BUN RUN!

We are delighted to have won today's Bun Run from Wessex FM! Thanks to the lovely people at The Dorset Cake Co for supplying the cakes!

REVIEWS ROUND-UP

What people are saying about recently published Veloce books ...

The Triumph Bonneville Bible by Peter Henshaw
The Real Way Round by Jonathan Yates
Mercedes-Benz Trucks by Colin Peck

NEW 2014/5 CATALOGUE!

Be the first to see our 2014/5 online catalogue and discover the amazing range of books available now, and forthcoming from Veloce!

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM VELOCE PUBLISHING!

A very Happy New Year from all at Veloce Publishing. Here's to a roaring 2014 of motoring and motorcycling!

Image from Return to Glory! The Mercedes-Benz SL Racing Car
by Robert Ackerson.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM VELOCE PUBLISHING!

Image taken from The Book of the Ferrari 288 GTO by Joe Sackey.

NEW APP! MOTORWAY WALKS AND BREAKS – MORE FUN FOR YOUR FUEL! #MoWaB

How do you find places for your kids to play, somewhere nice to walk (including with your dog), a parking space and, often, even great pub food – all within 5 miles of a motorway exit? Now revised and updated for all major platforms, and therefore much quicker and snappier than the original version, Motorway Walks and Breaks is a fantastically useful App for anyone who drives on the motorways of the UK but likes a break from driving in healthy natural surroundings.

Simple to use – just select the motorway, then browse the junctions and choose the walk you'd like to do. The App includes a handy map view, making it easier to find your way.

We have trekked over a thousand miles tracking down great walks for drivers, families and dogs to enjoy on their journey. The whole of the UK is covered, from Exeter to Perth and from Swansea to Canterbury.

Use this App to get more fun for your fuel, treat yourself and your dog to a great walk, see more of the countryside, take a healthy break, or enjoy a relaxing pub lunch.

Each walk is of 30 to 45 minutes' duration, often with a selected pub or café along the way. Activities for children are included, from bouncy castles to nature trails and the facilities available at each walk venue are described.

All of the walks are suitable for dogs, and those with assistance dogs will find details of accessible paths and facilities for the disabled. The listed pubs – most of which are traditional inns, serving high quality food at realistic prices – all welcome well-behaved canines.

If you want more than mileage from your petrol, this is the App for you!

BULLET POINTS

• All walks within 5 miles of motorway exits

• Pub/café on each walk (or at least a picnic table)

• Ideal for when travelling with your four-legged friend!

• Every walk tried and tested

• Safe and legal parking places

• Driving routes from and back to the motorway described

• Many walks near kids’ activities

• Buggy and wheelchair easy access walks, ideal for assistance dog owners

• Each walk 30-45 minutes – healthy, natural breaks that improve driver concentration

• Redesigned for use on Apple iOS7

• Now available for the first time for Windows Phone, Android, and Kindle Fire.

The full app has 177 walks, each complete with several full-colour high resolution zoomable images, map views, and retails at £1.99 (equivalent price in other currencies).

Also available is a FREE lite version of the full app with 48 sample walks and the same features as the full app.

More information about both editions can be found on their product pages:

Full edition
Lite edition

THE RAC ESSENTIAL DRIVER’S HANDBOOK WINS GoMW IAM SAFETY AWARD 2013!

Bruce Grant-Braham has won the IAM Safety Award for his book The Essential Driver’s Handbook, at the prestigious Guild of Motoring Writers awards presented at the RAC Club in Pall Mall, London on December 5th 2013.

Ben Schofield with Bruce Grant-Braham.

The 2013 winners. Photos by Jeff Bloxham
The award was presented to Bruce by the Institute of Advanced Motorists as the Guild Member who has made the most significant contribution to the promotion of road safety during the year. The Essential Driver’s Handbook shows you what to do in the event of an accident, whatever the severity. Practical roadside first aid basics are addressed, as are the practical and legal obligations for all those who may be involved, and explanations of what the emergency services will do, and why. Other situations addressed include how to avoid problems as a lone driver, as well as situations such as car-jacking. Finally, car parks, and their own specific security problems, are discussed.

Bruce, previously known for his motorsport and F1 books, was commissioned by Poundbury-based Veloce Publishing for this valuable addition to the company’s range of RAC advice handbooks.

Bruce says - “The RAC Essential Driver’s Handbook offers practical advice to car drivers as to how to they might best cope with some of the difficult situations that can occur at any time whilst driving.“
“Whether it is a breakdown, an accident, a car fire, an isolated car park or the difficulty of being a lone driver I hope the RAC Essential Driver’s Handbook will provide some ways of avoiding or minimising the effects of such stressful motoring situations,” Bruce said.
“I am extremely grateful for the professional advice I received during my research. I am pleased to say that we can be reassured that we have some nationally recognised experts in our County and I am indebted to those individuals from Dorset Police, Dorset Fire and Rescue and South West Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust who willingly offered advice to make sure that the final manuscript is as accurate and up-to-date as possible.”

