron Godfrey, he developed the cheap but lively GN cyclecar into a...

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Aspects of Motoring History 7

Author: Edited by Malcolm Jeal
Publisher: Society of Automotive Historians in Britain

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust has supported the seventh edition of 'Aspects of Motoring History' (commonly referred to as 'Aspects'), published by the Society of Automotive Historians in Britain ('SAHB'). This 'Aspects' is the first edition of this annual publication to be supported by the Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust. It is free to full-members of the SAHB and a limited number of copies are available directly from the SAHB at Aspects | (thesahb.com). 'Aspects', as its name suggests, comprises a selection of articles written by SAHB members (and others) on a variety of aspects of motoring history which do not in...

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H.R.G – The Sportsman’s Ideal

Author: Ian Dussek
Publisher: Ian Dussek

The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust supported the original edition of this book, which was published by Motor Racing Publications in 1985. The Trust are delighted to support this revised and expanded edition incorporating the results of a further 35 years of research by Ian Dussek, a long-time HRG owner and leading light in the HRG Association. This comprehensive tome contains the complete history of the Marque. HRG Engineering Company also known as HRG, was a British car manufacturer based in Tolworth, Surrey. Founded in 1936 by Major Edward Halford, Guy Robins and Henry Ronald Godfrey, its name was created from the first...

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Russian Motor Vehicles: The Czarist Period 1784 to 1917

Author: Maurice A. Kelly
Publisher: Veloce Publishing

While many books have appeared concerning Russian aircraft, railway locomotives and naval craft, there has been nothing published outside of Russia concerning the activities of its motor industry. 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. The writer decided to concentrate on the work of the pioneers in Czarist Russia, for their efforts were more diverse than those of their counterparts in the Soviet...

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Sunbeam-Talbot & Alpine – In Detail

Author: Anders Ditlev Clausager
Publisher: Herridge & Sons

In the 1950s Sunbeam-Talbots and Alpines earned a very good name in rallying, consistently gaining awards in international events and even achieving an outright win in the Monte Carlo Rally in 1956. The star-studded Rootes works team at the time included Stirling Moss, Peter Collins and the irrepressible Sheila van Damm. In sales terms too the cars were a success, their good looks, useful performance and willingness to take punishment winning them many friends. The story begins with the humble but pretty Talbot Ten, based on the Hillman Minx, which became the Sunbeam-Talbot Ten. A 2-litre version was not as exciting as...

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The Stinkwheel Saga Episode 2

Author: David Beare & Philippa Wheeler
Publisher: Stinkwheel Publishing

The previously published episode 1 of The Stinkwheel Saga covered the most popular cyclemotors of the 1950s: Cyclemaster, Mini-Motor, Winged Wheel, Power Pak, Cucciolo, Firefly, Cyclaid, GYS/Cairns and Mosquito. This book, episode 2 completes the saga by mopping up the rest - the also-rans. With any review of cyclemotors, the main problem is where to draw the line: where do cyclemotors end and mopeds start? The VéloSoleX forms a useful border line and Stinkwheel seems to have adopted this. Included in the book are Cymota, Berini, Teagle, Lohmann, VAP, Tailwind, Busy Bee, Itom, TI Powerwheel, Ostler, ABJ, Bantamoto and Bikotor. There are...

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Freddie Dixon – The Man with a Heart of a Lion

Author: David Mason
Publisher: Haynes Publishing Group

Freddie Dixon was a true all-rounder of the pre-war era of motor sport, and is the only man to have won Isle of Man TT races on two, three and four wheels. Dixon was equally competitive off-track, and his legendary penchant for wild celebrations, regardless of success or failure, fuelled his reputation as a hard-working, hard-drinking racer. An innovative thinker, he had an unsurpassed ability to see engineering problems in their simplest terms, which played a significant part in his success. Here is the story of a true British character, a man who left an indelible mark on the record books,...

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The English Model T Ford – A Century of the Model T in Britain

Author: Martin Riley, Bruce Lilleker & Neil Tuckett.
Publisher: Model T Ford Register of Great Britain

Volume 1 - The English Model T Ford - A Century of the Model T in Britain, published by the Model T Ford Register of Great Britain in 2008, was written by Register Archivist Martin Riley and enthusiastic collectors Neil Tuckett and the late Bruce Lilleker. It covers the early history of Ford in the UK from 1903 to the end of Model T production in 1927, including the contribution made by Percival Perry, Ford UK's first MD. All the factory cars and commercial vehicles are described and illustrated. The full history of prices, production and sales is documented. There is...

