When launched, the Ford Capri was revolutionary. It was a car that set the European market alight, allowing even a buyer on a modest budget an intoxicating whiff of the exotic whilst keeping running costs at affordable levels. That status eroded over time, and the Capri sat in the classic car doldrums for many years, its true worth unrecognised. That situation has thankfully changed, and Capri values are rising rapidly, so care has to be taken to make sure you end up with the best one possible for your money.
Ford Capri – The essential Buyer's Guide takes the potential purchaser through a short initial examination to weed out the obviously defective followed by a more comprehensive step by step look at the body and mechanical parts, where the clear, jargon-free text accompanied by over 100 photographs sheds light on even the darkest corners of the Capri’s construction.
A unique points marking system ensures that nothing is overlooked, and an accurate final picture of the car’s condition can be viewed in relation to the asking price.
The 64-page paperback book is available now from bookshops or from www.velocebooks.com.
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.
Today we have received the news that the Veloce book Save the Triumph Bonneville! – The inside story of the Meriden Workers’ Co-op by John Rosamond has been granted a place in the House of Commons Library courtesy of Hilary Benn MP. The great man himself Tony Benn pictured here at home reading his own personal copy, supplied the foreword for the book. He describes the book 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."
Photo by Erum Waheed.
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 ...
"THE reference book about the Meriden Co-op and one which will be referred to by future historians." – Nacelle -
"A lively glimpse of the Midlands of the 70s. ****" – Coventry Telegraph -
"Any devotee of the British industry must read this book published by Veloce, which is a landmark publication that will no doubt be studied by scholars and students for many years to come." – inter-bike.co.uk -
"As a case study of how political idealism and industrial realism cannot work together, this is a must for any student. As a book of interest to a classic motorcycle enthusiast, John Rosamond is to be commended." – Classic Bike Guide -
"A densely packed narrative reproducing detailed reports, letter and minutes of meetings from the era that portray an unremitting and unequal struggle against under-funding, economic depression and a collapse in the motorcycle market. It rewards the effort though, and is sure to bring a lump to the throat of all but the most hard-hearted of readers. " – Triumph World
The weather was fine encouraging mass support on Sunday afternoon and London ITV news covered the event on their 6pm news programme that evening. Veloce author John Rosamond and Tony Benn were among the guest speakers at the event which marked the unveiling of the Edward Turner plaque by Edward Turner Junior at 8 Philip Walk, Peckham, London SE15.
John Rosamond and Edward Turner Junior.
The Plaque top left
Erum Waheed, whose two year campaign helped bring about the blue plaque event. John Rosamond & Mayor of Southwark – Cllr Jeff Hook.
Tony Benn (courtesy Pierre Drown)
John Rosamond, Erum Waheed and Duncan Saunders who also made a speech as the Daimler representative. (courtesy Pierre Drown).
The deeply researched biography of the man who was probably the most important individual in the history of the British motorcycle industry.
In the words of Triumph's famous sales slogan, Edward Turner designed "The Best Motorcycle in the World". Records details of all the world famous motorcycles designed by Edward Turner. More info.
How to handle chicanes: Victory for Lewis Hamilton at Monaco in 2008, a key component in his successful world championship campaign.
Image taken from Racing for Mercedes-Benz – A Dictionary of the 240 Fastest Drivers of the Marque. By Hartmut Lehbrink From the vast number of drivers who have competed for Mercedes-Benz and its ancestors in the past 115 years, legends such as Hermann Lang, Karl Kling, Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher stand out. However, history should not forget all those other works drivers and privateers whose exploits added to the fame of the company at the wheel of formula, sports racing and touring cars; drivers whose names have often unjustly faded from view. Famous or obscure, the 240 fastest of these drivers are presented in this volume, which has been compiled in close co-operation with Mercedes-Benz Classic. More info.
Congratulations to Jenson Button as he yesterday became the 10th British driver to win the Formula 1 World Championship. The 29-year-old recovered from 14th to finish fifth in Sao Paulo to take the title. An achievement that puts him up there with last year's winner Lewis Hamilton, and also the likes of Damon Hill, Nigel Mansell and Sir Jackie Stewart in the coveted Hall-of-Fame.
Jenson, started his motor-racing career in karting, up the road at the Clay Pigeon Kart Club near Dorchester, which he joined at the age of eight, winning his first competitive race in 1989.
