Tuesday, 22 December 2015
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM VELOCE PUBLISHING!
Season's greetings and best wishes for the new year from the Velocisti.
Image from Mercedes-Benz W123 series by Brian Long
Sam, Becky, Joe, Paul, Emma, Kevin, Liz & Maggie-May, Louise, Amanda, Kim, Rod, Jude & Immie.
FORTHCOMING IN 2016!
New in 2016! A small selection of our forthcoming books ...
The Essential Guide to Driving in Europe by Julian Parish
HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN ENGINE COFFEE TABLE
by Gergely Bajzath
'Sox' – Gary Hocking the forgotten World Motorcycle Champion
by Roger Hughes
Porsche – The Racing 914s by Roy Smith
Lotus 18 – Colin Chapman's U-turn by Mark Whitelock
Porsche 997 Model years 2004-2012 – The Essential Companion
by Adrian Streather
The book of the Ducati Overhead Camshaft Singles by Ian Falloon
A Life Awheel – The 'auto' biography of W de Forte by Wilberforce de Forte
View all our forthcoming books here.
HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN ENGINE COFFEE TABLE
by Gergely Bajzath
'Sox' – Gary Hocking the forgotten World Motorcycle Champion
by Roger Hughes
Porsche – The Racing 914s by Roy Smith
Lotus 18 – Colin Chapman's U-turn by Mark Whitelock
Porsche 997 Model years 2004-2012 – The Essential Companion
by Adrian Streather
The book of the Ducati Overhead Camshaft Singles by Ian Falloon
A Life Awheel – The 'auto' biography of W de Forte by Wilberforce de Forte
Wednesday, 9 December 2015
TATRA – THE LEGACY OF HANS LEDWINKA
IVAN MARGOLIUS INTERVIEW VIDEO
Hans Ledwinka’s innovative Tatra cars were models of design excellence: this book, at long last, places Ledwinka in his well-deserved place amongst the great car designers.
Tatra – The Legacy of Hans Ledwinka is the story of the Tatra company, which originated in the Central European country of Czechoslovakia. It is a tale of great innovation and avant-garde design in automobile engineering. It is also the story of one man – Hans Ledwinka – and his visionary concepts which have become highly influential, although often undervalued, contributions to the development of car technology.
Until now, Hans Ledwinka's talent has hardly been recognised; in retrospect, he can be judged equal to car designers such as Benz, Daimler and Porsche, whose endeavours have been fully recorded many times over. With his revolutionary Tatra cars Ledwinka consistently pushed back the frontiers of automobile construction, and it’s certain that without his inspiration, the Volkswagen in its air-cooled rear-engined form would perhaps never have been conceived. This book suggests that Ledwinka played a greater part in this development than has previously been appreciated.
The authors have covered the full history of the Tatra company, which is one of the oldest factories in continuous automobile manufacture, dating back to the 19th century. By doing this, they have placed both Ledwinka and the Czechoslovak Tatra company in their rightful place in the history of car design, and provided a fully comprehensive assessment of the influence of Tatra car designs and their inspired creator.
The text of this larger format 2nd edition has been fully revised and updated since the 1990 edition. This new edition also contains many additional illustrations. The book also has a new foreword, written by Norman Foster, the British architect, and proud owner of a Tatra T87, who pays tribute to the aesthetic qualities of this design classic and captures the fascination of both designers and motor historians with the development of Tatra.
Ivan Margolius is an author of memoirs and a number of books and articles on art, architecture, engineering, design and automobile history. Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, where he studied architecture, he moved to London in 1966, where he practised at Foster and Partners, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, and Yorke Rosenberg Mardall. His interest in Czech politics, history, technology and design spurred on his publishing ventures. Ivan has been the owner of a 1949 Tatra T600 Tatraplan since 2000.
John G Henry was born in Northern Ireland and studied in England. He is a projects manager involved in several important building designs in the United Kingdom and in the Middle East. Since his studies, he has been researching innovative achievements in automobile history.
Tatra – The Legacy of Hans Ledwinka – Updated & Enlarged Collector’s Edition of 1500 copies by Ivan Margolius and John G Henry is available now! Click here for more information about the book.
Tatra – The Legacy of Hans Ledwinka is the story of the Tatra company, which originated in the Central European country of Czechoslovakia. It is a tale of great innovation and avant-garde design in automobile engineering. It is also the story of one man – Hans Ledwinka – and his visionary concepts which have become highly influential, although often undervalued, contributions to the development of car technology.
Until now, Hans Ledwinka's talent has hardly been recognised; in retrospect, he can be judged equal to car designers such as Benz, Daimler and Porsche, whose endeavours have been fully recorded many times over. With his revolutionary Tatra cars Ledwinka consistently pushed back the frontiers of automobile construction, and it’s certain that without his inspiration, the Volkswagen in its air-cooled rear-engined form would perhaps never have been conceived. This book suggests that Ledwinka played a greater part in this development than has previously been appreciated.
