Books for the New Year
“BMW — A History” by Halwart Schrader. Translated by Ron Wakefield. 392 pp. 11″ x 9 3/4″. (Osprey Publishing Ltd., 12-14 Long Acre, London WC2E 9LP. £24.95.)
This is a complete BMW history, from the origins of the famous Bavarian Company and its entry into the car market following aero-engine construction, with copies of the British Austin Seven, to the present-day models, right up to the BMW 635 CSi and M1. The story is supported by much illustrative material; indeed, this large-format book contains over 1,000 illustrations, including 49 full-colour pictures.
BMW has risen from the days of the little Dixies to be one of the World’s greatest makes, so it is fitting that a full-length history of the Company should be published. This one comes from the Automobile Quarterly Library, with an Introduction by L. Scott-Bailey of that publishing house, in which he refers to the Deutsches Museum in Munich which holds 570,000 volumes, 15,000 manuscripts and over 2,000 technical publications in its library, and to the Automobil Basar library of automobile literature in the same city, from which sources much help has been obtained. This contact with German automotive records led to Automobile Quarterly publishing motoring books by German authors and this BMW history is one of them, translated into English by Ron Wakefield and co-published here by Osprey.
The book includes every facet of BMW, from the start in Bavaria with aeroplane engines in 1916 to the full motor-car story, embracing BMW’s highy-successful competition activities, and including the BMW motorcycles, the Wartburg story of 1899-1903, the Dixi era spanning the period 1903-1928, and the start of the BMW cars proper in 1928. In addition, derivatives of the make are dealt with, such as Bristol, Frazer Nash-BMW, EMW, Glas, and even some home-constructed cars using BMW components, which bring in a few fascinating cyclecars. Nor is this all, because there is a section covering Dixi and BMW commercial vehicles, including the three-wheeler transports. And, of course, the Isetta bubble-cars are included in the appropriate place.
In setting the early scene there are some pages devoted to “Europe in the Twenties”, from which we learn that there were 25 different makes of German passenger-cars on the market in 1928, including Ford, comprising a total of 80 different models, and that in that year the German Reich manufactured 117,117 passenger vehicles, of which about 15,000 had custom bodywork, and 22,900 trucks. The least-expensive car when Dixi was entering the private-car market was the Hanomag Kommissbrot, known unkindly as “Army Bread”. A rather incongruous full-page picture has crept into the English edition of this BMW history, showing some spectators’ cars fined up against the rails at a horse-race meeting in this country in 1928. Almost all of them are open tourers and almost all of them have the top-panels of their windscreens open, to afford a better stew. The makes recognisable are P-12/15. Fiat (with two-panes to the top panel of its windscreen), Lea-Francis, Singer 14140, MG, Austin Twelve, and in the back rows, an Armstrong Siddeley saloon, a pre-war Rover Twelve, a bull-nose Morris, a Calcott and what looks lika Another Fiat – Unless anyone can do better!
Reverting to BMW, which is what the book is all about this is a truly detailed history of the Company, although some of the cars are dealt with in a rather “catalogue” format, but with pleasingly large illustrations and diagrams. Some rare photographs are included, one reminding us that when General Charles de Gaulle made his dramatic return to France in 1945 he did so in a BMW 332 prototype saloon, and there is a splendid picture of Sammy Davis in the Paddock at Brooklands in the doorless, lightweight Frazer Nash-BMW 328 with whuch he covered over 100 miles in the hour on the Track. For this reviewer the book is redolent of happy times in the BMW cars, with reminders of the Type 45 and Type 55 Frazer Nash-BMW’s he drove after the war, one of the latter in a memorable BOC Night Trial, and of the BMW’s used after the war, from trying the new 1 1/2-litre round the Nurburgring and realising that BMW had something rather special, to the BMW 2500 and 520i unsed as Editorial cars in later times.