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South Harting Hill Climb

Author: Graham Orme-Bannister
Publisher: Newlands Press

Graham Orme-Bannister, who drives a Bristol 403, writes of South Harting Hill Climb, the one-time Hampshire hill venue. His coverage includes over 120 pictures, which exactly convey the atmosphere of the time, obtained at considerable cost to the author, with the help of LAT. There are long reports of all the South Harting meetings and an appendix covering entries in detail, the history of speed limits, the organising clubs, with new history, and over 25 pages on the life of Earl Russell, the founder of the South Harting ’climb, and his cars, and the author has carefully researched controversial factors in contemporary...

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Alpine Trials and Rallies

Author: Martin Pfunder
Publisher: Veloce Publishing

This book charts how the Alpine Trials spread from Austria to Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany. There are lists all the winners of Alpine Cups through six decades and details the French Alpine's itinerary. This book also recalls the Rolls-Royce performance of 1913 in Austria and tells how Jaguar established its sporting reputation through the Alpine Rallies . The predecessor of today's international rally sport, the alpine trials and rallies of 1910 onwards were an incredible test of endurance for early pioneers and their cars. Becoming ever more international, the event would continue in various forms until 1973. This book, written by a...

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Armstrong Siddeley Motors – The cars, the company and the people in definitive detail

Author: Bill Smith
Publisher: Veloce Publishing

This book is a unique blend of social, economic and industrial history. It covers the story of the company from Siddeley's birth to the present time and graphically illustrates the stylish products and personalities involved. The book covers the political and economic background of the time and shows the relationship between the aero and car sides. It highlights the many illustrious owners of this marque and tells why car production stopped and what happened next. The text covers how enthusiasts' clubs kept the marque alive and lists in detail surviving cars. If ever there was a car that exuded British style...

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Vauxhall Cars 1903 – 1918

Author: Nic Portway
Publisher: New Wensum Publishing

Published in two volumes in a slipcase as a limited edition of 850 copies, each one signed and numbered by the author. Each volume comprises 156 pages (297 x 323mm) with over 400 photographs taken in period, many never previously published, compiled over the past decade, as well as drawing on the author's unrivalled personal collection. There are also reproductions of period catalogues, original technical drawings and charts, contemporary advertisements and ephemera. The books tell two differing, but totally related, stories. The first is of Vauxhall cars, built for sale, from the beginning of the 5hp tiller-steered, single-cylinder models to the D type...

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Ave Atque Vale

Author: Dave Cox
Publisher: Martin Publications

Containing nearly 200 pages and over 250 photographs and illustrations, many never before seen in print, Ave Atque Vale has been hailed as the definitive work on the Vale Special motor car and the Vale Motor Company. Extensively researched and based on personal diaries, letters and authentic records; it follows the car from conception, through production and onwards, with detailed records of cars and their owner histories to date. It is a compelling story, not just of the Vale Special, but of the personalities behind it that made this sports car possible. The company was heavily involved in motor sport of the...

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Petroleum Collectables

Author: Mike Berry
Publisher: Shire Publications (now part of Bloomsbury)

In 1967 Beaulieu held the first autojumble in the United Kingdom and collectors of anything remotely connected with motoring found they had a huge market place. Early petrol pumps look very attractive, as do the globes that go on top. Enamel advertising signs are a popular collector’s item and the petrol companies produced many of these. Petrol sold in two-gallon cans for many years; hundreds survive and, like stamps, are closely scrutinised by collectors for variation from standard. Now anything to do with petrol retailing is a collectable item and in this book Mike Berry outlines some of the thousands of...

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The Rise of Jaguar

Author: Barrie Price
Publisher: Veloce Publishing

This era of the Jaguar company's history tends to be a 'Cinderella' period, often glossed over by historians more interested in the 'XK era'. These twenty-two years, nevertheless, are those in which the foundation of the company's success as a motor manufacturer was laid and they represent the period in which the marque's character was clearly defined. This was the first book dedicated to Jaguar's formative years and the company's evolution from SS, through SS Jaguar, to Jaguar. Between the covers Barrie Price charts the development of the company and records the successful management strategies - including the relationship with Standard - that...