The authors have covered the full history of the Tatra company, which is one of the oldest factories in continuous automobile manufacture, dating back to the 19th century. By doing this, they have placed both Ledwinka and the Czechoslovak Tatra company in their rightful place in the history of car design, and provided a fully comprehensive assessment of the influence of Tatra car designs and their inspired creator.
The text of this larger format 2nd edition has been fully revised and updated since the 1990 edition. This new edition also contains many additional illustrations. The book also has a new foreword, written by Norman Foster, the British architect, and proud owner of a Tatra T87, who pays tribute to the aesthetic qualities of this design classic and captures the fascination of both designers and motor historians with the development of Tatra.
Ivan Margolius is an author of memoirs and a number of books and articles on art, architecture, engineering, design and automobile history. Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, where he studied architecture, he moved to London in 1966, where he practised at Foster and Partners, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, and Yorke Rosenberg Mardall. His interest in Czech politics, history, technology and design spurred on his publishing ventures. Ivan has been the owner of a 1949 Tatra T600 Tatraplan since 2000.
John G Henry was born in Northern Ireland and studied in England. He is a projects manager involved in several important building designs in the United Kingdom and in the Middle East. Since his studies, he has been researching innovative achievements in automobile history.
Tatra – The Legacy of Hans Ledwinka – Updated & Enlarged Collector’s Edition of 1500 copies by Ivan Margolius and John G Henry is available now! Click here for more information about the book.
924 GT RACE CAR DRIVEN IN 1980 LE MANS 24 HOURS BY TONY DRON AND ANDY ROUSE
Back to the future: 1980 Porsche Le Mans racer reunited with British driver line-up at Silverstone prior to beginning restoration by Porsche Classic Centre Partners.
Thirty-five years since it last turned a wheel in anger, a significant Porsche race car has arrived in the UK in the first stage of a journey that will see it restored prior to returning once again to the circuit.
The Porsche 924 Carrera GT Le Mans raced at the iconic French 24 Hours endurance motor sport event in 1980 as part of an innovative three-car, international team. Car #2 was the British entry, #3 the American and #4 was the German car. Each car featured distinctive liveries based on the national flags, and the British car is arguably the only Porsche factory race to have competed with such a prominent red, white and blue motif.
The driving force in 1980 comprised Tony Dron and Andy Rouse, and they finished the 24 Hours in 12th place. At a special event at the Porsche Experience Centre, Silverstone, the two British racers were reunited with ‘their’ car for the first time since the race.
The front-engined, rear-wheel drive 924 coupe has been in the storage archives of the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart since its retirement. Now, Porsche Cars GB has been entrusted with the restoration of the famous British car #2 in a unique initiative that will see the skilled technicians at Porsche Classic Partner Centres undertake key aspects of the work.
There are four Porsche Classic Partner Centres in the Porsche Cars GB sales network, located in Glasgow, Hatfield, Leeds and Swindon. A thorough inspection of the historic race car has resulted in a comprehensive list of work that will be required to bring it back to a representative - yet historically sympathetic - race-ready condition. Porsche Centre Glasgow will work on the suspension, brakes and wheels; Porsche Centre Hatfield will take on the gearbox and drivetrain; Porsche Centre Leeds will have the responsibility for the electrics and radiator plumbing; and Porsche Centre Swindon will breathe new life into the engine. Road and Race Restorations in Manchester, a Porsche Recommended Body Repairer, will complete the project by restoring the bodywork and interior trim.
This project supports the 40th anniversary of the launch of the 924 in 1976, the first model in the so-called ‘transaxle’ series of Porsche cars, with their front engines and gearboxes located in combination with the rear-driven axle. Once completed, it is intended the historic 924 Carrera GT Le Mans will be demonstrated at events such as Goodwood Festival of Speed, Silverstone Classic and Classics at the Castle – and also proudly displayed in the showrooms of the Porsche Centres responsible bringing this part of Porsche motorsport history back to life once more.
– Available from Veloce –
The Porsche 924 Carrera – evolution to excellence
By Roy Smith
The 924 Carrera was a homologation model built to qualify the 924 model to race in Group 4. One of the great supercars of the 1980s, the 924 Carrera was considered by many to have better handling characteristics than Porsche’s flagship 911. The book features interviews with many of those involved with the car at the time together with race stories, statistics, and a unique exposé of component failures during racing.
Click here for more information about the book.
Thirty-five years since it last turned a wheel in anger, a significant Porsche race car has arrived in the UK in the first stage of a journey that will see it restored prior to returning once again to the circuit.
The Porsche 924 Carrera GT Le Mans raced at the iconic French 24 Hours endurance motor sport event in 1980 as part of an innovative three-car, international team. Car #2 was the British entry, #3 the American and #4 was the German car. Each car featured distinctive liveries based on the national flags, and the British car is arguably the only Porsche factory race to have competed with such a prominent red, white and blue motif.
