Anecdotes from a motoring journalist – I have been fortunate enough to visit many interesting places, and to see and drive cars that would not ordinarily be possible in other occupations. Not only has this been a great pleasure and a privilege for me, but having been born and grown up in distant South Africa, I have witnessed the world of motoring and motorsport in the … [Read more...]
Behind the Scenes
Ferrari 512 S/M – book launch
I received my author’s advance copies of the Ferrari 512 book a little more than a week ago. And I must say that I am very pleased with the finished product. It has been a real pleasure doing this book, because once again I have had the privilege of meeting up with some great people who were directly associated with the cars in period. Also, in addition to that list of names … [Read more...]
Crossing the channel
One of the things about attending the Le Mans 24-Hour race in June, is that you have to start planning ahead for the next year almost straight after the race is finished, and crossing the channel is obviously a big part of that planning. Thankfully, the folk at Brittany Ferries are geared for this because their business is based around advance bookings for holidays … [Read more...]
MacG Racing
Those of you who read our blogs will know that, in WEC racing, we follow some of the most exciting and technically advanced racing cars in the world. Some say that they are at the pinnacle of motor sport and not that ‘other’ series that makes the headlines. However, today we find ourselves in very different circumstances where technology precludes all but the … [Read more...]
FERRARI 512 S/M – Book progress report
I am making good progress with my latest Ferrari 512 S/M book. It has been a very interesting journey so far and I am sure you will find my progress report very interesting… It is said that Ferrari’s heart was never really in the 512. I get the impression from the many magazine features I have read, that Ferrari only really created the 512 in the hope of providing some … [Read more...]
Porsche 956/962
“Towards the end of the ‘70s a lack of manufacturer enthusiasm to develop new cars for the existing Group 5 and Group 6 categories loomed. For Porsche, 1976 and 1977 saw victories at Le Mans with the 936 but in 1978 Renault snatched a win with the A442, while Kremer revelled in the glory of an unexpected victory in 1979 with their 935 K3. After the 1979 season, the three … [Read more...]
Jaguar E-type
The story of my love of Jaguar cars is a very personal one. It all began when, as a young boy of about 6 or 7 years of age, I first saw a Jaguar E-type in little old East London, South Africa. The city of East London is a quiet and peaceful seaside city on the south east coast of the continent, probably best known for having the largest river port in SA, from where maize is … [Read more...]
Cobra book progress
Progress on my Cobra book to be published by Haynes later this year, has been galloping along, and I have had the privilege and pleasure of meeting some amazing people, and of course cars. Here, you will come across loads of spin…the right kind of spin, not the kind that politicians sell you, but the sort that comes with high performance sports and racing … [Read more...]
Photographing Cobras
Motor racing in the 1960s produced, without doubt, some of the most colourful characters and some of the most iconic racing cars. With the subject of my next book being on the racing AC Cobras, I have chronicled below some of the joys and challenges of photographing Cobras. Once motor racing had got under way in the 1950s after the low of the previous decade, the years of … [Read more...]
Part 2: Porsche Transaxle Book
In Part 2 of my blog on my Porsche Transaxle Book (working title), I cover the 928, 944 and 968 models. The first of these cars represented Porsche's first foray into the realm of V8 motoring, and while the new model wasn't aimed at the US market, it certainly ticked all the right boxes as far as that market was concerned. As was rather typical for the Stuttgart … [Read more...]