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Out in Front – The Leslie Ballamy Story

Author: Tony Russell
Publisher: Motor Racing Publications

Out In Front was a trading slogan of Leslie Ballamy's LMB companies, whose suspension, engine and transmission conversions became a passport to success not only on race tracks, hill-climbs and trials venues, but also on the road, where customers for his 'go-faster' conversions included some of the country's top sportsmen and even members of the aristocracy. This is a story of a forthright character who was a great patriot, an inspiration to many, and a tireless and ingenious 'ideas' man, who never stopped designing until the day he dropped dead at his drawing board at the ripe old age of 87. Out...

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Sunbeam – The Supreme Car 1899 – 1935

Author: Bruce Dowell
Publisher: Landmark Publishing Ltd

John Marston, the man who started it all was born in Ludlow in 1836, of a minor landowning family, and was sent, aged 15, to Wolverhampton to be apprenticed to Edward Perry, a japanware manufacturer. At the age of 23 he left and set up his own japanning business, making any and every sort of domestic item, after purchasing Daniel Smith Lester's factory in Lester Street, Bilston. Perry died in 1869, and John did so well that in 1871, he took over his company and incorporated it into his own. He started making Sunbeam bicycles, with great success and on the...

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Coventry Climax Racing Engines

Author: Des Hammill
Publisher: Veloce Publishing

Des Hammill was given free access to Walter Hassan's papers. He also managed to track down surviving key players from the company's motor racing heydey in the 1950s and '60s. This book is a history of Coventry Climax racing engines and how they developed out of normal production engines, for the most part, yet were powerful enough to power Formula One World Championship winning cars. This hardback is for the technically minded who are interested in the history and development of motor racing engines. It goes into great detail analysing the difficulties encountered by an engine manufacturer trying to make world...

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William Beardmore – Transport is the Thing

Author: K. A. Hurst
Publisher: NMSE Publishing

William Beardmore, the ambitious entrepreneur, summed up his peacetime strategy after World War I with the simple sentence, 'Transport is the Thing'. He planned on a large scale and built transport for land, sea and air, endlessly seeking partnerships and encouraging innovation. By expanding the business which began with his grandfather in 1815, Beardmore was destined to make a considerable impact on the history of Scottish engineering. However, William Beardmore, the flawed visionary, lacked the technical knowledge to discriminate between genuine engineering advances and mechanical curiosities. Unable to delegate responsibility, serious mistakes were often made. In the midst of a diminishing economy,...

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The Bean

Author: Jonathan Wood
Publisher: Shire Publications (now part of Bloomsbury)

It all began in 1826 well before motor cars were thought of, when Absolom Harper started making fenders and fire irons in Waddams Pool, Dudley. He was assisted by his sons John and Edward, the firm becoming A. Harper & Sons, but by the 1890s the Black Country iron industry was in decline. However in 1879 John Harper's only daughter, Mary, had married one George Bean, aged 24 and an ambitious bank clerk, from Stamford, Lincolnshire. He had been working for the Birmingham Town Bank since 1874 and in 1875 was transferred to its Dudley branch and so came to meet...

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The House of Gwynne – Cars, Pumps and Aeroengines 1849-1968

Author: Ken Good
Publisher: Bookmarque Publishing

This book was written about a subject dear to the author, namely Gwynne Cars, made in England in the early to late 1920s. His story covers everything connected with the cars and other engineering aspects of the Gwynne family name, for example centrifugal pumps, which gained a worldwide reputation for excellence. Gwynnes were manufacturing Clerget rotary engines under licence for aircraft at the old Thorneycroft premises at Chiswick during World War I. To occupy the factory, tools and staff, the company started making engines for cars and purchased a design for a 8HP light car from Arturo Elizalde, who manufactured a...

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Number Plates – A History of Vehicle Registration in Britain

Author: Dave Moss
Publisher: Shire Publications (now part of Bloomsbury)

Registration marks are one of the very few unbroken links between the earliest days of the motor vehicle and the present day. In this book, the lengthy history of the humble British number plate is revealed. The system introduced at the beginning of the twentieth century had a straightforward purpose in identifying the place of origin of motor vehicles, providing links to owners. As more and more vehicles came into use, the original system evolved through piecemeal development and sheer necessity to the point where adaptations changed it almost beyond recognition. This book looks back on the evolution of the British...

