SPEED QUEENS: A Secret History of Women in Motorsport

By Rachel Harris-Gardiner 2024 review by James Loveridge To the casual observer it may seem the motorsport is essentially...

From Ballybannon Hill to Magilligan Strand

By Paul Robinson 2024 review by James Loveridge One of the problems with history is that while it is...

Aspects of Motoring History # 19

Published August 2023. 132 pages, 60 black & white illustrations and charts and 26 full-colour images, softbound. Articles: Paul...

Aspects of Motoring History # 18

Published July 2022. 126 pages, 92 black & white illustrations and charts and 24 full-colour images, softbound. Articles: Craig...

Book Reviews

The SAHB is particularly interested in seeing transport research committed to print, particularly in book and pamphlet form. Reviews can also be seen in the SAHB ‘Times’ magazine printed four times a year. If we see a book that is interesting, one of our member will often write a review, or we may ask to use a review written by a journalist. We therefore offer below, books that have been reviewed and, which should be available to purchase from the publisher named. A review does not mean that the book is endorsed by the SAHB.

SPEED QUEENS: A Secret History of Women in Motorsport

By Rachel Harris-Gardiner 2024 review by James Loveridge To the casual observer it may seem the motorsport is essentially a…

From Ballybannon Hill to Magilligan Strand

By Paul Robinson 2024 review by James Loveridge One of the problems with history is that while it is fairly…

100 YEARS OF LEGENDS – The Official Celebration of the Le Mans 24 Hours

By Denis Bernard, Basile Davoine, Julien Holtz and Gérard Holtz 2024 review by Peter McFadyen What a superb book and…

AN AUTO BIOGRAPHY

By Charles Howard 2023 review by James Loveridge Charles Howard, who died in August this year, was one of Britain’s,…

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS: The Lives of the Siamese Princes Chula and Bira

By Bob Montgomery 2023 review by James Loveridge During the period just before and just after the Second World war…

GOLDIE

By John Mayhead 2023 review by James Loveridge In the 1920s and 30s breaking land speed records was very much…

THE JAGUAR XK140 IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE

By John Elmgreen and Terry McGrath 2023 review by James Loveridge Lists are an integral part of motoring history: production…

JACKY ICKX: His Authorised Competition History

By Jon Saltinstall 2023 review by James Loveridge For many the careers of successful motor racing drivers are of considerable…

AUDI R8: The Autobiography of R8-405

By Ian Wagstaff 2023 review by James Loveridge “AUDI R8: The Autobiography of R8-405” by Ian Wagstaff is the 15th…

ROGER WILLIAMSON – A collection of memories from friends, mechanics, rivals and family

By Kevin Guthrie and Darren Banks. 2023 review by Peter McFadyen Having so nearly won the Michael Sedgwick Award with…

Cultra: Motoring with panache – The Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club Motor Meet and Hill Climbs 1905 to 1911

By Paul Robinson 2023 review by Autolycus This small softback book in A5 size and with just 54 pages is…

What happened to the class of 1955?

By Tony Bagnall 2023 review by James Loveridge As in most of life there are niches and this includes motoring…

GERRY BIRRELL – Lost Before His Time

By Darren Banks 2023 review by James Loveridge “GERRY BIRRELL – Lost Before His Time” by Darren Banks is a…

THE COMPLETE REGISTER OF JAGUAR C-TYPES, D-TYPES & LIGHTWEIGHT E-TYPES

By Den Carlow, Anders Ditlev Clausager, Paul Skilleter & Penny Woodley 2023 review by James Loveridge Even when the original…

CONFESSIONS OF A TEST DRIVER

By Roberto Giordanelli 2023 review by James Loveridge Roberto Giordanelli, the author of “Confessions of a Test Driver. From a…

TRACKSIDE: FOUR DECADES OF MOTORSPORT PHOTOGRAPHY

by Philip Newsome 2023 review by James Loveridge “TRACKSIDE: Four Decades of Motorsport Photography” by SAHB member Philip Newsome is…

50 YEARS OF THE FORMULA FORD FESTIVAL

by Alan Bowles & Darren Banks 2022 review by James Loveridge “50 Years of The Formula Ford Festival” by Alan…

THE PAST AND THE SPURIOUS – The Case for Legitimacy in Historic Cars

by Paul Griffin 2022 review by James Loveridge (N.B. This book was entrusted to our Chairman, but, as he found…

FAST LADY – The Extraordinary Adventures of Miss Dorothy Levitt

by Michael Barton 2022 review by James Loveridge “FAST LADY – The extraordinary adventures of Miss Dorothy Levitt” may be…

