Last month saw the sad loss of another good friend of Veloce Publishing, and a true great from the world of motoring and auto journalism, Graham Robson, who died peacefully on 5 August at his home in Dorset.
Graham lived only a short drive along the coast from Veloce HQ, and was a frequent visitor throughout the year. With over 20 Veloce books to his name – and even an entire series in Rally Giants – Graham often popped-in to talk shop and answer questions about his latest work.
He was also equally inclined to pop in for a coffee and a catch-up, happy to chat about any and every subject from the latest engineering tech, to behind-the-scenes rally stories that only someone who was there could tell – as well as a myriad of things auto-related or otherwise. A dog lover with a soft spot for British Bulldogs, he was equally at home talking pups and pooches as he was pistons and prototypes.
Graham was a straight-talking Yorkshireman, and proud of it. He was also proud of his achievements, but never in a boastful way. With such a long and varied history, he had the remarkable ability to put his own achievements into context without hyperbole or ego creeping in. His directness and desire to get to the nitty-gritty of a subject is evident from his writing, and all Velocisti who had the pleasure to work with him could expect nothing less than utter professionalism and accuracy … with a rollicking good tale or two thrown in for good measure.
A welcome figure on the talking and eventing circuits, Graham was a regular up and down this country, and the USA, commentating, compering and presenting with a knowledge and humour that always made for engaging, enlightening and fun listening; he rapidly became a firm favourite with crowds and organisers alike. Our YouTube channel has a number of videos of Graham that are well worth a watch, including this great Author Profile, recorded in 2014.
His Veloce books hint at just how broad his knowledge was, covering everything from the technicalities of groundbreaking Rally cars, to the global commercial pressures that shaped empire-building brands. He was a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, the winner of many national and international awards and the author of nearly 170 books. His personal experiences of the people, places, and races that have become landmarks in automotive history meant he could talk with an authority unmatched by many writers.
Graham will be sorely missed by all the Velocisti. What better way to celebrate Graham's life and work than with his Veloce titles, from his first Veloce book in 1998, Cortina: The Story of Ford’s Best Seller, to his soon-to-be published Classic Reprint edition of The Cars of BMC.
The complete history of these ultimate driving machines
Fully updated, highly detailed, this brand-new edition of Graham Robson’s original Haynes publication explores every aspect of BMW M3 history, including its motorsport success worldwide. From the original E30 of 1986, through E36, E46, and E90 to the 6th gen of 2020, and the M4, it includes full, detailed specifications for each generation, and brings the M3 story right up to the present day, covering all models produced between 2013 and 2021, including M4.
The definitive history of the hugely successful model which stayed in production for five generations, enjoyed great success in motor racing and rallying and which redefined the family car. With over 180 colour and black and white photos this is the fascinating story of a incredibly successful car.
SKU V5100P • Paperback or eBook • 20.7x25cm • 160 pages • pictures • Flowing format eBook
Cosworth
The Search for Power (6th Edition)
This book covers the entire history, life and times of the famous British high-performance engineering company, from its 1958 foundation by Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth, through its often-exciting and always fascinating evolution, to its expansion and worldwide success in both motorsport and high-performance road cars.
The story of the 97 Ford Focus WRC cars during their 12-year rallying career; there were 44 World Championship victories, and the team won the World Rally Manufacturers’ Championship. Drivers included Colin McRae, Carlos Sainz, Marcus Grönholm and Mikko Hirvonen, with sponsors including Martini, BP (and Castrol), and the state of Abu Dhabi.
In 1965, Colin Chapman persuaded Ford to underwrite development of a V8 for the new 3000cc Grand Prix formula. Built by Cosworth, the new DFV engine won Lotus four World Championship Grands Prix in 1967. A year later, and now available to other constructors, the engine began its domination of Grand Prix racing. This important book is illustrated with more than 300 photographs, most of which come from the UK Ford Motor Company’s own archives.
Starting with the original Standard prototype of 1903, this book covers the scores of Standard models built until the brand was discontinued in 1963 (Britain) and 1987 (India). It also covers the Ferguson tractor involvement, millitary aero-engine manufacture, military aircraft manufacturer (including Beaufighter and Mosquito fighter-bombers), Rolls-Royce Avon turbo-jet military engine manufacture, and Triumph cars. This is the first definitive book to cover this major British marque.
