No sooner have I handed the completed manuscript over to audio book publishers Blackstone than I’m delighted to say they’ve appointed Simon Vance to narrate it.
Jottings
OTD 1932
On 28 February 1932, Whitney took part in in his first overseas race, the Swedish Winter Grand Prix, over an extraordinary course comprising a twisty 1.2 miles on the frozen Lake Rämen, followed by 27 miles of narrow forest roads. He was still just 19, and had only previously competed at the Shelsley Walsh hill climb – one car at time – and raced on the sands at Southport and the ‘vast concrete prairies’ of Brooklands, where there was plenty of space for overtaking. This was his first outing in a potent Grand Prix car, the 26M Maserati he had recently purchased from Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin.
The cover!
We have a cover! I chose the image, of Whitney powering his 26M Maserati through Shelsley Walsh’s Upper Ess on his way to taking a massive 1.6 seconds off the hill record, during the September 1933 meeting. Rather aptly, the event organisers, the Midland Automobile Club, provided the image from their archives.
Peter Janson-Smith: a centenary celebration
Peter Janson-Smith, the man Ian Fleming called the ‘prince of agents’, was born 100 years ago today. This appreciation is based on an interview I conducted with him in the run-up to his 90th birthday celebrations.
Troubled of Teddington
Maybe I shouldn’t have gone. I’ve never seen a tribute act. I’d rather see the original band, play their albums, encounter interesting covers, and avoid precise copies altogether. But a friend had a spare ticket, Graceland is a wonderful album, and I went along to see ‘Gary Stewart’s Graceland’ at Teddington’s Landmark.
RIP, HRH
The death of Prince Philip brings to mind some of the occasions his path crossed Whitney Straight’s. One such moment, on 31 January 1952, was captured by Pathé News.
If you don’t ask, you don’t get
The death of John Haynes OBE, creator of the Haynes Manual, and founder of the publishing group and museum that bear his name, causes me to recall an exchange of letters I had with him in January 2007 which quite literally changed my life.
Remembering Willard Straight, 100 years on
Tonight, I shall be at a dinner at New York’s India House, remembering the co-founding member of the club who died 100 years ago today – Willard Dickerman Straight.
How one man recorded the end of World War 1, and his part in it
On this special day, I’ve been re-reading some of the research notes I’ve made in Cornell University’s Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections. Among many treasures, it holds the personal correspondence between Whitney Straight’s parents, Willard and Dorothy.
Dan Gurney: an appreciation
Motor racing has lost a hero and an innovator. The world has lost a gentleman.
The death of Dan Gurney has been announced in typically charming fashion by his wife Evi: ‘With one last smile on his handsome face, Dan drove off into the unknown just before noon, January 14, 2018.’