Monday 26 September 2016

BRITISH CAFÉ RACERS – DO THE TON!

See the ‘café’d’ side of British bikes!


This is the first book to solely concentrate on the British-powered café racer motorcycle. Renewed interest in custom British café conversions is illustrated with stunning images of select sporting, racing, and ‘café’d’ British motorcycles. From single-cylinder to four-cylinder variants – see the ‘café’d’ side of British bikes!


Plenty of books have been published about British bikes and their glorious motorcycling racing heritage, but until now none has solely focused on the rich variety of British café racers. a genre created in 1950s Britain by the 'ton-up boys'.
Style, speed and passion combine for an eclectic journey into the world of the British café racer. Uli Cloesen's latest book – the first dedicated to the British café racer scene – is a celebration of all things fast from Britain, a definitive overview of the caféd British motorcycle, from single-cylinder to four-cylinder variants, and going well beyond the parallel Triton twin.

Featuring a truly stunning variety of British motorcycle engine based café racers, from the UK and beyond, and complemented by owners’ stories and technical descriptions, this book presents the eye candy of the British café racer world … come and see the caféd side of Britain!

via GIPHY

British Café Racers by Uli Cloesen is available now! Click HERE for more information about the book.

Friday 23 September 2016

VELOCE PRE-1994 FORMULA FORD CLASS AT GURSTON DOWN SPEED HILLCLIMB
By Simon McBeath

Copyright Akina Media.

Round 1 of the Gurston Down Hillclimb Championship, where the Pre-1994 Formula Ford class is sponsored by Veloce Publishing, kicked off on April 17th, and Russell Haynes from Bicester took his 1.6 Zeus ZR163 into an early class championship lead with the win on 37.67 seconds from Cirencester’s Paul Morcom, who finished less than six tenths behind in his 1.6 Merlyn Mk 11a.

Veloce author Simon McBeath had delayed his season’s start until the non-championship May event, where he scored his first class win of the year, so he was always going to be a round behind the April entrants in the Gurston championship. However, with four scores from the five championship rounds counting he would still be able to amass the requisite number of scores to challenge early leader Russell Haynes.

June’s double-header event featured two rounds over the two days. June 18th was dry but grip was low. However, McBeath took his 1.6 Swift SC92F to the class win on 37.49secs ahead of Russell Haynes by 0.84 seconds. The following day’s event was affected by intermittent rain but once again McBeath pipped Haynes by 0.64 seconds with a 37.72secs run for his second straight championship event win.

July’s ‘Big Event’, the Veloce Hillclimb Formula Ford Fest, attracted a huge class of 15 drivers in 10 different cars, and the warm, sunny conditions were ideal for fast times. The competition was very close, with the top eight finishers covered by less than a second. But once again Simon McBeath emerged as winner, setting a new class record of 36.30secs, half a second clear of second placed Richard Summers (1.6 Van Diemen RF80). The bonus point for setting a new class record put McBeath in a good position to defend his 2015 class championship title in the final round.

Onto September’s finale then on September 11th, and once again warm, sunny conditions enabled good times to be set. This time the top three were covered by just 0.35 seconds, and McBeath managed to take the win again on 36.60 seconds, 0.31 seconds ahead of season-long series leader Russell Haynes. This result was enough for McBeath to amass a class championship winning score for the second successive year, with an 83.29 points total, ahead of Haynes’s ‘best four scores’ total of 80.58 points.

The Pre-1994 Formula Ford class continues to grow in popularity at Gurston Down, and on the national hillclimb scene too, and the instigator of the ‘Hillclimb FF Fest’, Van Diemen driver Charlie Riley, has compiled a list of around 30 current competitors around the country. The class will again feature in the 2017 Gurston Down Hillclimb Championship, and the Hillclimb FF Fest will once more be a big part of the event at the famous Wiltshire venue in July, hopefully topping the 15 entries seen at the inaugural FF Fest in 2016.