The Cars of BMC is the most detailed record of the origins, operations, and legacy of one of Britain's most historically important industrial concerns. This is a unique record from one of the most respected automotive historians, and a key player in the British automotive industry. This new edition of The Cars of BMC covers the cars of the period 1945 to 1975, and the following marques: Austin; Austin-Healey; Innocenti; Metropolitan; MG; Morris; Riley; Vanden Plas; Wolseley; British Motor Holdsin (BMH) and British Leyland, plus subsidiaries and overseas connections.
Lasting six weeks and covering 16,000 miles from London to Mexico City via some of the most varying, tortuous and difficult terrain on three continents, the 1970 World Cup Rally was a unique high-speed event. Attracting many serious works teams such as Ford and British Leyland, it was, and remains, the toughest rally of all time. This book, now reprinted in paperback, tells the complete story.
SKU V5228P • Paperback or eBook • 22.5x22.5cm • 208 pages • 237 pictures • Flowing format eBook
The Great British Rally
RAC to Rally GB - The Complete Story
From the running of the 1932 RAC rally, mainly a social event, to the present day, when Rally GB is a high-speed endurance World Championship rally, this is the very first all-embracing history of an important part of British motorsport history. Descriptions of every event, opinions, and results are brought together for the very first time, with year-by-year accounts of all events in the Rally’s history, and copiously illustrated with period photographs. It also covers the many and varied challenges posed by such crises as foot and mouth disease, weather conditions, and controversy over rules and regulations: this book is truly the definitive guide.
The distinguished 130-year history of the Triumph company from original pedal cycles, to the first Triumph cars, and then every model up to the end of production. The authors reveal the in-house politics of the company, its design and engineering achievements, competition activities, and its international sales and marketing success.
The Audi Quattro is a Rally Giant because it was the first to combine four-wheel-drive and a turbocharged engine – not the most sophisticated, but it was the first, and very successful. It was also the first to run with more than 300bhp. As it was re-homologated/transformed from Group 4 into Group B in 1983, it was also the first successful Group B car.
SKU V5110P • Paperback or eBook • 21x19.5cm • 128 pages • 116 pictures • Flowing format eBook
Austin Healey 100-6 & 3000
Between 1957 and 1965 the six-cylinder-engined Austin Healey evolved into a formidable and increasingly specialised rally car. By any standards, it was the first of the ‘homologation specials’ – a type made progressively stronger, faster, more versatile, and more suitable for the world’s toughest international rallies. This book tells its story.
SKU V5324P • Paperback or eBook • 21x19.5cm • 128 pages • 140 pictures • Flowing format eBook
Fiat 131 Abarth
Fiat entered rallying in 1970, with the aim of becoming World Rally Champion – and it was the 131 Abarth of 1976-1980 which made that possible. It soon began winning World rallies, and, in 1977, 1978 and 1980, the 'works' team also won the World Championship for Makes, paving the way for successors the Lancia Rally 037 and the Delta Integrale.
SKU V5111P • Paperback or eBook • 21x19.5cm • 128 pages • 100 pictures • Flowing format eBook
Ford Escort Mk1
The story of the Ford Escort MkI, a car that delivered everything its predecessor, the Lotus-Cortina, had promised. Versatile, accessible and competitive at all levels, it dominated international rallying throughout the 1970s, and became hugely popular with teams and spectators alike.
SKU V5107P • Paperback or eBook • 21x19.5cm • 128 pages • 107 pictures • Flowing format eBook
Ford Escort RS Cosworth & World Rally Car
The Escort RS Cosworth became Ford's most successful model since the legendary Escorts of the 1970s. The combination of Cosworth power, 4WD transmission, and an effective aerodynamic package made it a Rally Giant in all conditions, making this generation of Escorts the most effective rally car that Ford had produced at that time.
The Ford Escort MkII, the RS1800, became Ford’s most successful rally car, and is still winning historic events today. It brought new standards to the sport, inspiring many others to copy it. This books contains full details of every ‘works’ Escort MkII that went rallying, plus driver and personality profiles, and detailed car evolution.
SKU V5109P • Paperback or eBook • 21x19.5cm • 128 pages • 112 pictures • Flowing format eBook
Lancia Delta 4WD/Integrale
The HF 4WD – a compact, five-door Lancia – dominated world-class rallying for six years, winning innumerable events, World Championships for Drivers, and World Championships for Manufacturers. Alongside the cars, driving heroes such as Markku Alan, Didier Auriol, Miki Biasion, Juha Kankkunen and Carlos Sainz also became legendary in this period.
