SHUTTER AND SPEED
A PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTION OF MOTOR RACING IMAGES FROM THE 1960 SAND 1970 S
This is a nostalgic photographic book that you can only obtain directly from the publisher.* I am a bit of a sucker for self-published efforts in the motor sport space, because you often end up with material that might otherwise not have seen the light of day. That’s the case with this medium-sized softcover effort from Gary Critcher in the UK.
Let me point out at the start that this isn’t a collection of pin-sharp photos; in fact, some of them are quite blurred — a bit like photos I took 40–50 years ago! But there are some real gems in these 122 pages, and the variety is surprising. There are over 200 black-and-white and colour photos in all. The cover photo is of a rare OSCA Formula Junior car at Monaco in 1960. I liked the four pages of photos from meetings in Kenya and (then) Malaya, as well as the coverage of Graham Hill’s last Formula 1 (F1) race win in a Brabham at Silverstone, and the Formula 2s and touring cars in the tight confines of Crystal Palace. Norman Abbott’s bright pink Escort MKI, with a Cosworth FVA motor, makes an appearance too, and the pics of the rarely seen and unsuccessful turbine-engined Lotus 56B F1 are fascinating.
For me, however, the real treat is the eight-page spread of behind-the-scenes photos at the 1969 Indianapolis 500 of the two four-wheel-drive Lotus 64 Indys. Both the cars were withdrawn after suspension failures in practice and Mario Andretti went on to win in a Hawk!
*If you think this book appeals, it can be ordered at shutterandspeed.com. The price, including airmail postage to New Zealand, is about $45, depending on the exchange rate.