Thursday 22 September 2016

REMINISCENCES OF THE TRIUMPH MERIDEN FACTORY – 8TH SEPTEMBER 2016
By John Rosamond

John Rosamond was invited by Bedford branch member of the Triumph Owners Motorcycle Club (TOMCC), Bryan Marsh to provide his talk "Reminiscences of the Triumph Factory". Bryan is also the Chairman of the Bedfordshire section of the Vintage Motorcycle Club (VMCC).

John Rosamond.

Club members gathering outside the Shefford Town Memorial Hall.

Many TOMCC and VMCC club members have shared interests in "Classic Motorcycles", so not surprisingly the two clubs' members came together for this event of mutual interest.

Bedfordshire section of the VMCC have the use of the excellent meeting room facilities at the Shefford Town Memorial Hall, Shefford, situated between Hitchin and Bedford.

On the evening of Thursday 8th September 2016 - 70 enthusiastic members gathered to welcome John Rosamond to provide his talk on the Triumph Meriden Factory; which also serves as an excellent companion to his popular Veloce Publishing book Save the Triumph Bonneville! The Inside Story of the Meriden Workers' Co-op.

Many VMCC and TOMCC members share vivid personal memories of what happened at the Triumph Meriden factory, during the late 1960's, 70's and early 80's.

It could not have been a more memorable TOMCC / VMCC club night, than what started on a beautiful late Summer / early Autumn evening, with many club members riding their classic motorcycles to Shefford Town Memorial Hall and finished 3 hours later, having spent an enjoyable evening together discussing memories of a bygone era.

Bryan Marsh on board his Classic Triumph.

Wednesday 21 September 2016

THE STORY OF THE FIRST SUPERBIKE

Look inside Vincent Motorcycles – The Untold Story since 1946 by Philippe Guyony.


Despite only nine years of production, Vincents continue to be ridden regularly in rallies, hard in racing, and certainly well beyond the normal lifespan of a motorcycle. This book tells the Vincent story from 1946 until the present day, including the stories of those significant individuals who helped to make Vincents such legendary machines.



Very few motorcycles have carved a mark in history like the Vincent V-twin, from its arrival in 1946 and up to the present day. On the road, in club racing, in drag races, or competing for land speed records, it dominated the motorcycle world, leading to the famous catchphrase coined by the factory: “The World’s Fastest Standard Motorcycle.” It was a FACT – NOT a slogan. Images such as that of Rollie Free, in swimming trunks, laying flat on his works-modified Black Shadow and taking the American motorcycle land speed record at Bonneville in 1948, have now passed into posterity. In fact, the big Vincent was so ahead of its time, that it continued to compete successfully – almost arrogantly – in racing until the mid-1970s, against modern bikes. No other motorcycle in the world can claim this kind of achievement.



Following the premature ending of Vincent production, Fritz Egli’s 1967 Egli-Vincent was the first chassis completely redesigned for a Vincent in 21 years. Egli’s machine inspired numerous builders for several generations and this book traces, holistically, the story of all those motorcycles in the broad context of the classic and modern history of the Vincent.
Understand how the flame of passion still burns brightly today.


via GIPHY

Vincent Motorcycles – The Untold Story since 1946 by Philippe Guyony is available now! Click HERE for more information about the book.

Tuesday 20 September 2016

OUR HISTORY: 25 YEARS OF AUTOMOTIVE PUBLISHING 1991 TO 2016


For the past 25 years Veloce has prided itself on publishing the highest quality automotive books. We've been looking back on some of the key events in the company's history since we were incorporated on this day (Sept 20) in 1991. To celebate the anniversary, we've compiled this timeline of our history.