This book describes the birth, development and rallying career of the Lancia Stratos, Europe’s very first purpose-built rally car, in the mid/late 1970s. It provides a compact and authoritative history of where, when and how it became so important to the sport, as well as telling the story of the team.
SKU V5526P • Paperback or eBook • 21x19.5cm • 128 pages • 131 pictures • Flowing format eBook
Mini Cooper/Mini Cooper S
This book describes the birth, development, and rallying career of the BMC Mini-Cooper/Mini-Cooper in the 1960s, providing a compact and authoritative history of where, when and how it became so important to the sport. Even today, works Minis appear at every gathering of classic cars – and in 2009, Mini celebrates its 50th birthday. Packed with over 100 photographs, this book is a fitting and timely tribute to a much-loved Rally Giant.
Peugeot designed, developed, campaigned and won with the first truly sophisticated four-wheel-drive Group B Car – the 205 Turbo 16. Detailing the cars, the influences, and the personalities behind a magnificent success story, this book is packed with illustrations, and technical data on this innovative car, and is a must for any rally fan.
SKU V5325P • Paperback or eBook • 21x19.5cm • 128 pages • 100 pictures • Flowing format eBook
Saab 96 & V4
The story of the front-wheel-drive Saab 96, which made the brand into a rally icon in the 1960s. It succeeded in events as diverse as the Monte Carlo, Britain's RAC Rally, many Scandinavian events, and the Spa-Sofia-Liége Marathon. The 96 and V4 models produced victory where no-one expected it.
SKU V5332P • Paperback or eBook • 21x19.5cm • 128 pages • 135 pictures • Flowing format eBook
Subaru Impreza
This book describes the birth, development, and rallying car of the turbocharged, four-wheel-drive Subaru Impreza in the 1990s and early 2000s, providing a compact and authoritative history of where, when and how it became so important to the sport.
SKU V5322P • Paperback or eBook • 21x19.5cm • 128 pages • 96 pictures • Flowing format eBook
Toyota Celica GT-Four
This book describes the birth, development, and rallying career of the Toyota Celica GT-Four, providing a compact and authoritative history of where, when and how it became so important to the sport.
Veloce were saddened to hear news of the passing of a another motorsport legend, Dan Gurney, on the 14th January, aged 86.
Dan Gurney, Netherlands GP, 1970
By Joost Evers / Anefo (Nationaal Archief)
via Wikimedia Commons
Daniel Sexton Gurney was born in Port Jefferson, New Jersey, on April 13 1931. He moved to California with his family when he was 16, and by the time he was just 19 years old, he built and ran a car that attained 138mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats. His interests quickly moved-on to dragsters and sports cars.
With the ability to wrest even less-than-competitive, pre aero-era cars to a podium finish, he was said to be the only driver that Jim Clark feared on track. Gurney’s racing record reads like a hall of fame of championship series and cars, and he leaves a legacy that future drivers, constructors, and team owners alike, may never again attain. His career saw a string of high-profile wins and podium places in the world’s top racing series, from F1 and Le Mans, to Indy and NASCAR.
But it wasn't only racing where Gurney made his considerable mark. Constructor and team owner are also prominent on his CV, and his Eagle-Weslake cars are still considered as one of the most visually stunning F1 cars of all time.
John Surtees is a name that most fans of motor racing will be familiar with. His racing career spanned 20 years, starting in 1952, but his involvement in racing continued until the end. A regular figure at race meets, circuits, and on TV, Surtees' trademark wide smile, enthusiasm, and energy won him many friends and fans. He won no fewer than 8 title wins, achieved – remarkably – on two and four wheels: a feat that is unlikely to ever be repeated in the modern era of motor racing.
Surtees was born into a family already mad about motorsport, and his first racing appearance came in the sidecar of his father's Vincent – a race that they won … but later disqualified for, for being too young. At 15, he raced in grasstrack competition, and, a year later, went to work for Vincent as an apprentice. The following year, he caught the attention of race goers and works teams alike, by keeping Norton's Geoff Duke honest and on his toes during a race at Thruxton.
With Norton's interest piqued, he was offered sponsorship by its race chief Joe Craig, and Surtees duly responded by beating Duke at Silverstone and Brands Hatch. Despite Norton's racing success, and partly due to it, the company faced financial difficulties, so Surtees accepted an offer from the more financially stable MV Agusta.
