5 PAINTINGS FROM RAYMOND MAYS' MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION BY BRYAN APPS

The new biography of Raymond Mays includes complete histories of ERA and BRM, and is illustrated with over 100 of the author's paintings. Here are 5 of our favourites ...

Bryan Apps is a lifelong motor racing enthusiast, he created a BRM scrapbook at the age of thirteen, with Raymond Mays writing its foreword In 1952. Mays continued corresponding with Bryan for many years, keeping him informed of the latest developments.
     Through his paintings, Bryan also formed lasting friendships with Manfred von Brauchitsch, Ken Tyrrell and many others. He has already had four books published, covering a number of motor racing subjects.
     As an Anglican priest, Bryan Apps acquired international recognition with a 97hp Mobile Church, and established entries in the Guinness Book of Records with a model car and train for Charities.

Raymond Mays’ Magnificent Obsession by Bryan Apps

Laced with fascinating anecdotes, Raymond Mays’ Magnificent Obsession reveals a pivotal figure in motor sport history, and describes the author’s enthusiasm for BRM, detailing his visit to Raymond Mays, in Eastgate House, Bourne, in 1963.
     Focussing on Mays’ early years and successes in motor racing in the 1920s, this book follows his progress to becoming a national celebrity. His famous White Riley’s successes at Shelsley Walsh and Brooklands are covered, leading on to the building of the ERAs, which – led by Mays himself – represented the UK in voiturette races on the Continent. ERA’s story unfolds with references to all the races in which the team took part.
     After WWII, Mays’ achievement in building an all-British Grand Prix car, with the financial support of the British Motor Industry, is detailed, going on to describe how, after many changes, a BRM driven by Graham Hill won the 1962 World Championship.
     With the help of Mays’ letters to the author, this book covers the whole history of BRM, until its demise in 1976. More info.

AN EVENING WITH JIM REDMAN MBE– SATURDAY, 3RD OCTOBER 2015

On Saturday, 3rd October, Jim Redman MBE, six times World Champion and six times Isle of Man TT winner, will be the guest speaker at an evening held in the Lecture Theatre of the NMMT Collections Centre at Beaulieu.

Named the ‘World's Greatest Motorcycle Racer’ by many, Jim Redman started his racing career as a Honda factory rider in 1960. One of GP’s most extraordinary racers and a true legend of motorcycle racing, Jim was awarded his MBE in 1964, the year in which he became the first rider in history to win three Grand Prix in a single day - a feat to this day, matched only by Jim's closest friend, Mike Hailwood. He was the first to ride the Honda Six and his success with the bike made the combination of the two unanimous as an unstoppable force in motorcycle racing. He still holds the world record for the most World Championships for Honda.

Following the crash at the 1966 Belgian Grand Prix that ended his career, Jim went on to enjoy huge success in other business ventures until, in 1995, he won the Daytona Speedway race at the age of 63, once again taking up a career in racing as a classic racer and demonstration rider.

Jim’s talk will begin at 7.30pm; before, the Museum will open from 6.00pm for a private viewing at no extra charge. Tickets at £10 (with all profits going to the National Motor Museum Trust) are available from Theresa Browning on 01590 614792. More info about the event.

Available from Veloce!
Jim Redman MBE – Six Times World Motorcycle Champion - The Autobiography

The incredible rags-to-riches story of one of the world’s greatest motorcycle racers. From humble beginnings in 1930s London, to winning six world titles, Jim Redman MBE is one of GPs most extraordinary characters, and a true legend of motorcycle racing. After migrating to South Africa, he started his racing career in the mid-fifties, and was awarded an MBE in 1964 – a year that also saw him win three World Championships in a single day. Click here for more information about the book.

THE LAMBORGHINI MIURA IS STILL UNTAMED

The latest video from Petrolicious features the Lamborghini Miura – considered by many to be the most beautiful road going post-war sports car.

Available from Veloce!
The Lamborghini Miura Bible
By Joe Sackey
The FIRST book on the Lamborghini Miura to be published in the past thirty years! Written by a world-renowned authority on the Miura, and featuring, among other things, a never-before-published factory chassis production register, plus technical illustrations, studio-images, and exclusive interviews with the designers of the car. More info.

DORSET’S JURASSIC COAST COMES TO BOURNEMOUTH'S WESTOVER ROAD

August 5 saw the opening of an exhibition of photographs featuring the breath-taking beauty of Dorset’s coastline, but from a different perspective – viewed from the sea.

The evocative images by photographer Steve Belasco take you on a journey from Lyme Regis in the West to Old Harry Rocks in the East – a journey that features some of Dorset’s best known and most secret coastal places.