RENAULT 4

By Mark Bradbury 2022 review by Autolycus The Renault 4 sold over eight million examples and was built or assembled…

LANCIA IN BRITAIN

by the Lancia Motor Club (edited by Jack Romano) 2022 review by James Loveridge I guess all of us come…

S. F. EDGE – Maker of Motoring History

by Simon Fisher 2022 review by James Loveridge In his 1934 book “My Motoring Reminiscences” Selwyn Francis Edge said he…

The Lance Macklin Story – A Race with Infamy

by Jack Barlow 2022 review by Guy Loveridge When a book is released, and a review copy lands on the…

PADDOCK TRANSFER

by Tim Beavis and Guy Loveridge 2022 review by James Loveridge This is the second in a promised five volumes…

TWIN-CAM EXTRAVAGANCE – The History of Lagonda Rapier & Rapier Cars

By Chris Wiblin 2022 review by Autolycus There are many marque histories that include in their title the words “The…

FORD GT40 ANTHOLOGY: A unique compilation of stories about these most iconic cars

By John S Allen and Graham Endeacott 2022 review by Guy Loveridge This title comes slightly late to the party,…

FORMULA 1’S UNSUNG PIONEERS – The story of the British Racing Partnership and how it launched motorsport into the modern era

By Ian Wagstaff 2022 review by Guy Loveridge This wonderfully well-presented book is one that has been long awaited. It…

PANHARD & LEVASSOR ET SES IMPLANTATIONS INDUSTRIELLES

By Bernard Vermeylen 2022 review by James Loveridge This extremely well produced and lavishly illustrated paperback by author Bernard Vermeylen…

ROGER’S RUN: A life on the edge

By Roger Nathan 2022 review by James Loveridge This is the second book by a quite extraordinary man, Roger Nathan….

Vanwall: The story of Britain’s first Formula 1 World Champions

2022 review by James Loveridge Porter Press have, to their usual very high standards, done a great service to Motor…

Coventry, Alvis and the Iron Lung: A biography of Captain George Thomas Smith-Clarke

By Adrian Padfield 2022 review by Autolycus Dr Adrian Padfield is a retired anaesthetist. So why did he write this…

Recreational Vehicles: A World History 1872-1939

By Andrew Woodmansey 2021 review by Autolycus From the very first pages of this remarkable book (the Preface and Introduction)…

XKD 603 – Through the Lens of Time

by Clive Beecham 2022 review by James Loveridge There have now been several books about a particular car, notably Porter…

ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITALICAR: The Story of British Cars & Italian Design

by Chris Rees 2022 review by James Loveridge Encyclopedia Britalicar – The Story of British Cars & Italian Design by…

De Dion Bouton: The Essential Library & Source Book 1888-1931

By Michael Edwards 2021 review by Autolycus The title of this book may put off those who have been enchanted…

FIAT IN MOTORSPORT

by Tony Bagnall 2021 review by Peter McFadyen When it comes to Italian cars in motor sport, the names Ferrari,…

BUCKLER – SPORTS CARS, SPECIALS AND KARTS

by Brian Malin; Forewords by Simon Taylor and Alan Staniforth 2021 review by Peter McFadyen Although they were born 18…

MIKE SPENCE – OUT OF THE SHADOWS

by Richard Jenkins 2021 review by James Loveridge Mike Spence was one of the all too many gifted racing drivers…

Reliant book: ‘TIPPING POINT: Designing a Great British Underdog’

by Andy Plumb 2021 review by James Loveridge “Tipping Point: Designing a Great British Underdog” has benefited from the skills…

THE SPIDERS’ WEB

by John Bradshaw 2021 review by James Loveridge Self evidently the essence of Motor Sport is to travel over a…

NORMAN CONQUEST – One man’s tale of high-flying adventures and life in the fast lane

by Vic Norman 2021 review by James Loveridge Vic Norman is clearly a very interesting man and this substantial book…

Making a Marque – Rolls-Royce Motor Car Promotion 1904-1940

by Peter Moss and Richard Roberts 2021 review by Professor Peter Fawcett The plethora of texts appearing in recent years…

ASTON MARTIN & LM10

by Jonathan Wood 2021 review by Anders Ditlev Clausager This I am told is definitely Jonathan’s last book, and is…

Tom Pryce – Memories of a Welsh F1 star by those who knew him

by Darren Banks and Kevin Guthrie 2021 review by Peter McFadyen When Tom Pryce won the British Airways/Daily Mail Race…