The Appendices in this big book cover all models from the Wartburg 3.4 of 1899 to the present BMWs, with engine sizes and power outputs, they give the structure of the Directorate of the Bayerische Motoren Werke AG from 1928 onwards, and there is even a picture-page of BMW-powered boats, and colour reproductions of the differentmarque badges, etc. Essential study for all BMW converts! – W.B.
“Ferrari” by Hans Tanner with Doug Nye. 542 pp. 11″ x 8″. (Haynes Pubhshmg Group Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 7JJ. £24.)
This book is already well known as the standard reference work to the complex story of the great make of Ferrari, by the late Hans Tanner. The book first appeared in 1959 and went into three more editions. It has now been updated by Doug Nye into this fifth edition, which unfolds the full Ferrari history in thirteen chapters and 17 Appendices. The clear text on glossy art-paper is embellished by a wealth of pictures, both colour and black-and-white, and there are also numerous diagrams, plans and cut-away drawings of racing Ferraris, etc. The account runs from Enzo Ferrari’s first contact with cars and his racing with Alfa Romeos, to the Commendatore’s 1979 activities. The racing career of the make is included and the content of this book can be judged by its chapter titles: “Enzo Ferrari’s early history”, “Scuderia Ferrari”, “1,500 c.c. supercharged Ferraris”, “Unsupercharged F1 Ferraris”, “F2 Ferraris”, “2.5-litre F1 Ferraris”, “V6 Dino F1 and F2 cars”, “Rear-engined GP types”, “The Championship Contest, 1964-1978”, “Experimental and Special Ferraris”, “The Sports Cars”, “The Road Cars”, and “Colombo and Lampredi V12 Ferrari engines”. The Appendices are too many to list here, but contain masses of specifications, race-results with causes of retirements, performance figures for various of the road-cars, not to mention valve timings! The 1974 Inroduction by Tanner and a 1977 Introduction by Nye explain the purpose behind this complex book, which is a sort of standard introduction to the marque Ferrari and to the many one-model and other specialised Ferrari books already published. — W.B.
“The Coachwork of Erdmann & Rossi, Berlin” by Rupert Stuhlemmei. 244 pp. 10″ o 7¼”. (Dalton Watson Ltd., 78, Wardour Street, London, W IV 4AN. £14.50.)
In this latest picture-book in the Dalton Watson format the coachwork of the German company is depicted on many different makes of chassis. These run from Maybach to Horch, from Rolls-Royce and Bentley to Mercedes and Mercedes-Benz, and there are, in addition, pictures of this bodywork on a variety of other chassis — Adler, Cadillac, Minerva, DKW, Bugatti, BMW, and on other chassis, many of them American. Military vehicles and commercial vehicles for which Erdmann & Rossi were responsible find a place in this book and there is a Register of their bodywork covering fifteen pages. Short “biographies” of the different makes so bodied are included. The Berlin works of the Company were damaged by aerial bombardment in 1943 and destroyed by this means in the summer of 1944, incidentally.
Although a specialised publication, this book will be essential reading for students of the old coachbuilding methods, explaining as it does, and so admirably illustrating, the aims (which included streamlined bodies, and achievements of this German bodybuilder, who can still be found today at the office premises at Karlsruherstr. It is interesting that the great racing drivers, Caracciola and Rosemeyer, ordered cars from Erdmann & Rossi and that before an Avus race the Alfa Romeos and Bugattis due to compete were garaged at their office premises. Those who can read both English and German should know that this book is “bilingual”, so that they are really getting only half the text — but a great many fine photographs. — W.B.
“The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Automobiles” by David Burgess Wise. 352 pp. 12″ x 81/2″. (The Hamlyn Group, Astronaut House, Felthcon, Middlesex, 77114 9AR. £7.95.)
In 1968G. N. Georgano, who is now in charge of the National Motor Museum Photographic archives, had the brilliant idea of compiling a complete encyclopedia of motor-cars, from 1885 onwards. It duly came out, a stupendous tome, bulging with information, in the form of potted biographies of the World’s automobiles, copiously illustrated. This publishing triumph of the Ebury Press was re-issued in the three following years and a final, revised edition came out in 1973. This would seem to be an adequate reference work of its kind, apart from being now out-dated by six years, and no other would really seem to be called-for.