Chairman Mike Wellington said: “He won in his first year as a cadet and quickly went on to win British and European championships.
“We’re very proud of our association with him from his earliest days of racing.” Read the full story here.
Click here to head over to the sign up page and receive November's edition of the Veloce Publishing On the Grid newsletter. Get the chequered flag by being the first to find out about new Veloce books, news, offers and competitions. This month we are offering a huge discount on Veloce books exclusively to subscribers to the newsletter. Sign up now to find out what we will be offering to our readers next month!
Trucks - lorries if you prefer - are the Cinderellas of the automotive publishing world with just a handful of magazines devoted to the subject and a paltry number of books. Veloce intends to put this injustice to rights with its new Truckmakers series, each book putting an individual brand under the spotlight in a highly illustrated format.
Great value for money, these books are packed with pictures, facts and feats, and will build into a superb truck reference library!
Coming soon! DAF TRUCKS since 1949 By Colin Peck. This book chronicles the fascinating first 80 years of DAF’s history, from being a small Dutch trailer manufacturer through to its acquisition by US truck giant Paccar, and the development of the company to its present position as the top-selling truck in the UK and a major global brand. Buses, cars and army trucks are also covered, as well as details of how DAF has worked with various other truck makers, such as Leyland, International Harvester, Renault, RABA and GINAF, making the book essential reading for truck enthusiasts everywhere. More info.
Peer pressure putting unprepared young drivers at greater risk on UK roads
Peer pressure, not wearing seatbelts and poor training are all major factors in the numbers of young drivers killed on the nation’s roads, according to new research by insurance giant Aviva.
A third of 17-21-year-olds admitted to driving differently when they have more than one friend in the car.
The research took an in-depth look at young motorists’ behaviour and their attitudes to driving in a bid to better understand why they drive the way they do.
And the findings help to explain why young driver deaths and accidents are declining more slowly than all other driver groups’ year on year, according to The Department for Transport 2008 statistics, says Aviva.
The results reveal that young drivers are dangerously influenced by peer pressure when driving with friends in the car, with:
* One in five (21%) paying less attention to the road * A quarter (24%) taking their hands off the wheel * 15% performing illegal driving manoeuvres.
The report also highlights that some young drivers are unprepared for driving, with one in 10 (9%) admitting that they wouldn’t have awarded themselves a licence when they passed their test.
According to the young drivers questioned, one in four (27%) only had paid driving lessons with no practice time and even more worrying is that the results indicate that some driving schools may be priming students to merely pass their test, with one in five (19%) young drivers having only practiced on the driving test route with their instructor, it is claimed.
Nigel Bartram, Aviva motoring expert, said: “Young drivers remain the age group with the highest proportion of insurance claims, accidents and fatalities on our roads.”
The largest proportion of Aviva claims costs for young drivers are for injuries rather than vehicle damage with 58% of the cost of all young driver claims consisting of personal injury costs, mainly to friends of the young driver being carried as passengers.
“In order to reduce these statistics young drivers and passengers alike need to take personal responsibility for their own actions - this means wearing a seatbelt at all times regardless of who is in the car, driving with fewer passengers and not conforming to peer pressure whilst behind the wheel,” said Mr Bartram.
“If young drivers take this advice on board and drive more responsibly we have every reason to expect the number of claims will reduce and claims costs will fall. If we see reduction in our claims costs for young drivers we expect that our premiums for younger drivers should fall in line with this.” (Aviva: October 13).
Fundraising extraordinaires The Sporting Bears Motor Club will be bringing their popular ‘Dream Rides’ feature to the Classic Motor Show at Birmingham’s NEC (13-15 November) offering the public the chance of a passenger ride in their dream car in exchange for a charitable donation.
Visitors can make an agreed minimum donation to the Sporting Bears and in exchange will be able to experience an 8-10 mile ride in a variety of cars. As in previous years, marques such as rare Lamborghinis, Ferraris, TVRs, Jaguars, and Morgans are expected to be on offer. Classics from yesteryear will mix with modern supercars and those destined to be icons of motoring history to provide a mouth watering choice.
Each day between 60-80 cars are expected on display in the Sporting Bears Dream Rides garage in Hall 2. A 1930 eight litre Bentley will rub shoulders with a stunning Jaguar XJ220 whilst a ferocious Lola T70 will try to outdo a 1934 Lagonda with its exhaust sounds.