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High Speed Diary – The Life and Times of Reggie Ellis Tongue

Author: Reggie Tongue, Edited by Eric Dymock
Publisher: Dove Publishing

This is the biography of 1930's motor racing driver and latter Battle of Britain pilot, Reggie Tongue, who was only 22 when he drove in his first real motor race, the 24 Hour Grand Prix d'Endurance, at Le Mans. His family trustees had been against him taking part in speed events while at university, so although rallies and trials were deemed safe, at Le Mans he had to enter surreptitiously as "A Vincent". During practice, fearful of what would happen if he had an accident, he wired home confessing his duplicity. This account of the life and times of Mancunian Reginald...

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Road Signs

Author: Stuart Hands
Publisher: Shire Publications (now part of Bloomsbury)

Featuring road signs, direction, warning, boundary, and advisory, this book covers various aspects of traffic signage and signs. Road signs have never attracted the interest that railway signs have, perhaps because they are so commonplace. There have been direction signs ever since man began to travel, and boundary signs too, have a long history. Warning signs, however, did not become necessary until cycling and motoring became established at the end of the nineteenth century. Since then the British government has sought to regulate all aspects of traffic signage and signs are often altered to keep abreast of developments, but neverthless signs...

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Proprietary Engines

Author: Nick Baldwin
Publisher: Shire Publications (now part of Bloomsbury)

Famous vehicle firms like Kenworth, Railton, Jensen, ERF, Morgan and Peterbilt have never made their own engines. Instead they have relied on outside specialists. Since the dawn of motoring firms like De Dion-Bouton and Aster have provided power for other manufacturers' chassis. Until the numbers of car makers were decimated by takeovers and bankruptcies around 1930 up to half of all the hundreds of models available on both sides of the Atlantic had proprietary engines. However. they were seldom amongst the best sellers and afterwards it was diesels for commercial vehicles and niche market cars that kept the engine specialists going....

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Ford Model Y – Henry’s Car for Europe

Author: Sam Roberts
Publisher: Veloce Publishing

The definitive histories of the 8 h.p. Ford Model Y and all it's worldwide variants, complete with detailed technical specifications and production records. The book traces the history from the cars' inception, through design and development and into production with its associated problems and solutions. Surviving models are also detailed. Most of the great names of the Ford Motor Company were involved with these small cars. The Model Y had a huge impact on the history of the European family saloon car. In fact, so pleasing was the Y's design - the first streamlined mass-produced car - that Edsel Ford had...

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A Zest for Life – the story of Alexander Keiller

Author: Lynda J. Murray
Publisher: Morven Books

Alexander Keiller was born on December 1st, 1889. At the age of 9, he became the sole heir to a fortune amassed by the Keiller dynasty during the previous century. What did he do with this money, and how it both coloured and tainted his life, is the subject matter of the book. Keiller lived life to the full, socialising, driving fast cars and skiing, but also conceived a vast love of Avebury. He invested his time and money in uncovering and protecting the monument and village. Avebury is a village in Wiltshire, roughly half-way between Devizes and Marlborough, built alongside and...

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The 3-Wheelers Almanac

Author: John Cleve Graham
Publisher: Bookmarque Publishing

Three wheeled vehicles have been present since the dawn of the motoring age. At one time the Leon Bollee tricycle was the fastest self-propelled conveyance that could be purchased and the De Dion Bouton-engined tricycle one of the most numerous on the roads. Long associated with economy, three wheelers were also present in the ranks of the sporting cars with Morgan being one of the longest-lived and most successful exponents of this genre. In the 1950s the economy car boom prompted by the scarcity of oil in Europe gave impetus to a new generation of three wheelers to add to the...

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The Story of Hampton Cars

Author: Trevor G. Picken
Publisher: Trevor G. Picken

The story of Hampton Cars is a fascinating mixture of history, geography and the many personalities involved. It is not merely a technical manual although that aspect is fully covered. This is an adventure story; its roots reach back centuries back into the past and push forward to the present day. The basis of the story is the industrial heritage of Stroud and its five valleys. The area, dominated originally by all aspects of the textile industry, had many mills driven by fast flowing streams. It also attracted a wide variety of manufacturing industries. Dudbridge, where most of the Hampton cars were...

