Selwyn Francis Edge, invariably known simply as ‘SF’, was a highly significant pioneer of motoring in Britain. When, in 1902, he drove a Napier to victory in the Gordon Bennett Cup, a mighty event on public roads between Paris in France and Innsbruck in Austria, he initiated serious British endeavour in motor racing.
He was deeply involved in the birth of Brooklands, setting a 24-hour solo driving record there when the circuit opened in 1907. As a towering industry figure most closely associated with Napier and AC Cars, he played an important role in the growth of car manufacture in Britain. In the words of ‘Bentley Boy’ S.C.H. ‘Sammy’ Davis, ‘His keen grey eyes, the bushy eyebrows and the hawk-like face… made him a notable figure in any assembly.’
- Dedicated cyclist: SF’s early interest in cycles led to racing achievement on two wheels and three, including setting records for round trips between London and Brighton, and taking
- Introducing the motor car to Britain: from his first driving experience, in 1897 with a De Dion-Bouton, SF quickly became an influential advocate of all things automotive in a country that initially lagged far behind France.
- Motor racing pioneer: after early competitions on motor tricycles, SF became a regular competitor in the heroic long-distance races of mainland Europe, famously winning the 1902 Gordon Bennett Cup in a Napier and becoming a national celebrity.
- Growth of Napier: with SF as a guiding force, this long-established engineering company evolved into the manufacturer of some of the finest cars of the Edwardian era.
- Brooklands: upon the circuit’s opening in 1907, SF drove a Napier solo for 24 hours at an average speed of just over 65mph, establishing a record that stood for 18 years.
- AC Cars: after the First World War, SF helped to develop AC Cars into an important manufacturer of sporting cars, with more attempts at speed records along the way.
This biography uncovers the life of an extraordinary man whose achievements deserve to be far more widely recognised.
This book on a theme never before addressed is a tribute to the Sleator family, Franco-British family, as well as to all employees, partners, friends and customers of the Franco-Britannic Autos Ltd who, during these 10 years of the import, have promoted the extraordinary image of Ferrari in France…
Certainly the most beautiful Ferrari period in France !
The Franco-Britannic Autos Ltd, thanks to Walter and his son Donald Sleator, imported the most beautiful cars in the world on French soil from 1933 to 1989 for their most demanding customers.
Exclusive importer since 1933 in Paris of the two prestigious British brands Rolls-Royce and Bentley, then importer Rover (and Land Rover), Franco-Britannic Autos Ltd from the autumn of 1958 becomes the first exclusive Ferrari importer in France.
The Franco-Britannic Autos Ltd has experienced this new generation of buyers, the “Nouvelle Vague” as sung in one of his songs a certain Richard Anthony, young film actors, writers, and other artists, businessmen, industrialists … all needed and wanted to stand out by associating their image with that of exceptional automobiles and more particularly Ferrari.
Celebrities such as Jean-Paul Belmondo, Yves Montand, Lino Ventura, Françoise Sagan, Roger Vadim, Mylène Demongeot, Johnny Hallyday, Alain Delon, Claude Francois and many other stars were at one time clients of the Franco-Britannic Autos Ltd. The art of owning a road Ferrari, a very dynamic image, is considered a symbol of professional and social success.
The first Ferrari commercials in France by the FBA Ltd, our French stars of the “Yé-Yé” era, all the Paris Motor Shows, All Ferraris destined for the Marshall during the 24 Hours of Le Mans, piloted by Donald Sleator, then an official pilot until 1967.
There will also be a great tribute to Pierre Noblet with unpublished documents, Sylvain Garant…
Preface and anecdotes of Donald Sleator.
Iconic cars such as the 356s and the immortal 911s, extraordinary success stories in the classic endurance races, great champions and remarkable engineers. These are the principal ingredients of Porsche: The Golden Years, a book examining the full history of the legendary Stuttgart firm, with spectacular and previously unpublished images by photographer Franco Villani. The Porsche 356, with both closed and open bodywork, was the model that in 1948 officially inaugurated the catalogue of the celebrated Stuttgart firm. In that difficult period of reconstruction, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, artificer of the car and founder of the marque, was already an undisputed authority in the automotive field for having designed the Volkswagen Beetle, the people’s car. The Porsche 356s were “legitimate offspring” of the Beetle and soon found favour with the public: they were sporting cars that were easy to use in everyday life. This is the true Porsche “DNA”, confirmed with the launch of the 901, or rather the 911 that first saw the light of day in 1963, a model that soon became a planetary success story, a car capable of traversing the decades while maintaining intact its appeal. The Porsche name also evokes the innumerable victories obtained in legendary endurance races such as the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Targa Florio, in the World Rally Championship and in the great African raids such as the Paris-Dakar, as well as in Formula 1 as an engine supplier to McLaren in the early ‘80s.
ROTATING ASSEMBLIES – This double-sided DVD contains approximately 3 1/2 hours of highly detailed, yet easy to understand information on how to choose the right parts for your engine before it gets built. You’ll be taken through many types of cranks, rods, pistons, rings, bearings, harmonic balancers, flywheels, balancing, and everything else you can imagine that involves the internal rotating assembly to see the comparisons between them all.