The driving force in 1980 comprised Tony Dron and Andy Rouse, and they finished the 24 Hours in 12th place. At a special event at the Porsche Experience Centre, Silverstone, the two British racers were reunited with ‘their’ car for the first time since the race.
The front-engined, rear-wheel drive 924 coupe has been in the storage archives of the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart since its retirement. Now, Porsche Cars GB has been entrusted with the restoration of the famous British car #2 in a unique initiative that will see the skilled technicians at Porsche Classic Partner Centres undertake key aspects of the work.
There are four Porsche Classic Partner Centres in the Porsche Cars GB sales network, located in Glasgow, Hatfield, Leeds and Swindon. A thorough inspection of the historic race car has resulted in a comprehensive list of work that will be required to bring it back to a representative - yet historically sympathetic - race-ready condition. Porsche Centre Glasgow will work on the suspension, brakes and wheels; Porsche Centre Hatfield will take on the gearbox and drivetrain; Porsche Centre Leeds will have the responsibility for the electrics and radiator plumbing; and Porsche Centre Swindon will breathe new life into the engine. Road and Race Restorations in Manchester, a Porsche Recommended Body Repairer, will complete the project by restoring the bodywork and interior trim.
This project supports the 40th anniversary of the launch of the 924 in 1976, the first model in the so-called ‘transaxle’ series of Porsche cars, with their front engines and gearboxes located in combination with the rear-driven axle. Once completed, it is intended the historic 924 Carrera GT Le Mans will be demonstrated at events such as Goodwood Festival of Speed, Silverstone Classic and Classics at the Castle – and also proudly displayed in the showrooms of the Porsche Centres responsible bringing this part of Porsche motorsport history back to life once more.
By Roy Smith
The 924 Carrera was a homologation model built to qualify the 924 model to race in Group 4. One of the great supercars of the 1980s, the 924 Carrera was considered by many to have better handling characteristics than Porsche’s flagship 911. The book features interviews with many of those involved with the car at the time together with race stories, statistics, and a unique exposé of component failures during racing.
Thursday, 3 December 2015
THE NEW BUGATTI IS TO BE CALLED CHIRON
– WORLD PREMIERE IN GENEVA IN 2016
The next Bugatti is to be called Chiron. It will be named after Louis Chiron, a legendary racing driver who won virtually all the major grands prix for the brand in the 1920s and 1930s. His name is more closely connected with the history of Bugatti than any other racing driver.
The world premiere of the new super sports car from Molsheim in France is planned for the 86th Geneva Motor Show in 2016. With the Chiron, Bugatti will continue to produce the world’s most powerful, fastest, most luxurious and most exclusive production super sports car. The Bugatti Chiron is currently being shown to selected customers and the feedback is outstanding; more than 100 orders have already been received.
“In Louis Chiron, we found a worthy patron for a new model in the history of our brand,” Dürheimer continues. “The name of the best racing driver and the most successful Bugatti driver of his time for the best super sports car of the present day – that is the ideal combination.”
Currently, the Chiron is undergoing final testing. A number of prototypes are on the road in several continents for the fine tuning of the vehicle – right down to the last detail under a variety of road and climate conditions. No other production super sports car of this calibre will be subjected to such a stringent, comprehensive test programme.
At the same time, pre-marketing of the Chiron is now underway. Bugatti has invited selected customers in the brand’s key markets to private previews. “The feedback from our customers concerning the Chiron is outstanding,” says the Bugatti President. “Our order book is steadily filling up. More than 100 customers have already ordered the Chiron despite the fact that they have had no opportunity so far to experience the fantastic driving properties of the Chiron.“
Lydie Barre-Chiron, descendant and biographer of Louis Chiron, recently visited the Bugatti’s headquarters in Molsheim to inspect the vehicle that will bear the name of her famous forebear. “The Chiron is a modern super sports car that is instantly recognisable as a Bugatti,” says Lydie Barre-Chiron. “It looks fantastic, just magnificent. The design already indicates that this car will be very powerful and very fast. If Louis Chiron were alive today, I’m sure he would be proud that such an extraordinary sports car is to bear his name and is to represent the brand with which he achieved his greatest successes.”
A comprehensive, radical look at the history and development of the Type 57 Grand Prix Bugattis. New material challenges traditional beliefs about these historic cars, and rejects some long-standing conventions. Here, myths are explored and truths are revealed in a book celebrating all aspects of these remarkable cars and their creators.
More info.
The concise history of the Bugatti Type 57, 57S, 64 & 101.
The magnificent Type 57 was the final flowering of the genius of Ettore and Jean Bugatti, and the last truly new model from Molsheim, France.
Packed with over 300 images - mostly contemporary - this book is recognised as THE standard reference on the 57 and its close relatives.
More info.
A Veloce Classic Reprint of the only book dedicated to the Type 46 & 50 Bugattis.
The book features over 200 period plates, many rare and previously unpublished, showing a galaxy of superb coachbuilt and standard bodies on T46 and T50 chassis as well as much mechanical detail.
Regarded as THE standard reference to the Type 46 & 50.
More info.
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