Friday 24 February 2017

OLIVER WINTERBOTTOM INTERVIEW VIDEO

Our latest author interview is live on the Veloce YouTube channel.



Oliver Winterbottom spent his whole career designing cars, and, for a short period, boats. He started his working life as an engineering apprentice at Jaguar Cars before spending a further five years there as a staff designer. In 1971 he joined Lotus Cars as the Design Manager. He was responsible for the styling, body engineering and aerodynamics of their vehicles until 1975 when he transferred to Colin Chapman's luxury boat company.

A short period of self employment saw the start of the TVR Tasmin range of sports cars. He then moved north to join the company through to the launch of the Tasmin Convertible and 2 + 2. In 1980 he returned to Lotus to lead the joint sports car project with Lotus and Toyota. After the completion of a prototype running vehicle he left for a short period in Detroit, USA.
Working for General Motors he was a project manager on two low volume vehicles for them. Returning to the UK he rejoined Lotus where he held a number of senior management positions in engineering and vehicle safety work. He resigned in 1998 and set up a consultancy, Norfolk Automotive Limited. His clients included a number of companies in China until he retired.
Throughout his career he maintained a "hands on" approach to both the design and the development of a wide range of products.



A Life in Car Design gives a unique insight into design and project work for a number of leading companies in the motor industry, including Jaguar, Lotus, TVR and General Motors.
The book recounts the author's experiences from within the industry, tracing the changes in the design process over a period of nearly 50 years, and follows his career at home and around the world. It shows how the change from imperial to metric measurements and the growing use of computers revolutionised the quality and accuracy of modern vehicles. It also covers the issues and challenges of meeting project targets, and some of the issues that can deflect those efforts. It features previously untold stories, and is thoughtfully illustrated with historical engineering drawings and photographs.
As well as informing automobile enthusiasts it is also hoped that this book will inspire upcoming generations to consider a career in the creative field.


Available March 2017! A Life in Car Design – Jaguar, Lotus, TVR. Click here for more information about the book.

Tuesday 14 February 2017

BRITISH MOTOR HERITAGE LAUNCHES LONG-AWAITED REPLACEMENT BODYSHELLS FOR MK1 MINI

The values of MK1 Minis continue to rocket, increasingly justifying the cost of the part or total restorations that will be required for most examples sooner or later. British Motor Heritage (BMH) has long since been at the forefront of supplying individual panels for all marks of classic Minis, and complete bodyshells for models from 1976 onwards. What’s been missing until now is the Holy Grail, a full replacement shell for the MK1, but the wait is now over!

Mini enthusiasts were given a glimpse of what was to come on BMH’s stand at the NEC Classic Motor Show last November, and the response was universally positive. The first production batch of 15 bodies will therefore commence in April, with deliveries occurring through May and June. The launch price is £9,950 inc. VAT and the company is accepting orders accompanied by a 25 percent deposit.


The early body is markedly different from its later counterparts. The major variances include:

Smaller: door aperture with different step profiles; sliding window doors with external hinges; rear window; rear side windows; rear light mountings
Different: ‘A’ panels and hinge reinforcements; cant rails; floors; sills; front and rear parcel shelves; switch panel; boot panel, bonnet and inner valences; front valance and number plate mounting
Since creating the prototype body, BMH has commissioned additional tooling to refine the finish and improve the build quality. The company is indebted to M-Machine for allowing it to use their MK 1 floors and sills, as the cost of retooling these items would have made the project unviable. BMH has also used the later front bulkhead crossmember assembly as retooling for this non-visual part would have been prohibitive, and opted not to form the rotodip hole in the rear seat squab; recognising that a significant element of demand for the new shells will almost certainly be for historic motorsport.
– AVAILABLE NOW FROM VELOCE! –

ANATOMY OF THE CLASSIC MINI – The definitive guide to original components and parts interchangeability by Mark Huthert

This book’s title sums up its purpose. Anatomy of the Classic Mini is the result of years of research, and documents the many variations of the same components, explaining which model and date each is for. An essential reference book for all restorers of classic Minis! More info.

Friday 10 February 2017

EXPOSITION CONCEPT CARS 2017

Check out Drive Guide's photo highlights from Exposition Concept Cars, which was part of the international Automobile Festival in Paris last week. The event showcased some of the very latest concept cars from major automotive manufacturers.

Alfa Romeo Giulia, elected 'Most Beautiful Car of the Year 2016'.

Jaguar designer Julian Thomson in front of the I-PACE concept.

Citroën CXperience concept car.

Interior of the Opel GT Concept.

DS E-Tense concept car.

Renault Trezor concept.

Alfa Romeo Vola, designed by Leonardo Fioravanti.

Porsche 917 – part of a special display on aerodynamics and car design.

View more photos from Drive Guide on Facebook.




Thursday 9 February 2017

VIDEO: THE ULTIMATE BOOK OF THE AIR-COOLED PORSCHE 911 (REVIEWS)

Take a look at what the press has been saying about The Ultimate Book of the Air-cooled Porsche 911 by Brian Long.



We've had a terrific response to this book!

The Leatherbound Editions are now all reserved. However, we do still have stock of the Standard Editions.

Reserve your numbered copy NOW – before it's too late!


Only available through the dedicated website ultimate911.veloce.co.uk,
this book is not on sale through retail outlets or web-based sellers.



Wednesday 8 February 2017

COMPETITION TIME!

How would you like to win an original print of the Nigel Bennett-designed legendary 1989 Penske Marlboro PC18-Chevrolet Indy Car? Author of Inspired to Design – F1 cars, Indycars & racing tyres, Nigel was one of Britain’s most successful racing car designers of the 80s and 90s.


Kindly donated to Veloce by Nigel, this A1-sized illustration by Tony Matthews is of the PC18, which was driven by the likes of Emerson Fittipaldi and Rick Mears, and was the dominant Indy Car from the 1989 season.
We are giving it away to one lucky winner!


To be in with a chance of winning this rare piece of automotive artwork, simply answer the following question:

Inspired to Design – F1 cars, Indycars & racing tyres by Nigel Bennett is packed with photos, designs & sketches like the image above. How many pictures are there in Nigel Bennett’s autobiography?

To give you a clue, the answer can be found on the book description page here.

Email your answer here. One lucky winner will be selected at random from all the correct entries on
31st March 2017.

In this unique autobiography, Nigel Bennett 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, is also covered.

VIDEO: MIKE DICKS INTERVIEW

Our featured video this month is an interview we recorded with Mike Dicks, he tells us about how his new book came about with Veloce's Hubble & Hattie imprint, and how his training is going with Scrabble as teacher.



Mike&Scrabble is an often funny, sometimes melancholy, and occasionally accurate guide to understanding the relationship between a dog and a human. A picture book for adults that grew out of one human trying to remember why he ended up with a dog, and sharing his thoughts as pictures on social media.


Available now! Mike&Scrabble – A guide to training your new Human by Scrabble, as dictated to Mike Dicks.

SPRING/SUMMER 2017 VELOCE CATALOGUE

Be the first to see our Spring/Summer 2017 online catalogue and discover the amazing range of books available now, and coming up from Veloce!

Email us for a free copy of the printed catalogue, when its available.