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The Singer Story

Author: Kevin Atkinson
Publisher: Veloce Publishing

Here is the definitive history of one of Britain's oldest, most important and influential car manufacturers. George Singer started building bicycles in Coventry in 1874 and by 1905 his company was building cars and motorcycles too. Later the company would concentrate on the manufacture of cars and commercial vehicles, bringing great success in sales and motorsport until, in the early 1950s, things began to go wrong. By 1955 Singer was absorbed into the Rootes Group and slowly lost its distinctive identity. In 1970 the last car to carry a Singer badge was built - marking the end of the great Coventry...

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The Lanchester Legacy 1895-1931

Author: C.S. Clark
Publisher: Coventry University

This book, the first in a series of four volumes by the official Lanchester Historian, C S Clark, records the amazing lives and achievements of Frederick, George and Frank Lanchester. This concise work has been painstakingly built up from collections of documents and photographs, many of them previously unpublished, and from the personal and affectionate recollections of those who remembered events at first hand. It re-lives the challenge of developing and testing Frederick Lanchester’s theories on powered flight and the scientific principles of aircraft design from the early 1890s, the sense of excitement the brothers must have felt when unveiling the...

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Vauxhall 30-98 The Finest of Sporting Cars

Author: Nic Portway
Publisher: New Wensum Publishing

This beautifully produced book tells the story of what knowledgeable enthusiasts believe was Britain's finest vintage sporting car. 30-98 Vauxhalls were, and continue to be, understated vintage cars respected by the knowledgeable for their high quality and their outstanding road performance. For the last two generations, however, only owners and a few enlightened enthusiasts with a knowledge of motoring history, have been aware of their virtues. Most of these individuals are members of the Vintage Sports Car Club, which has kept the spirit of the 30-98 alive within its many activities. The Vauxhall company, so respected for the finest quality cars in the...

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Britain’s Motor Industry: The First Hundred Years

Author: G. N. Georgano, N. Baldwin, A. D. Clausager and J. Wood
Publisher: G. T. Foulis & Sons

This work records the full history of the British motor industry from 1896, when the first British-built vehicle was produced in series for sale to the public until its centenary. It examines closely the technical, social and economic aspects, and includes a number of first-hand interviews with men and women who were personally involved at the time. The book chronicles the graduation from the first French designed Bollee three-wheelers produced at Coventry's Motor Mills in 1896, through to today's high-volume cars manufactured by robots. It also charts the technical contribution to manufacturing and the role of computers in areas like product...

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A-Z of Cars of the 1920s

Author: Nick Baldwin
Publisher: Bay View Books Ltd

A comprehensive listing of all known makes of car in Britain during the Vintage period 1919-1930, this illustrated encyclopaedia provides brief histories of all the vintage car makers - numbering in the hundreds - and more detailed discussion, with photographs, of representative models produced by the British manufacturers. In total over 380 British and foreign car makers are mentioned, with over 600 pictures. Marques covered are from Abbey and Austin via Baby Blake and Bentley, through the Hatton-McEvoy and the London-Pullman to Warren Lambert, Xtra and Zephyr, the unusual and ephemeral rubbing shoulders with the commonplace. Nick Baldwin is a well-known author of...

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Racing at Crystal Palace – A history of motorsports at London’s own race circuit 1927 – 1972

Author: Phillip Parfitt
Publisher: Motor Racing Publications Ltd

Crystal Palace Park was first used for motorsport in 1901 when the English Motor Club organised a speed trial. This book, however, concentrates on the period when regular meetings were held, from the first motorcycle races on paths in the park and the speedway track created in 1927. Speedway only lasted until 1934, but in 1937 a new 2 mile-long racing circuit was created and motorcycle and car events were held up until the outbreak of war. In 1951, the new owners of the park. London County Council, decided to repair the wartime damage and in 1953 the circuit reopened, with...

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Automobiles Voisin 1919 – 1958

Author: Pascal Courteault and Peter Hull
Publisher: White Mouse Editions

Until the publication of this ambitious Voisin history very little has been available on this renowned French automobile. Now we have the full coverage, of the man and his individual motorcars, and some of his aeroplanes and later products, including cyclecars and biscooters. The main publication contains not only this comprehensive history of Voisin but has an incredible number of photographic reproductions of these cars, from the beginning to the fading years. This book covers all the known Voisin models, with specifications, catalogue extracts, engineering drawings and the like, including the streamlined record-breaking racing cars which Voisin built and used so effectively after...