However, historian Burgess Wise has copied the idea and has come up with another such work. It includes makes not listed in the Georgano volumes; but in general the information touted is less complete. The copious illustrations are interesting; as in the Georgano work they are a mixture of contemporary and modern pictures of the older cars.
The Wise Encyclopedia follows that of the Georgano work in having colour plates to lead into its A to Z entries, and it also starts off with articles about Pre-History, Radiators, Badges and Mascots, Wheels, Body Styles, Art and the Automobile, and so on, together with potted histories of different automotive periods, and information on how mass-production evolved and how cars are made, right up to a piece about alternative fuels. It seems that the publishers were determined not to leave out anything they could possibly include!
Of the two Encyclopedias I prefer the previously-published one. But the fact remains that Hamlyn’s have produced a book with more than 4,000 entries, covering autos from 1862 to the present day, at a highly competitive price. Whereas the Wise glimpse of all the World’s motors can be bought in these inflationary times for a mere £7.95, the Ebury Press work cost £9.50 seven years ago. The big Wise work runs from AAA to Zwickau, has brief biographies of celebrities in the motoring world, from the Appersons to Alexander Winton, and a makes cross-reference — for example, for Bambi see Chile-built Fuldamobil. There is also a Glossary of technical terms. The book has sine contributors apart from Burgess Wise. The publishers deserve to succeed! The end-papers are rather fun. They show a Kaiser-War London street-scene, with plenty of taxis on a rank and a big notice on an adjacent building which reads “DON’T USE A MOTOR CAR FOR PLEASURE”. The printing was done in Hong-Kong. — W.B.
“Automobilia — A . Guided Tour For Collectors” by Michael Worthington-Williams. 192 pp. 10″ x 7′. (B. T. Batsford Ltd., 4, FitzhardMge Street, London, W1H OAH. £12.50.)
It is interesting to note that this book is published jointly by Batsford, pioneers of motor-book publishing, and the RAC. So, like the AA, the RAC has entered the book-trade!
The purpose behind this book is to enhance the value of every possible facet of what the author calls “automobilia”, in the eyes of collectors. This is understandable, whether or not undesirable, because Worthington-Williams is Head of Sotheby’s Veteran, Vintage and Special Interest Motor Car Auction Department. Having said that, I most add that his book is comprehensive to a degree, accurate, and very fascinating. It covers just about everything, every nick-nack, associated with motoring, apart from the cars. And it contains some very rare illustrations, the pictures as comprehensive as the author’s text. After you have digested the possibilities of buying, or selling, your old motoring posters, promotional material, brochures and sales-catalogues, you can contemplate doing likewise with desired or unwanted perennials, monthlies and weeklies about motoring and motorcycling. Should that not appeal, or be possible, the next instalments of this book tells you about enamel signs, model and toy vehicles, cigarette-cards, postcards and trade-cards, accessories, tools, containers, garage equipment, radiator badges, club badges, radiator mascots, early photographs of motoring and motors, branded trade gifts, cups, trophies, items associated with motoring sport, early mad signs, household items, and general motoring ephemera — scarcely a thing omitted! Indeed, this book is nothing door thorough — its Appendices include a very detailed list of some motoring cigarette cards and trade cards, with their subjects and dates of issue — gone are the happy days when these were given away free, to delight small boys and others — and a list of museums, societies, clubs, and publications devoted to motoring.