LOUIS COATALEN – Engineering Impresario of Humber, Sunbeam, Talbot and Darracq

by Oliver Heal WINNER OF THE 2020 MICHAEL SEDGWICK AWARD 2020 review by Malcolm Bobbitt Sunbeam is one of the…

Wragg’s Racers: Austin Seven Single Seater Specials

by Adam Wragg 2020 review by James Loveridge The Austin Seven, first made in 1922, was, and still is, an…

Admission 7/6

by Tim Beavis and Guy Loveridge 2020 review by James Loveridge If you want to get a real feeling for…

Stirling Moss Rally Driver

by Vic Quayle 2020 review by James Loveridge There are myriad books about Stirling Moss but this one, “Stirling Moss…

Racing Through Europe

by David Tremayne 2020 review by James Loveridge It is said a picture tells a thousand words; if that be…

A Detailed History of the Straight Eight Automobile Engine

by Stephen Moore 2020 review by Peter Moss A few weeks ago, we announced this important book by Stephen Moore. …

Rolls-Royce & Bentley Motor Car Engineer

by Peter Hill 2020 review by Prof. Peter Fawcett Like his father before him, author Peter Hill spent his entire…

Healey: The Men & The Machines

by John Nikas with Gerry Coker 2020 review by Anders Ditlev Clausager There have over the years been many Healey…

THE ALL-AMERICAN HERO AND JAGUAR’S RACING E-TYPES

by Phillip Bingham 2020 review by James Loveridge If you are going to inherit a large fortune then one of…

TAXIS ANGLAIS

by Sébastien Canévet and Danny Chabaud 2020 review by Malcolm Bobbitt It’s an intrinsic part of London and its fame…

Gilbern: A Dragon’s Tale

by Martyn Morgan Jones with Philip Ivimey 2020 review by James Loveridge Books about the Gilbern car are like the proverbial…

Richie Ginther: Motor Racing’s Free Thinker

by Richard Jenkins 2020 review by Guy Loveridge Richard Jenkins has been writing magazine stories on motor racing for years….

The Ford that you always dreamed of…..as opposed to the one you promised yourself!

2020 review, by Guy Loveridge, of two books. Nothing gets publishers and authors twitching so much as a Hollywood movie…

CITROËN 2CV: DIFFERENT IS EVERYTHING

By Malcolm Bobbitt. 2020 review by Autolycus This is a small masterpiece.  In a book of modest proportions and affordable…

Ciao Stirling – The Inside Story of a Motor Racing Legend

by Valerie Pirie 2020 review by Guy Loveridge Valerie Pirie is a name that many might be unfamiliar with. Anyone…

Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe – The autobiography of CSX2300

by Rinsey Mills 2020 review by Peter McFadyen I well remember the first time I saw a Cobra Daytona Coupe…

The Cheshire Motor Vehicle Registrations, 1904-07

Edited by Craig Horner 2020 review by Autolycus This is a book that needed to be written. It is a…

FERRARI 250 GT SWB –The remarkable history of 2689GT

by Richard Heseltine 2020 review by Peter McFadyen The Ferrari 250GT Berlinetta was first shown on the stand of the…

Lotus Elan Plus 2

by Kevin Whittle 2020 review by Peter McFadyen In his series of books on individual models, knowledgeable Lotus writer, restorer…

Alvis Cars in Competition

by Clive Taylor 2019 review by Peter McFadyen As part of their celebration of the centenary of the Alvis marque,…

The Jaguar XK 120 in Competition

by Dr James Fraser 2019 review by Anders Ditlev Clausager This is a quite astonishing picture book, and I guess…

Land Rover Design – 70 years of success

by Nick Hull 2019 review by Anders Ditlev Clausager Nick is a designer formerly with Jaguar and now teaching at…

The All-British Marendaz Special: the Man, the Cars and the Aeroplanes

by Graham Skillen 2019 review by Autolycus This is a wonderful book.  Firstly, Graham Skillen has had the good sense…

John, George and the HWMs – The first racing team to fly the flag for Britain

by Simon Taylor 2019 review by Guy Loveridge The HWM was a “special” developed at Hersham and Walton Motors, largely…

RGS Atalantas: Dick Shattock’s Pioneering Sports Racing Cars

by Alan Shattock 2019 review by Anders Ditlev Clausager The well-worn expression “labour of love” has rarely been more appropriate…

The Rootes Story: The Making of a Global Automotive Empire

by Geoff Carverhill 2019 review by Anders Ditlev Clausager Geoff’s previous book was a history of Commer trucks but he…

Traction for Sale: the story of Ferguson Formula Four-Wheel Drive

by Bill Munro and Pat Turner 2019 review by Autolycus This is a truly comprehensive history of the Ferguson Formula…