In 1956, he won the 500cc world championship, only partly assisted by a six-month ban for Geoff Duke, incurred from Duke's support of a riders' strike for more starting money. Whilst the following year only saw a third place finish for Surtees, Gilera and Moto Guzzi's retirement from GP racing at the end of '57 saw him pilot an MV Agusta to a further three 500cc titles, in 1958, '59, and '60 – as well as the world championships in the 350cc class in the same three years.
Surtees' astonishing career, which aside from his hat trick of class doubles, had seen him claim 250 race wins from 352 starts, had also made Surtees' known to a wider audience, and in 1959, he won BBC Sports Personality of the Year. He is still the only motorcycle racer to have been awarded the honour.
Surtees at the Isle of Man TT. This was his final TT win, the 1960 Senior. When he switched to four wheels, his place at MV Agusta was taken by Gary Hocking. From Racing Line.
In 1960, and despite his initial scepticism, Surtees switched to cars, in part due to MV Agusta's refusal to allow him to ride any other two-wheel marque. Racing against Jim Clark at Goodwood in Formula Junior, a rookie error led to him losing his chance of victory – but he was noticed by Colin Chapman, who signed him up to race in F1: a jump that modern F1 racers would find incomprehensible.
Surtees was immediately competitive, aided by the Lotus 18 of Chapman, but a falling out with Chapman, and fellow driver Innes Ireland, over who would drive beside Clark in '61, saw him walk from Lotus.
Stints for Yeoman Credit Cooper and Bowmaker Lola teams over the next few seasons enabled Surtees to continue to compete. Ferrari had already contacted Surtees, who felt it was too early in his career to drive a 'cavallino rampante.' Despite being told by Enzo Ferrari that he would not ask him again, at the end of a difficult '62 season, Enzo did just that, and Surtees accepted.
Surtees' first F1 win came at the Nürbergring. It was in 1964, however, following victories in the German GP and Monza, that he won his first F1 world championship, in the new V8 Ferrari 158, wearing the livery of NART (North American Racing Team).
The 1964 Mexican Grand Prix saw Surtees take second place,
behind Dan Gurney, and just ahead of team-mate Lorenzo Bandini. From Formula One – The Real Score?
The following year was a disappointment for Surtees, with no victories on the track. In September '65, Surtees crashed whilst practicing in his own Lola T70 at the Mosport Park circuit, Canada, and was in a life-threatenting condition for several days. Amazingly, he recovered enough to be back behind the wheel the of the Ferarri by the start of the '66 season.
Political machinations, and a long-sour relationship with team manager Eugenio Dragoni, eventually led to Surtees jumping ship mid-season to Cooper, whos Maserati V12-powered T/81 took him to victory in Mexico … he even managed to finish second in the title fight to Jack Brabham.
1967 saw a switch to Honda for two seasons, with whom he gained his last world championship success, at the Italian GP at Monza. A 1969 BRM stint left Surtees frustrated, and he decided to develop his own F1 cars. With Cosworth engines, the cars showed much promise – enough to coax another two-wheeled legend, Mike Hailwood, to its team … Hailwood went on to win the 1972 European Formula Two championship.
The team finally closed shop in 1978, and Surtees retired from the competitive racing circuit. Surtees held the vice-presidency of the British Racing Drivers' Club, a position he used to help continue and encourage British involvement in international motor sport.
Following the death of his son, Henry, caused by a freak accident at a relaunched F2 vent at Brands Hatch, he devoted his time to supporting the Henry Surtees Foundation, an organisation that helps young people with accident injuries, and develop their capabilities.
The charity became Surtees' main work in recent years, and has raised thousands of pounds for air ambulance services, and head injury research. It was in this capacity that Surtees attended many grass-roots events such as Goodwood, leading him become one of the most familiar, popular, and loved figures, even into his ninth decade. In 1996, John was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. He was awarded an MBE in 1959 , OBE in 2008, and CBE in 2016.
On March 10th 2016, John Surtees passed away at the age of 83. He is survived by his wife Jane, and daughters Edwina and Leonora.
To find out more about the Henry Surtess Foundation, follow the link below:
John Surtees photo courtesy Supermac1961 from CHAFFORD HUNDRED, England (Sir John Surtees Uploaded by Sporti) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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