I confess that I find the execution most attractive. The author has included some interesting illustrations, such as the Rowland Hilder’s advertisements for Dunlop, depicting typically British motoring scenes of the 1930s, including the moonlight bathing party with a swim-suited girl standing beside the Dunlop-shod two-seater of her man-friend, and the poster advertising the £100 Ford Eight saloon. There is also a Ford advertisement indicating that Clive Upton, who painted it, expected Brooklands racing to be resumed, after the war! Child motoring books are illustrated in colour — I remember well the pleasure I got from “The Wonder Book of Motors” — and among the toy cars illustrated are some pedal cars and the recent electric-powered Meynell and Phillips’ blower-4 1/2 Bentley children’s car. I was interested to note that those one-time Jep tin-plates car models are illustrated, but although I recall the Citroën, Renault and Delage versions and was aware that there was also a Panhard-Levassor edition, all on a common base, I did not know that the series included Hotchkiss and Delaunay-Belleville, as the author states. Nor, surprisingly, does he mention the larger Alfa Romeo P2 clockwork models. The Jep Rolls-Royce and Hispano Suiza models (which New Cavendish Books have adequately covered in another volume, are mentioned briefly in the text and I am glad that the Bing Model-T Ford clockwork toys (priced new at 1/-) are referred to. I remember the glossy black Tudor (or Ford?) saloon, coupe, and two-seater you could get at Woolworths when I was a boy, if indeed these were the Bing toys, and I deeply regret never having seen one since. It is rather a blow to find in this book a colour picture of that fine scale-model of the 1912 GP Peugeot (wrongly given as 1913), that Sir Malcolm Campbell used to race at Brooklands captioned as sold recently by auction for £850— because when Motor Sport went specially to the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu to photograph this model for an article I was doing on the disappearance of most of the real racing Peugeots, I greatly coveted this model and thought of offering £25 for it but I did not know that the Museum intended disposing of it. . . .
I see from a picture of some of the radiator badges in Peter Richley’s collection that he possesses one from a Crossley Bugatti, which proves that throne I have inset a “loner”, and I wish the Bourton-on-the-Water Motor Museum would tell me whether the trophy they exhibit, of Eyston’s record-breaking MG Midget at Pendine in 1932, came from a nearby hotel, because I noticed such a trophy behind the curtains in the dining-room of such an hotel many years ago but could never find it again. . . One could go at and on describing items from this book —a Briggs and Stanton/Wall autowheel the author bought for half-a-crown, rather like my ABC Scootermotor engine, but mine was a gift. The pictures of Storey cars, which I remember seeing in their Clapham Park depot long before the war. The old road signs, which are becoming so hard to obtain— Radnor RDC refusing to tell me the fate of some 5 m.p.h. triangles which ‘vanished from the Llandrindod Wells’ lakeside road a few years back. The sultry blonde from a Pirelli calendar (now apparently another thing people collect — not blondes but paper calendars!) and the, naughty 1930s girl-sitthig-on-a-Renault-coal-scuttle bonnet poster, which Worthington-Williams thinks might be disowned by Tony Ronald of Renault’s present Publicity, Department. . . .
Whether or not you approve of the speculative aspect of this book, it is undoubtedly irresistible, although its cost I note continues the theme!
W.B.
“British Aviation—Widening Horizons— 1930-1934” by Harald Penrose, 340 pp. 8 3/4 x 5 1/2″. (Her Majesty’s Stationery Atlantic Howe, Holborn Viaduct, EC1P 1BN. £7.95).
After having completed three volumes of hid great, extremely-thorough work about the development of British aviation, Harald Penrose’s publisher deserted him and it seemed that his two final volumes might never appear. Fortunately, after a long struggle, HMSO. realised the importance of this history and the fourth volume has thus appeared. The first three, dealing with the aviation periods 1903-1914, 1915-1919 and 1920-1929, have already been reviewed enthusiastically in Motor Sport.
The reason why this is no ordinary aeronautical history is because the author was there at an active role when it was all unfolding — as Westland’s test-pilot and one who was connected intimately with the design, building, and selling of aeroplanes, which has occupied most of his busy lifetime.
So this is an exceptional account of the enormously-interesting happenings in aviation in this country, from the military, civil and sporting angles, during a period when light aeroplanes were flourishing, great long-distance flights were taking place, and the wood and canvas fighters and bombers were gradually being replaced by metal aircraft. That Penrose can write fluent prose is evident from his splendid little book “No Echo In The Sky”, which is a series of short sketches about episodes from his days as a test-pilot. He applies the same high quality of thought and expression to this present description of British aviation during the exciting period from 1930 to 1934, a book, as I have said, much enhanced because he knew most of those involved, flew some of the very many aeroplanes referred to, and was present at many of the happenings in person.