Betty Haig – A Life behind the Wheel

by Roger Farmer 2019 review by Guy Loveridge I had been very much looking forward to reading this biography. It…

High Performance: When Britain Ruled the Roads

by Peter Grimsdale 2019 review by Anders Ditlev Clausager When I was a young child, trying to learn how to…

Ferrari 250 LM – The remarkable history of 6313

by James Page. 2019 review by Peter McFadyen In motor sport, it is often said, only winners are remembered and…

Bugatti Type 50

by Mark Morris and Julius Kruta 2019 review by James Loveridge Porter Press International have continued their Great Car Series…

CAR NUMBER CLASSICS

by Nicholas Young 2019 review by John Harrison This is a book not just for the “vehicle registration anorak” like…

Donington Park : The Pioneers

by John Baillie. 2018 review by Peter McFadyen Starting from a relatively modest plan to revise Bill Boddy’s 1973 soft-backed…

LOTUS Formula Fords

by Kevin Whittle. 2018 review by Peter McFadyen Kevin Whittle is a long-time Lotus enthusiast to put it mildly. He…

Rock ‘n’ Roll and Fast Cars Volume II

By Martyn Goddard. 2018 review by Guy Loveridge. All of us will have seen a Martyn Goddard photograph. Of that…

Reid Railton, Man of Speed

By Karl Ludvigsen. 2018 review by James Loveridge. For much of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s the World Land Speed…

World Encyclopaedia of Racing Drivers

By Peter Higham. 2018 review by James Loveridge. It is appreciated that not all visitors to our website, whether SAHB…

The First Three Shelby Cobras

By Gordon Bruce. 2018 review by Guy Loveridge. That Gordon Bruce has followed up his GT40 title with this high-quality…

Alfa Romeo Monza: The autobiography of the celebrated 2211130

By Mick Walsh. 2018 review by James Loveridge. Mick Walsh, well known Journalist and concours judge, has written a Love…

The Horbick Motor Car

By Derek Mathews. 2018 review by Peter Moss. Almost as fascinating as this history of the Horbick motor car is…

Ford GT40: The autobiography of 1075

By Ray Hutton. 2018 review by Guy Loveridge. When a competition car achieves a major race win it is usually…

Wolseley: A Very British Car

By Anders Ditlev Clausager. WINNER of the 2017 Michael Sedgwick Award. 2017 review by Guy Loveridge. To most of us…

Stirling Moss: The Definitive Biography: Volume 1: 1929-55

By Philip Porter. (Shortlisted for the 2017 Michael Sedgwick Award). 2017 review by Guy Loveridge.   With a living legend…

Stephen South: The Way It Was

By Darren Banks. (Shortlisted for the 2017 Michael Sedgwick Award). 2017 review by Guy Loveridge. Which of us who feels…

Lotus 19 – A History

by Kevin Whittle. 2017 review by Peter McFadyen This is a new companion volume to the Lotus 35 history reviewed…

Brian Redman – Daring Drivers, Deadly Tracks

by Brian Redman with Jim Mullen.  Foreword by Mario Andretti.  Published by Evro Publishing 2016 review by Peter McFadyen This…

LOTUS 35 – a History

by Kevin Whittle, published by Whittle Books 2016 review by Peter McFadyen Following disappointing sales and results with the Formula…

SKINNER’S UNION – A History of the Skinner Family and the S. U. Company.

By Mike Harvey, published by The S.U. Carburetter Co – £20.00 plus Post and Packing. 2015 Review by Malcolm Jeal….

My Lifetime in Motorsport

By S.C.H. ‘Sammy’ Davis, published by Herridge & Sons. £22.50, plus Post and Packing. 2008 Review by Michael Worthington-Williams. I…

Freik – The Private Life of the Freikaiserwagen

by Rob and Hugh Dunsterville, Published by the Midland Automobile Club (Est. 1901) Ltd. Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb, Worcester WR6…

Engines & Enterprise – The Life and Work of Sir Harry Ricardo

(2nd Edition) by John Reynolds, published by Haynes. £25.00.  ISBN 978 1 84425 516 0. 2008 Review by Malcolm Jeal….

SAHB & Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust reprint of historic booklet – out now

The Automobile Handbook and Guide a reproduction of a possibly unique copy of the original brochure dated 1900, is a…

Useful links

Motoring books review website: http://www.speedreaders.info/

80 Years of DAF History captured in postcards

This book is a 192-page hardback with hundreds of illustrations that covers the cars, vans and lorries manufactured since 1928…