Building an engine is one thing, knowing which internal components to use for a given application, and why you would choose those particular parts is another, and that’s just what you’ll learn in this show. Arron explains the features, advantages and disadvantages of each part, and why you would, or wouldn’t want to use a particular part for your engine, from stock, to street performance, to all-out racing engines.
Should you run a cast, forged or billet crank? What are the differences and how can you tell? Which alloy is the best? Should you increase the stroke or decrease the stroke? Which rods should you go with? I-beam, H-beam, steel or aluminum? What length should you use? What about rod angles and piston side loading? Which pistons should you use? Cast, hypereutectic or forged? Domed, dished or flat tops? Floating or pressed pins? Will you need oil rail supports? Which bearings should you use? Will they hold-up to heavy loads? Do you need cast, moly, plasma moly or gapless rings? What is balancing all about? What’s the difference between internal and external balancing? What does “balanced and blueprinted” mean? Should you use an aluminum or steel flywheel? These questions and MANY, MANY more are answered in this show.
KNOWLEDGE IS HORSEPOWER!
The ‘Group B’ International Motorsports Category was conceived in the late seventies as a return to the good old days when amateur and factory teams alike could run the same production-based cars in either sports car racing or championship rally events. By the early eighties the class had become the ‘Godzilla’ of the rally scene and what resulted were the most awesome cars ever seen on the rally stages of the world – 600 horsepower, 4WD, turbocharged monsters that could cover forest, tarmac or gravel stages faster than anything ever seen before or since. In 1986 the door was slammed shut on the F1 cars of mountain and forest roads. Faster and faster cars combined with wilder and crazier crowds meant that within the confines of rally car competition the group B rocket ships were just “too fast to race.”
The legacy of Group B, however, is a whole range of spectacular cars that continue to thrill enthusiasts. Features the Ford RS200, Lancia 037 Rally, Lancia S4, MG Metro 6R4, Peugeot 205/T16, Audi Quattro, Renault 5 Turbo, Opel, Citroen also the amazing Ferrari 288GTO Evoluzione, Jaguar XJ220 supercar and Porsche 959 – the car that came closest of all to fulfilling the Group B ethos. It won both the Paris-Dakar and its class in the Le Mans 24 Hour Race!
Includes awesome action footage and stunning close ups.
The mighty machines of the Can-Am Championship must surely be leading candidates for the title of ‘most awesome racing cars ever built’…
Some forty years ago they put out over 1000 horsepower in their most-developed form and hit speeds of up to 220mph despite aerodynamics that were experimental at best and highly dangerous at worst! They made the Grand Prix F1 cars of the day look tame by comparison.
And even today, the ‘Can-Am thunder’ still rumbles as huge crowds flock to historic race meetings wherever these incredible cars appear.
Porsche, McLaren, Lola and Shadow were the Championship-winning cars, with Chaparral, Bryant Ti22, March, BRM and Ferrari as the challengers. We focus in depth upon all of these as they rumble and roar around tracks like Laguna Seca with its legendary downhill ‘corkscrew’ turn. We even recall the days of the ‘Interserie’ – Europe’s Can-Am equivalent – by filming at the Nurburgring round of the current Orwell Supersports Cup series for historic Can-Am cars.
In making this up-close examination of the mighty machines of the Can-Am, we use a great combination of modern action footage, rare archive film and almost 100 superb pictures from the best photographers of the day.
We hear reminiscences from the three Can-Am champions still with us – John Surtees, George Follmer and Jackie Oliver – as well as from Jim Hall – the designer of the incredible Chaparral ‘fan car’ – and its driver, Vic Elford.
In addition, Hurley Haywood tells us what it was like to wrestle with the mighty turbocharged Porsche 917/10 in the heat of Can-Am competition. He is one of the world’s best-ever sports car drivers with three wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, five in the Daytona 24 Hours and two in the Sebring 12 Hours to his credit!
Finally, Peter Bryant, creator of the successful Bryant Ti22 and Shadow Mk2 cars, recalls what it was like trying to design a 220mph racer without the aid of computers or wind tunnels!
All of this is woven into reminiscences by the world’s acknowledged ‘number one’ Can-Am guru. Author and photographer, Pete Lyons recalls the stories that led to his best-selling books on the series and delves into his photo archives to take us back to the Can-Am era. In this he is joined by another award-winning author and photographer focusing on those awesome days, Dave Friedman.
Up until now the definitive documentary on the cars of the Can-Am has never been made. This is it!
Bonus features:
Peter Bryant, Can-Am Challenger – He was a self-taught designer responsible for two of the most successful Can-Am challengers. Here’s the inside story by Peter Bryant.
Pete Lyons Looks Back – Acknowledged as the world’s leading expert on the Can-Am series, Pete Lyons recalls some personal memories from the day.