Steve says:
"When I first arrived in Dorset as a newspaper photographer, I was stunned by the scenery, particularly the drama of the Jurassic coastline. A quarter of a century on, I still am.
"So I decided to combine three of my passions – photography, boats and my adopted home county – to create a collection of photographs taken from Dorset’s best viewpoint... offshore.
"The coast may not be quite as it was 190 million years ago in the Lower Jurassic period, but it’s still pretty spectacular!"

Steve’s book ‘Dorset from the Sea’ (published by Veloce) accompanies the exhibition and is available either as a full size or handy pocket-sized ‘explorers’ edition.

Both are available to purchase at the exhibition, together with ‘miniblocs’ of each of the images which make a unique memento. There is also the opportunity to order limited edition canvases of the images themselves, signed by the photographer.

The exhibition runs from August 5-30, 2015, at the former Tourist Information Centre on the corner of Westover Road and Gervis Place.
This free exhibition is supported by the Meyrick Estate, Langtry Manor, Wood Lodge and Windsor Court Care and a proportion of proceeds from the sale of books and photographs will help to support the tremendous work of the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust.

Dame Ellen says:
“It's great to see Steve's exhibition promoting Dorset's Jurassic Coast which, for most people not lucky enough to have seen it from seaward, gives a different perspective to this familiar and beautiful coastline.

“It would be wonderful if these images encourage more people to get out on the water to enjoy it for themselves.
“On the subject of enjoying the water, it's also great that this show is helping support young people recovering from cancer and leukaemia by rebuilding their confidence through sailing. Thank you!”

The building, which has been a prominent sight on the corner of Westover Road for the last 25 years, is soon to take on a new role as a restaurant but is being made available to stage these exhibitions whilst final plans are put in place

George Meyrick, Chairman of the Meyrick Estate says:
"We are delighted to make one of our properties available to this and two other free exhibitions during August and September - offering yet another aspect to Bournemouth’s ever-growing choice of summertime activities".

SUMMER HOLIDAY READING

Are you going on holiday and looking for something good to read on your travels? We've got some ideas ...

We've handpicked a selection of essential Veloce summer holiday reading that will fit perfectly in your travel bag: click here.

Prefer reading on an eReader, tablet or smartphone? Take a look at our eBook picks.

ME AND MY CAR/MOTORCYCLE No.16MORGAN 3 WHEELEROWNER: PETER DRON

Peter Dron bought his Morgan 3 Wheeler in 2013, and then decided to write a book about the new 3 Wheelers, which is now available.

"Once you have reached a certain age, it is important to do at least one daft thing per year. Thus, in 2013, I bought a Morgan 3 Wheeler: the new model that had entered production in 2012.
For 2014, I wrote my book about how Morgan returned to making three-wheelers. I related in detail the various development problems – severe bump steer, fractured chassis, failed compensators, cracked exhaust pipes, fried voltage regulators, shredded timing belts, worn-out drive sprockets, screaming bevel boxes, and so on.

My M3W left the factory in September 2014, by which time the chassis tubes had been strengthened and braced (further stiffening has since been incorporated), and it had the interim ‘Mk 2’ compensator, far better than the original type but not nearly as good as the apparently bombproof CENTA unit now fitted.
Some owners did not mind the bump steer. I certainly did, so I had the so-called ‘comfort pack’ fitted. The comforting thing about it is that it allows you to stay on the black stuff.
I was dealt my share of grief. I had to replace two voltage regulators – and, consequently, two batteries. The most serious failure occurred when the crankshaft pulley retaining bolt worked loose, destroying the timing belt. This was inconvenient but not disastrous, as the engine is of the ‘non-interference’ type.

All the aggravation arose from the rush into production, and many M3W owners have acted as development testers. The latest versions are far more reliable than mine, which was itself a vast improvement over earlier examples.
You still have to be borderline barking to buy an M3W. This is motoring at its most basic: there are no doors, no heater and no weather protection, while luggage capacity is minimal. The engine makes a deafening row, and there are all sorts of other weird and worrying noises. If you do not feel vulnerable when you clamber into this wild little machine, you have limited imagination. But what visceral fun it is to drive! It may not be quite as rapid as the claimed performance figures, but it certainly feels fast.
I use the past tense in relation to mine, because I recently sold it. I am about to take delivery of a brand-new Morgan 4/4. Perhaps that is this year’s act of mild lunacy. I enjoyed owning a Morgan 3 Wheeler."
– Peter Dron

ONE MILLION YOUTUBE VIEWS!

We're feeling chuffed to have passed the one million video views milestone on YouTube! With over 125 bespoke videos, the Veloce channel has featured contributions from Sir Stirling Moss OBE, Sir Jackie Stewart OBE, Adrian Newey OBE, Derek Bell MBE, Alain De Cadenet, Desiré Wilson and Tony Mason. Subscribe now!