20th September 1991
Veloce Publishing is incorporated.
Founded by Rod Grainger and Jude Brooks.
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1991
First Veloce book Alfa Romeo Giulia GT & GTA by Johnny Tipler.
1991
Veloce’s first Frankfurt Book Fair.
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1992
Veloce's trade stand is used at Alfa Romeo National Meeting, Stamford Hall. First two books (Alfa Giulia GT & GTA and Alfa 8C) on sale.
1992
Veloce’s MX-5 stripdown for the MX-5 manual.
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Spring 1993
First catalogue is produced.
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1994
First book in Enthusiast's Workshop Manual Series is published: Mazda MX-5 1.6 by Rod Grainger.
1994
Veloce's first London Book Fair.
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1995
SpeedPro Series is launched. First book in series: Alfa Romeo Twin-Cam Engines For Road & Track by Jim Kartalamakis.
1995
Project MX-5 @ the barn.
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1996
Tokyo Book Fair.
1996
Dinner with Tokyo MX-5 club & Eunos Roadster fan club.
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August 1996
Move to Trinity Street Dorchester.
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2000
Immie, the much-loved & dearly missed resident Veloce hound at MX-5 National Meeting, Gaydon.
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2001
Veloce is on the web! www.veloce.co.uk is launched.
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2002
First books in Enthusiast's Restoration Manual Series are published: How to Restore Triumph TR2 TR3 & 3A, Triumph TR5250 & TR6 by Roger Williams.
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2003
Jude and Kevin at ABA (American Booksellers Association) Fair, Los Angeles.
2003
Those were the days series is launched. First book in series: Three Wheelers.
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2005
The Essential Companion series is launched. First book in series: Porsche 911 SC – Supreme Porsche by Adrian Streather.
October 2005
Essential Buyer’s Guide Series is launched. Series now has over books in print, and over 100,000 copies sold.
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2006
Armstrong Siddeley book launch at Beaulieu.
November 2006
Rally Giants series is launched. First book in series: Ford Escort Mk1 by Graham Robson.
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January 2007
First edition of On the Grid newsletter.
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July 2007
Veloce News blog is launched. You are here!
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December 2008
Veloce is on Twitter! @VeloceBooks
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2009
Save the Triumph Bonneville by John Rosamond book at Gaydon.
2009
First app: VW Bus – The Essential Buyer’s Guide.
August 2009
First book in WSC Giants series is published: Ferrari 312P & 312PB by Peter Collins & Ed McDonough.
October 2009
Hubble & Hattie is born. Winston ... the dog who changed my life, the first H&H book published.
October 2009
Veloce book enters the House of Commons Library.
December 2009
Office move to Veloce House, Poundbury.
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January 2010
The move to Veloce House featured in the Western Gazette.
February 2010
License deal with RAC signed.
March 2010
Ted Toleman presents Bruno Senna with a copy of The Toleman Story.
April 2010
The Daily Mirror World Cup Rally book by Graham Robson is launched at Dagenham Motors, Wembley, London.
April 2010
Truckmakers series is launched. First book in series: DAF Trucks since 1949 by Colin Peck.
August 2010
First book in RAC Handbook Series is launched: Electric Cars – The future is now by Arvid Linde.
December 2010
Alpine Renault – The Sports Prototypes by Roy Smith wins Mercedes-Benz Award for the Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy at GoMW awards.
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February 2011
The Fate of the Sleeping Beauties book is featured on Jay Leno’s book club.
2011
First eBook released: Preston Tucker & others.
2011
Veloce Digital website is launched.
September 2011
Veloce is 20!

December 2011
Tony Robinson – The Biography of a Race Mechanic by Ian Wagstaff book wins Mercedes-Benz Award for the Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy at GoMW awards.
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April 2012
First celebrity book is published under the Hubble & Hattie imprint. Miaow! Cats really are nicer than people! by the late, great Sir Patrick Moore CBE.

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4th April 2013
Mike Brewer Day. Book launch to celebrate the publishing of Mike Brewer's The Wheeler Dealer Know How book.
December 2013
Bruce Grant-Braham wins the IAM Safety Award for his book The Essential Driver’s Handbook at the GoMW awards.
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Feb 2015
Veloce launches first simultaneous release of a print book, app, eBook and Drive Guide Guru microsite with Julian Parish.
2015
Grand Prix Ford by Graham Robson book launch at Cosworth HQ.
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20th September 2016
Veloce is 25!

Spread the word about Veloce's anniversary on social media, using hashtag: #velocebooks25