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The Humber Story 1868 – 1932

Author: A.B. Demaus and J.C. Tarring
Publisher: Sutton Publishing

A comprehensive history of this famous Marque, from 1868, when it started out making bicycles, up to the take-over of the company by Rootes in 1932. The book details the earliest machines of the Bicycle Craze of the 1870's through powered 2 and 3 wheeled creations to the prestige Motor Cars of the 20's & early 30's. The first Humber car was produced in 1898 under the guidance of Thomas Humber and was a three-wheeled tricar with the first conventional four-wheeled car appearing in 1901. The company had factories in Beeston near Nottingham and Coventry. The Beeston factory produced a more...

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Armstrong Siddeley – The Postwar Cars

Author: Robert Penn Bradly
Publisher: Motor Racing Publications Limited

As the name implies, this book concentrates on the cars made after 1945. There is an excellent 13 page prologue on John Davenport Siddeley and the origins of Armstrong Siddeley Motors written by Nick Baldwin. This describes the story up to 1939 and is well illustrated with contemporary photographs. When the Hawker Siddeley Group decided in 1960 to give up car manufacture, one of Britain's most distinctive marques was struck off the list. Armstrong Siddeley, formed in 1919 when Armstrong Whitworth took over the enterprising J.D. Siddeley's car factory in Coventry, had established a reputation in the 1920s and 30s for cars...

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Bugatti Magnum

Author: Hugh Conway and Maurice Sauzay
Publisher: G.T. Foulis & Co Ltd

More than thirty years of research on the life and work of Ettore Bugatti condensed into 560 pages. Thanks to the cooperation of State institutions and collectors contains a quantity of documents and photographs of great historical interest. Includes an analysis of Ettore Bugatti's achievements in the fields of automotive, nautical, aeronautics, horse-drawn vehicles  and rail, with discussion of his inventions, patents and design methods. There are details of the family's way of life during their years at Molsheim, the saga of the death of Jean Bugatti while testing a car and the plans for postwar revitalisation of the factory. Each...

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MG Y-Type Saloons and Tourers

Author: John Lawson
Publisher: Motor Racing Publications Ltd

Prior to the publication of this book, the YA and YB saloons and the YT tourer had not been previously been singled out for a comprehensive history. Like other four-seater MGs both before and after them, they have been somewhat overlooked because the spotlight of popular attention has always tended to fall on their sports-car stablemates. Designed late in the 1930s but not introduced until 1947 because of the intervention of the war, the Y series of MGs were very much the products of a transitional phase as the Abingdon factory moved from the styles and methods of the prewar years...

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Malvernia – The Origins and History of the First Motor Cars Built by the Charles and Walter Santler

Author: R. A. Sutton
Publisher: Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust

The origins and history of the first motor car built by Charles and Walter Santler at Northumberland Works, Malvern Link, Worcestershire. The brothers Charles (1864-1940) and Walter (1867-1942) Santler, cycle makers and general engineers, have a good claim to the title of Britain's first car makers, for they built a steam car in 1889.' – 'The Beaulieu Encyclopaedia of the Automobile'. Some 20 years before the first Morgan three-wheeler emerged from Malvern, the Santler brothers had built a primitive automobile in this genteel Worcestershire spa town. After training as an engineer, Charles Santler went to work in his father's business in 1885. Established...

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HRG – The Sportsman’s Ideal

Author: Ian Dussek
Publisher: Motor Racing Publications Ltd

The publication of this book was notable for being first in more than one way. Not only was it the first time that a complete history had been published of the cars that combined the talents and initials of Halford, Robins and Godfrey, it was also the first book ever to benefit from the support of the Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust. The author had already clocked up 26 years of ownership of the marque and was a co-founder of the HRG Association as well as its long-time editor and honorary secretary. This book representing the history he had researched and accumulated...

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The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust

This Charitable Trust exists to encourage the recording and publication of motoring history. A not-for-profit organisation, it was established in 1983 in memory of Michael C Sedgwick, one of the world’s most respected motoring writers and automotive historians. The M.S.M.T. can provide help to authors, researchers and publishers seeking advice and support for book projects about mechanised road transport of any kind.

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