Over fifty years ago, automotive genius and creator of the original Volkswagen Beetle Dr Ferdinand Porsche gave his name to what would become one of the world’s most famous sportscar marques. Since then some of the greatest road and racing cars ever made have been those bearing the famous Porsche shield. Join us as we celebrate these legendary cars and their legacy.
We look at the most outstanding road cars of the last fifty years, from the first VW-inspired models through the illustrious 911 in its various incarnations to the current Boxster convertible. The super-cool Carrera GT concept car points to he future direction of Porsche’s road-going cars.
And then we concentrate on the great racing success Porsche has achieved at events like the Le Mans and Daytona 24-Hours and the Paris-Dakar, East African Safari and Monte Carlo ralies. Archive footage from these events together with interviews with Le Mans winners Richard Attwood and Hurley Haywood bring this racing heritage to life. The 356 coupes of the 1950s, highly successful 907/908 and awesome 917; the all conquering 956/962, the 914/6 and the 911 Carrera RSR; the whale-tailed 935, fabulous 959 supercar plus the 1998 Le Mans-winning 911 GTi – every significant competition car over four decades is featured in depth.
Enduring, exotic and always exciting, Porsche has always been more than just a sportscar, With an outstanding history and a superb future, it is marque that almost defines the meaning of the word ‘sportscar’.
DVD extras: a GT3 Nurburgring Experience plus a tribute to Porsche’s outstanding Le Mans achievements
There are cars in the histories of all marques that are absolute milestones. In the case of Rolls-Royce, Silver Ghost AX201 and the experimental 1928 Phantom I torpedo 17EX were the first two of a string of chassis that all contributed to establishing the reputation of the marque.
In the late 1920s, luxury cars were competing for buyers both in the US and Europe. Winning races and rallies was a major factor in gaining customers.. Therefore, to keep up with the competition, Henry Royce felt it necessary to enhance the one model he had in production, the Phantom I, successor to the famed Silver Ghost. One hundred miles an hour was the goal, an almost mythical barrier for many cars! As a consequence, a lightweight streamlined style of body was tested on three experimental chassis (hence the EX tag in the chassis number). The design was created by Ivan Everndern and the cars received almost identical bodies, although by different coachbuilders, to facilitate ensure meaningful comparisons and tests.
This book is the story of one of these cars, 17EX, from conception to 2012. The book is lavishly illustrated with period photos in which we can see the car in India, where it was first sold to 33-year-old Rajah Hari Singh Bahadur after the tests. Its full history is known, which is quite rare. First in India from 1929 to 1976, then in various European countries, including Holland when it was owned by Spyker CEO Victor Muller until it passed to Austrian Alexander Schaufler in 2009. (17EX last traded hands in 2009 at an RM auction in London for €482,625.)
The car was fully restored to the last nut and bolt. Photos of the reframing and re-skinning attest to the thorough, no expense spared job which included a complete mechanical rebuild. This effort and passion earned the car a place in the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2012.
This is a large format book full of top quality photographs
“In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Porsche’s icon, we gathered a dozen variants of the 911 for a full comparison. This nearly 90 minute feature documentary is the result!
See amazing footage of these cars on incredible roads and join the guys as they discuss the refining of the 911 through the years.
The Blu-ray has over two hours of material, including interviews with a dozen 911 owners. Plus – our review of the ultra rare GT3 RS 4.0 is only available on Blu-ray!”
•The invention and development of the motor car has led to great transformations in our society and is charted here through the striking posters that were used to show off the latest models
•Large number of illustrations show the range of design styles through the 20th century, including famous artists such as Cassandre
The artworks in this book show the history of the car from its creation up until the start of the 1970s. The posters have been chosen for their importance, rarity, beauty and innovation, as well as for what they represent in terms of significant historical, technical and artistic stages of the motor car. They showcase the work of the designers and illustrators who constantly strove to come up with new ideas and styles to match the technological progress of famous names such as Peugeot, Mercedes Daimler, Renault, Citröen, Bugatti, Buick, Fiat, Rolls Royce and Chrysler, as well as others that are less well-known nowadays.
As the cars developed, so the daredevil drivers and entrepreneurs found increasingly daring exploits with which to show off their prowess and endurance. Emmanuel Lopez charts the history of car racing from early competitions such as the Paris-Rouen in 1894, which saw steam-driven carriages going head-to-head with petrol engines over a 126 km course, through the start of international races and on to the Grand Prix, the rise of circuits such as the Nürburgring and the legendary Le Mans 24-hour Race.
Not to be forgotten are the innovations that enabled cars to become better and better: Michelin’s pneumatic tyres, Gentilhomme’s car horns, brakes by Boyriven and Triplex windscreens. Alongside these, developments in petrol and engine oil were equally important in making the motor car both a must-have for travel and an enthralling spectacle when racing.
It was not just the cars that changed during this time; the illustrative styles did too. The work of artists such as Berhard, de Valério, Cappiello, Cassandre, Chéret, Ernst, Falucci, Gaudy, Grün, Hohlwein, McKnight Kauffer, Pal, Privat-Livemont and Rochegrosse shows the important variety of styles used by illustrators in this era and brings the wonderful cars and races to life in vivid color.
