Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rob]

Can anyone reccomend some good pre-WW2 motoring books? I loved 'Fast Set' about Cobb, Campbell and Segrave. 'Bugatti Queen' and 'Grand Prix Saboteurs' look good, anyone read these?

[peter scott]

Hi Rob,

This gives quite an interesting account of the pre-war era..

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?an=fletcher&bt.x=51&bt.y=7&sortby=3&sts=t&tn=mostly+motor+racing

and this is quite good fun too..

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?bt.x=60&bt.y=15&sortby=3&sts=t&tn=memories+of+men+%26+motor+cars

Yes, I liked The Fast Set too.

Peter
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1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[Richard H]

I've got 'How to Drive a Car' by the editor of Motor magazine, 1936 edition. A very interesting read! It covers topics such as avoiding tramlines in your 3 wheeler, horsedrawn carriages and provides advice such as 'do not wear cufflinks when polishing your motor-car as this will scratch the paint'.

I've also got 'A Highway Code for Young People' published by Derbyshire County Council in about 1960. This has got some fantastic period illustrations of the real cars of the time, an Austin A30 crashed into a tree is used to illustrate the dangers of drink-driving, and a Riley Monaco with it's wheel falling off shows the dangers of driving an unroadworthy vehicle. Great reading!
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Richard Hughes

[Rob]

Received a decent number of books today (it is my birthday after all!) - the ones relating to motoring are;

The Fast Set (I sold my previous copy, a big regret)
The Grand Prix Saboteurs - Joe Saward
The Bugatti Queen - Miranda Seymour

and

Motor Racing and Record Breaking - the fast and dangerous world of 1930's racing drivers, by George Eyston and Barre Lyndon.

Apart from Fast Set, I haven't read any of them but they all look superb from the photographs and brief excerpts i've read alone. I don't know if it would be of interest, but I could post a review once i've read each one?

[Rick]

Some nice books there (happy birthday btw!)

By all means let us know what you think of them, I'd like to catch up with my reading sometime too..!

R
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[Ghost]

Well before the First World War a pioneer motorcyclist took to writing about his exploits using the pen-name Ixion. He was by day The Right Reverend Canon Basil Henry Davies, I kid you not. If you think that an educated man with a talent for Latin, a clergyman with a love of the open road and wonderful powers of observation, and with a gift for writing will be dull I can say with certainty you are wrong.

Ixion began writing for the magazine 'The Motor Cycle' in 1903, note motor and cycle are separate words. In his 40's when he started riding I've seen but one picture of the man, he is tall and almost gaunt. He wears full robes down to his shoes and on his head is an embroidered box hat, around his neck a chain and crucifix. This is a real clergyman on a real motorcycle, a Scott if my memory serves me. I loved it.