Those whose bedroom walls have been adorned with posters of an Italian supercar stand a good chance of finding their Dream Ride ready and waiting as do those who crave the more British feel of a Morgan or Jaguar E-Type. With over around 100 cars expected for the duration of the show, there should be something for everyone with donations starting at a very affordable £10.
And whilst legally the Bears are unable to offer rides for anyone under six-years-old, there is even the opportunity for some lucky people to go for a ride with ‘Just NOD’ in his bright red and yellow car reminiscent of Toy Town and the lovable children’s story book characters. Purchased by Just NOD around a year ago the Acrea Zest, with its 505cc Lambardini engine has a top speed of around 60 mph and has provoked amazing interest from people aged eight to eighty and the road legal car has the appropriate registration JU57 NOD.
Bob Lutz - Vice Chairman of General Motors comments on his great pleasure at receiving his copy of André Lefebvre, and the cars he created at Voisin and Citroën in this letter addressed to the author. He remarks on Lefebvre as being a man who made tremendous influence on car design and reads with huge interest. Bob Lutz is also the enthusiastic owner of a six cylinder Citroën Traction Avant – one of the cars featured in the book.
André Lefebvre, and the cars he created at Voisin and Citroën By Gijsbert-Paul Berk. BOOK OF THE MONTH – Classic & Sports Car This biography of André Lefebvre gives a revealing insight into the work of a practically unknown aeronautic engineer who, after building and racing competition cars for Gabriel Voisin in 1933, created for André Citroën the revolutionary front wheel drive Traction Avant (light fifteen in the UK). He was responsible for the minimalist 2CV and the Citroën DS, which was the sensation of the automotive world in 1955, and is still an icon of original automobile engineering and avant-garde design today. More info.
It's astounding to think that in these times of high land prices enormous, historic and much loved sporting venues are left to go derelict.
But it is a sad fact that Europe is littered with the derelict remains of motor racing circuits that for one reason or another have fallen into disrepair. Autodrome takes the reader on a nostalgic trip around Europes greatest "lost" motor racing venues of all types - street circuits, great high speed bowls and winding parkland courses.
The author SS Collins has selected circuits that are now completely disused, and it's an even sadder fact that this is a non-exhaustive list of the more famous ones. Brooklands, Monza Oval, Reims-Geaux, Nurburgring Sudschleife, Crystal Palace, Keimola, Masarykring, Avus and Linas Monthlery are the featured circuits, the authors most readable narrative giving the reader a "then and now" background of each circuits history, a sense of the speeds and challenge of the circuit and the kind of cars and drivers that raced on them.
A selection of black and white & colour photographs of historic race action from the fabulous LAT archive help illustrate the circuits when they were alive, and diagrams detail how the circuit layout changed over time. The main feature of the book is the stunning atmospheric photography of Gavin D Ireland, showing the circuits as they stand today in their state of faded grandeur.
Crumbling concrete, banked sections of track, faded advertisements, the remains of a poster, some old armco poking out of the undergrowth - the real sense of abandonment really comes across as you leaf through the pages. It's fascinating stuff, no doubt inspired by the series of short articles along similar lines published in Motor Sport magazine called "Track Visit". The book does a good job of expanding on the popular theme, and the excellent original photography really makes the book.
It's a shame that there aren't more photos taken from the same position as the older pohotgraphs, so that you can see exactly how time has aged the circuit, but this is a small criticism on what is a very enjoyable read. Autodrome will undoubtedly inspire visits to some of these amazing remains, and the more fans that make their own pilgrimmage, the better are the chances of survival for these wonderful temples of speed.
Visit them before it's too late.
Coming soon! Speedway – Auto racing’s ghost tracks Around the world languish a number of long-forgotten raceways; windswept and abandoned, the derelict pit roads and crumbling concrete are all that remain of once great race tracks. From the NASCAR heartland of North Wilkesboro and Middle Georgia to the great European super speedways at Monza and Brooklands, these faded circuits are now monuments to the victories, defeats, triumphs and tragedies once played out before excited crowds. With roots as diverse as Nationalist Socialism and Prohibition-era bootlegging, the histories of these places offer an insight to different times and attitudes, as well as the evolution of motor racing. Many of the characters who raced on these circuits had a profound impact on their sport; these circuits, which fostered and occasionally destroyed such great drivers, are revisited here – photographed as they are now, but also remembered in their prime by word and picture. With over 175 images, this a unique and evocative look at some of auto racing’s ghost tracks. Note that some of these circuits featured in the much acclaimed Autodrome – The lost race circuits of Europe, but in this edition are illustrated by many new photographs. More info.
