KEEP YOUR COOL
Mick Walsh Published 2018 by Porter Press, which supplied the review copy ISBN 978-1-907085-44-4 Reviewed by Mark Holman
If you own an older classic, it’s likely that its cooling system would not have been developed with modern traffic issues in mind. Some say that overheating is a typical shortcoming of older cars, but if you’re at risk of being left stuck and steaming on the side of the road, get in touch with the team at Adrad to ensure you’re sorted. Adrad’s national network of automotive radiator specialists offers the most extensive range of aftermarket radiators, cores, and components in New Zealand. They’re proven in New Zealand and Australian conditions, and each radiator comes with a nationwide warranty. Plus, their experienced onsite radiator specialists can custom-design a radiator for all of your cooling requirements — whether your pride and joy takes the form of a classic or modern day performance car. Speak to a local Adrad radiator specialist to find out more about their products, warranty and nationwide support. Visit 0800radiators.co.nz, or phone 0800 RADIATORS (723 428).
For the 12th in the acclaimed Great Cars series of books, Porter Press has returned to the 1930s to select an Alfa Romeo Monza with a long and distinguished history.
This particular car was the first Monza to be sold to the UK, bought in 1933 by the wealthy builder and developer Noel Rees for Hon Brian Lewis to drive. It won a race at Brooklands just days after arriving in the country! However, the model’s name harks back to the victory achieved by the Alfa 8C of Tazio Nuvolari and Giuseppe Campari in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in 1931.
As you would expect from this wellestablished series of books, the 8C’s development, its competition history, and the key personnel are given thorough coverage before the book focuses on the specific example, chassis number 2211130. Those were the heroic days of ten-hour Grand Prix races as well as the rigours of the Targa Florio.
On the Isle of Man, Ireland, and England, this Monza achieved plenty of success. Every one of its races is covered; the range and quality of the photographs are a particular delight of the book, whether taken at the wide-open spaces of Brooklands, or the narrow streets of Douglas or Limerick.
Later owners included land-speed recordholder John Cobb, Anthony Powys-lybbe, and the young Portuguese racer Luis Fontes, who found much success with the Monza, and also won Le Mans in a Lagonda. However, his off-track antics became such that he was imprisoned for dangerous driving …
This wonderful book continues to follow the car’s career to the present day. It raced on for a while post-war and later became a historic racing favourite in the hands of drivers such as Patrick Lindsay and Alain de Cadenet, who I recall driving a Connaught at the first Wellington street race meeting. Now in the enthusiastic hands of British owner Roderick Jack, 2211130 looks resplendent in green and is exactly the type of car that deserves to have such a book written about it!