This book is less copiously illustrated than the earlier volumes but is of the some page-size, but far slimmer. But it is in clear type, contains the same C. G. Grey quotations here and there, and the great thing is that it has seen print. I await the final volume with keen anticipation and then hope that this very talented author will give us a personal autobiography. — W.B.
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Reece Winstone. FRPS, has issued another of his photographic books about the City of Bristol. “Bristol As It Was. 1920-1933″, 76 pp., 10″ x 6 3/4”, can be obtained for £4.85 post-free, from the author, at 23, Hyland Grove, Henbury Hill, Bristol, 9. It contains many street scenes, and cars figure in at least 34 of these. Makes such as Bristol’s Armstrong Siddeley 14 taxis, Riley, Ford, Buick, and a great many Morris cars are to be seen, apart from Model -T Fords and old ‘buses and trams. One picture shows a Clement Bayward taxi, of the type that ran in Bristol from 1908 to 1930 and which fetched 45/- (£2.25) each when sold, outside the Grand Hotel. Another shows the Austin 7 cars and Austin and other vans of the Evening Times & Echo, by Tontine Building, and there are glimpses of a Morris Commercial platform-truck and a Wolseley in this pictorial book, as well as a fine photograph of Baldwin Street taken from the top of a tram — with 20 cars, a motorcycle, two bicycles, six ‘buses, four trams and five horse-drawn vehicles in sight, that in circa-1930. Again, Morris and Austin makes predominate. There is an even more fascinating study of College Green, seen in the early 1930s, with what could be a Willy-Knight saloon leading an Austin 20, with a fine Riley Nine sunroof saloon and an Austin 7 Chummy parked on the right and two Morrises, one a 2-seater, and three Austins, one a Seven, parked on the left of the road. A Morris van and a Morris Eight saloon are glimpsed at some early traffic-lights and a big Morris Six and a Wolseley at Park Row. A vintage Humber tourer, Austin 12 tourer, and what is captioned an Armstrong Siddeley saloon figure in a shot of St. James’s Square in October 1930. There is an Ashton tram seen braking from 18 m.p.h.; it carries an advertisement for Fry’s chocolates and is passing a parked Morris(?) 2-seater. Those who like identifying cars should enjoy this book, which also has pictures of the Graf Zeppelin over Bristol in 1932, more Morris and Austin cars in other pictures, a Daimler negotiating Bedminster Down Bridge in 1932, even shots of the opening of Filton aerodrome in May, 1930 and of passengers in a DH Dragon that flew a Western Airways Bristol-Cardiff service in 15 minutes (after 13 minutes in a ‘bus) for 9/6 single fare (the author names the tourer approaching the aerodrome as a Singer 9). Finally, there is a good picture of an early Austin 7 van still used by the Bristol Evening News in April, 1930.
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With our Motorcycle Industry overrun by the Japanese, there is much to be said for looking back at some of the more recent and better British motorcycles. To this end, Peter Howdle has compiled “Best Of British-Classic Bikes of Yesteryear”, which Patrick Stephens of Bar Hill, Cambridge, publish in conjunction with EMAP National Publications. It is a 160 page, 91/4″ x book with 95 pictures, and it costs £6.95
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To commemorate their 75th Anniversary, Rolls-Royce Limited have produced a 46-page landscape format soft-cover book printed on high-quality Wiggins Teape paper, covering the early life of the Hon. C. S. Rolls, his historic meeting with Henry Royce, and what happened afterwards, on the road, in the air and on the water, in the Rolls-Royce context. This is a record which will appeal to R-R enthusiasts in particular and collectors in general. It is very fully illustrated, although it is surprising that the Hay/Hall Bentley saloon which ran at Le Mans in 1949, 1950 and 1951 is included, but the TT exploits with the open Bentley of Eddie Hall are not. Nor did a 40/50 Rolls-Royce lap Brooklands at 101.5 m.p.h. in 1911, as a caption claims. It only did this over a quarter of a mile. The mainly very small illustrations run from before 1904 to the present, the last one depicting the famous 1906 Silver Ghost standing by a Rolls-Royce Camargue. Lots of the pictures have been used in previous R-R material. The book was edited by David Roscoe of Rolls-Royce Motors Ltd. and is obtainable for £2.95 post free from the R-R Public Relations Dept., Pyms Lane, Crewe, Cheshire.