The 50th anniversary of the iconic Triumph Bonneville was marked in spectacular style when four officially-recognized FIM world land speed records were set. The quadruple records were recorded at the 2009 edition of the event that gives the bike its name: the Bonneville speed trials.
The original Bonneville, introduced in 1959, was named after the record breaking streamlined Triumph that set numerous records at the Utah Salt Flats venue during the 1950s. To pay tribute, the internationally syndicated journalist Alan Cathcart took two highly-tuned examples of the latest Bonneville back to its spiritual birthplace at this year’s event, held between August 30 and September 3.
Riding a street-legal Thruxton Bonneville prepared by Matt Capri, owner of South Bay Triumph in California, Cathcart broke the 150mph barrier to set a new two-way FIM World Record for the flying mile at 152.678mph, and another for the flying kilometre at 152.770mph, with a best one-way speed of 153.150mph. These speeds set new marks for the FIM’s 1000cc Normally-Aspirated Twin-Cylinder Unstreamlined category.
In addition, Cathcart established two more new FIM world records for the 1000cc Forced Induction Twin-Cylinder Unstreamlined class, riding a turbocharged South Bay Triumph Bonneville with a two-way speed for the flying mile of 165.405mph, 165.672mph for the flying kilometre and a best one-way speed of 171.624 mph. The mile speed qualifies as a new AMA record too, with all records set by the air/oil-cooled parallel-twin British bikes subject to ratification by the relevant authorities.
Cathcart commented: “We’ve been coming to Bonneville since 2007 in preparation for this, the model’s 50th birthday year. Breaking the 150mph barrier with the standard bike was always our main objective, and when the FIM established the new twin-cylinder category for speed records, it was great that we could claim official world records by doing so. Maybe we’ll be back next year to try to join the 200mph club with it!”
The South Bay Triumphs were shod with Pirelli rain tyres supplied by the Italian tyre manufacturer’s road racing division, giving the riders the great traction which was key to achieving such record breaking speeds.
Issue 34 of On the Grid is now available! On the Grid is Veloce Publishing's monthly email newsletter – THE place to find out which books are on the starting line of publication. Other features include videos, articles, photos and last but not least, exclusive offers and generous discounts! Sign up now and find out how you can take advantage of a huge discount on all Veloce books this month. An offer that could get you an Essential Buyer's Guide for a reduced price of £5.99 + p+p! Everything you need to know about old bangers from now until bonfire night!
My name is Nick. I'm an 18 year old college student, and a lifelong car fanatic. The first time I layed eyes on a Lamborghini Miura, I was hooked. I knew right then and there that I had to have one some day.
Earlier this year, I ordered your book, the Lamborghini Miura Bible, and I absolutely loved it. So much thought and detail was put into the book, and I learned so much about the history of the car, and all of the thought and engineering that went into its development over the years. Until that point, I had never encountered a book that so thoroughly detailed every aspect of the car, from its origins as a prototype, to its final embodiment as the Miura SV, my favorite car of all time. The book was a true pleasure to read.
As an expert on the car itself and automobile collecting in general, what advice can you give to someone who wants to one day tap into the world of automobile collecting himself? Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thank you very much, Nick
Nick:
I'm glad you enjoyed the book!
I would say patience is a key factor in waiting until the right car comes along. Also, you really want to do your own homework and know the individual cars as much as possible. It helps you enjoy the search more, and it helps ensure that you end up with a good car.
When launched, the Ford Capri was revolutionary. It was a car that set the European market alight, allowing even a buyer on a modest budget an intoxicating whiff of the exotic whilst keeping running costs at affordable levels. That status eroded over time, and the Capri sat in the classic car doldrums for many years, its true worth unrecognised. That situation has thankfully changed, and Capri values are rising rapidly, so care has to be taken to make sure you end up with the best one possible for your money.
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