Bruce Grant-Braham is Director of the Motor Sport Research Group at Bournemouth University, possesses a PhD and is a former Mayor of Poole. He is a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers.

VELOCE DIGITAL: NEW eBOOKS THIS MONTH

New and coming soon in eBook format! Check out Veloce Digital for our full list of eBooks and apps.

Mazda MX-5 Miata – The book of the World's Favourite Sportscar by Brian Long

Toyota MR2 Coupes & Spyders by Brian Long

The Competition Car Data Logging Manual (SpeedPro) by Graham Templeman

How to Power Tune Mini on a small budget (SpeedPro) by Des Hammill

How to build Tiger Avon or GTA Sports Cars for road or track (SpeedPro) by Jim Dudley

ROY SMITH COMES 2ND AT GoMW AWARDS 2013

Congratulations to Roy Smith, for his book Amédée Gordini - a true racing legend, published by Veloce in April this year, which came second in the prestigious Mercedes-Benz Award for the Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy at The Guild of Motoring Writers awards in London last night.

Jo Watkins, Roy Smith and Ralph Montagu. Photo by Jeff Bloxham
The competition was to determine the greatest contribution in 2013 for recording in the English Language, the history of motoring or motorcycling in any form, including, books, video, broadcasting media.

Amédée Gordini - a true racing legend is a story of excitement, laughs, astonishment and anger – a story of the determination of a man with a dream and a passion for motor racing in the big leagues. It is the first time that the story of the Gordini racing team has been documented in English, and the first complete story of Gordini himself in any language. The book was also shortlisted for Publication of the year 2013 at The International Historic Motoring Awards 2013.

Roy Smith's hallmarks are intricate research, sourcing hundreds of photos, first-person interviews, detailed diagrams, and a talent for uncovering fresh new information about a rare subject. Roy won the same GoMW award outright in 2010 for his work Alpine Renault – The Sports Prototypes Vol 1 & 2.

Roy commented: "I'm delighted to be back on the podium again at the second attempt with the Gordini book, looks like we have our work cut out to stay there!"

Roy Smith's latest masterwork Alpine Renault – the fabulous berlinettes, was published by Veloce in October 2013.

Independent reviews of Amédée Gordini - a true racing legend:

"Book of the month" – Classic & Sports Car

“Utterly absorbing.” – Classic Cars

***** – Auto Express

“Gordini’s endless enthusiasm and prolific output make for an involving tale.” – Motor Sport

“The wealth of information here is staggering, and the race-by-race summary is particularly welcome.”– Octane

Watch an interview with Roy Smith on YouTube!

NIGEL BENNETT SIGNS COPIES OF HIS NEW AUTOBIOGRAPHY INSPIRED TO DESIGN

This morning we welcomed Nigel Bennett to personally sign copies of his brand new book Inspired to Design.

Until our stock is exhausted, signed copies can only be bought from Veloce's website or by telephone requesting a signed copy during the purchase process. First come, first served!

New! Inspired to Design – F1 cars, Indycars & racing tyres: the autobiography of Nigel Bennett

The true life story of one of Britain’s most successful racing car designers of the 80s and 90s.
Nigel Bennett’s unique autobiography describes his life and career, from growing-up influenced by car design, to his education and the building of his 750 specials. He describes his work as Firestone Development Manager, recounting many tales of the outstanding designers and drivers of the period. Detailing his work in Formula 1, as a Team Lotus engineer, and then as Team Ensign designer, he also covers his Indycar designs at Theodore, Lola Cars and Penske Cars. Life after his retirement, his involvement in boat design and with modern F1 teams, are also recounted. More info.

Nigel Bennett was one of Britain’s most successful racing car designers of the 80s and 90s. His Indycars won 79 races, five National Drivers Championships, five Constructers Championships and five Indy 500 wins.
He raced his home-built 750F car, and was Development Manager for the Firestone Racing Division, working with Team Lotus, Ferrari, BRM, Hesketh, Porsche and JW Automotive.
He worked at Hesketh Racing before moving on to Team Lotus, and was engineer to Mario Andretti and Ronnie Peterson, becoming Chief Engineer to Colin Chapman. Designer of the Ensign F1 and Theodore Indy cars, Nigel was head-hunted by Lola Cars, later becoming Penske Cars’ Chief Designer, a position he held for eight years.

FIRST LOOK! RETURN TO GLORY! THE MERCEDES-BENZ 300 SL RACING CAR

Th advance copies of Return to Glory! The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Racing Car by Robert Ackerson arrived at Veloce House this week. Here's a few photos of the limited edition book ...

– Limited Edition of 1500 copies –
This book chronicles the development and racing career of a car regarded as the ultimate example of the purebred sports car of the 20th century and the epitome of functional beauty and extraordinary performance: the 1952 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL. Taking second place at its 1952 Mille Miglia debut, it went on to win every one of its races that season. Dramatic photos, vivid descriptions, and dramatic recollections from the drivers ensures this book will be a joy to read and enjoy for years to come.

