Overview

""This is the kind of book I like, recording all the 'runts in the litter' so to speak,"" says well-known motoring writer Graham Gauld. Robert Young documents in Special Brew the fascinating story of the Formula One and Libre specials that competed in the South African Drivers' Championship in its 'golden age' of the late 1950s and 1960s. Impecunious enthusiasts conceived and built these racing specials, the 'runts in the litter' to some, at a time when state-of-the-art machinery from abroad was unattainable or beyond their means. The result was the flowering of ingenious home-built designs such as Peter de Klerk's Alfa Special, Doug Serrurier's LDS marque, Gordon Henderson's Scorpions and Tony Kotze's low-slung Assegai. Complemented by a remarkable array of photographs, many in colour, Special Brew tells the story of these cars and the personalities associated with them in great detail, revealing many little-known facts, some drawn from the author's own observation while attending the events and from interviews with the personalities involved. This truly unique and 'special' book perfectly captures the atmosphere of racing at the time.

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9781918070026

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Author Information

Robert Young is the author of Springbok Grand Prix, which he wrote while at school to fund the purchase of his own racing car, and the co-author of books on racing drivers David Piper, Paddy Driver and Tony Maggs, among others. He has been interested in cars and motor racing since the age of 8 and attended hundreds of motor racing events in southern Africa as well as events in France, New Zealand and the UK. Robert has assisted international authors and the Formula One Register with research material for their books. He has contributed to a website on 500cc racing cars and drivers as well as to South African and international motoring magazines. Robert is also a former associate editor and part-owner of Classic Car Africa. He raced himself from 1968 to 1982, won the Natal Modified Saloon Car Championship in 1977 and was runner-up in 1976 and 1978. Robert is a diligent historian and has a vast archive of photographs, books, programmes and news reports of the golden era of motor racing in southern Africa. He is a chartered accountant by profession.

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