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The Society of Automotive Engineers has issued a catalogue of all its series-publications that are available to its 36,000 members. This is another 75th Anniversary publication, which is distributed by MIRA.
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“Vintage Car Annual” edited by Mike Worthington-Williams (96 pp., 12″ x 8 1/4″) is another publication that reflects the growing interest in the older motor vehicles. Not a review of the 1979 Vintage and classic motoring season as might have been expected, this annual is based on the format of Old Motor before that publication changed proprietorship. It is a mish-mash of articles, very well illustrated on fine art-paper, rail the old Old Motor had been reborn. These articles cover a young man’s visit to the 1926 and later Olympia Motor Shows (he recalls the Trojan-bags in which we schoolboys carried our collected loot of catalogues and brochures), the Robbins of Putney concern, a rather lurid look at the old American board-track racing, Michael Sedgwick being historical about Armstrong Siddeley, the Douglas light cars, the Belgian FN, the rebirth of a vintage AC, Bubble Cars, the Autobrix cyclecars, the cars of Cyril Barrington, and much more besides. An excellent bedside book for those unable to sleep because they are depressed by modern motoring legislation and rising costs. The price is £5.95 and the publishers are Marshall Harris & Balwin, 17, Air Street, London, W1. There is to be a 1980 edition.
Miniatures News
The Hamlyn Group of Hanworth has published a big, very well-illustrated, book about all aspects of model aircraft, on the lines of their commendable book about model railways. It contains much history, superb pictures, and data about all kinds of aeroplanes and gliders, and will be of interest to those who are taking to this hobby. “Model Aircraft”, by Martin Hedges, runs to 192 12 1/4″ x 9 1/4″, pages and sells at a competitive price, as do most of the Hamlyn offerings, in this case £5.95.
The latest model to come from Grand Prix Models of Radlett is a 1:43-scale reproduction of that most classic of all the GP Bugattis, the 1933 wire-wheeled 3.3-litre twin-cam Type 59. The car, no. 77 in the GP Models’ Classic Series, admirably captures the spirit of this beautiful motor-car, with its Bugatti-blue finish, wire wheels, eared hub-caps, outside exhaust system and so on. The sample model is numbered 25 and this is but one of the several recent Bugatti types from this well-known model supplier. Kits, or the made-up model, are available, the latter costing £20.
Revell have followed their great working model of a V8 engine with a similar plastic kit for making a detailed moving engine of a 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbocharged Ford power unit. The 160 parts are moulded in three colours and 65 of these move when the crankshaft is turned by an electric motor energised from two HP11 batteries.This attractive model has been planned in close conjunction with Ford technicians.The scale is 1:3 and not only does the crankshaft rotate and the valves open and close, and the pistons and con-rods function correctly, seen through the transparent polystyrene cylinder block, but small bulbs simulate the plugs sparking in the cylinders. The model faithfully copies the finned valve cover, dual Weber carburetters, header exhaust system and detailed turbocharger of the real power unit in the Ford Turbo Mustang. The belt-drive fan turns and the unit can be stripped down and built up like the real engine. A pleasing touch is that Revel supply “racing” components for “tuning” the engine, and the Mustang itself is available as a 1:25-scale Revell kit. The engine model comes with Ford decals and a display stand and retails at £21.35. The makers are Revell (Great Britain) Ltd., Cranbome Road, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, EN6 3JX. — W.B.