Click here for more info about the book.

NEW! VELOCE PUBLISHING CATALOGUE 2014

Printed copies coming soon!

FIRST LOOK! ADVANCE COPIES OF THE BOOK OF THE FERRARI 288 GTO BY JOE SACKEY

Advance copies of the eagerly anticipated The Book of the Ferrari 288 GTO by Joe Sackey arrived at Veloce House this week. We thought we'd share a few photos of the finished book here on the blog ...

This book covers the background, conception, design, production and aftermath of the iconic Ferrari 288 GTO, including the prototypes, the early production cars, the mainstream production cars in their various specification guises, and the Evolution cars planned for the aborted Group B FIA race series.
It features over 400 relevant photographs, from original production images to the cars as they are today, including the 1984 Geneva Salon where the car debuted, the first ever GTO Reunion in 1985, current salon and action images, right up to the 25th Anniversary Ferrari 288 GTO Reunion held in America in 2009. Also featured are the actual factory production approval sheets, as filed with the Italian government, in an illustrated technical drawing form, along with a chassis by chassis register of every 288 GTO built, including destroyed prototypes, production cars, and GTO Evoluziones – in fact all 284 cars ever built.
This book contains essential resources covering all aspects of the car, including archives, maintenance specialists, restoration specialists, worldwide clubs, parts sources, etc. A comprehensive, beautifully illustrated look at a unique sports car, and a must-have for Ferrari fans.

Click here for more info about the book!

THE COMPLETE CATALOGUE OF BRITISH CARS

Finally available in eBook format! The most comprehensive record of British cars in a single volume. Covers nearly 700 manufacturers and some 3700 models.

The most comprehensive account of British cars ever published in one volume, this book presents a huge amount of information - historical as well as technical - in a way which will serve the needs of the dedicated enthusiast, automotive historian and the general reader.

Click here for more information on Veloce Digital.

VELOCE NEWS APP AVAILABLE FOR ANDROID

The FREE Veloce News app pulls all of Veloce's social media activity into one app, giving you the inside track on what is happening in the automotive world. 'Veloce News' includes exclusive video interviews with authors, photos and much, much more ...

Available now from the Google Play Store & Amazon Appstore, for Android phones and tablets.



The Veloce News app is also available for other platforms through the Veloce Digital Website.

SEE YOUR BOOK PUBLISHED!

Would you like to self-publish your work - your passion - and have the same high quality product as our own books, which are well-known and respected for their first-class characteristics?

If the answer's yes, get in touch with us right away to discuss the many possibilities available to you in terms of producing a conventional printed book and/or digital publishing (ebook) at prices that will suit all budgets. We can edit, design, lay out and print your book/ebook, and submit your ebook to Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Waterstones, iBookstore and GooglePlay.
Contact here.

VELOCE AT THE LONDON BOOK FAIR 2013

A few pics from The London Book Fair (15-17 April 2013) at Earls Court.
Launching new book Mike Brewer's The Wheeler Dealer Know How!

Jude & Rod with Mike Brewer.Rod with John Groton Sales Director of our US distributor QDS.Rod with Martyn Chapman, Commercial Director at Orca Book Services.Jude with Stefano Nada of Giorgio Nada EditoreRod with Giorgio Nada papa of Stefano and owner of Giorgio Nada Editore (The Italian publisher leader in motoring books).Another fair over ... phew!
More photos from the event on Veloce's Facebook page.

MIKE BREWER DAY AT VELOCE!

Yesterday, the staff at Veloce Publishing got 'Brewered' and were proud to celebrate the arrival of their brand new book, Mike Brewer's The Wheeler Dealer Know How!

At just £16.99 this brand new hardback book by Mike Brewer, cheeky chappie and TV's best-known car dealing expert - provides everything you need to know about buying, preparing, and selling collectable cars!

During the day the Velocisti wore Mike Brewer masks and posed for photographs at Veloce's Dorchester headquarters clutching wads of Monopoly money. Veloce's Chelsea made cupcakes featuring the mod-style target logo used by the Wheeler Dealer TV series, now in its 9th season. Veloce had 14 Wheeler Dealer's for the day, including one canine Brewer!

All this fun was recorded on Veloce's Facebook page and Twitter feed, using the #MikeBrewerDay hashtag. The day ended with a photo of staff crammed in a vintage 1929 Chevrolet AC International Roadster.

Veloce publisher and co-founder Rod Grainger commented "This was a great way to celebrate a terrific new book that Veloce is proud to have published. Mike is a great character and this is a book that has been eagerly anticipated by classic and collectible car fans around the world, not to mention the 84,895 people who like Mike's Wheeler Dealer Facebook page, and nearly 30,000 followers on Twitter."

Veloce will launch Mike Brewer's The Wheeler Dealer Know How! at the London Book Fair at Earls Court next week.