Alfa Romeo Monza

MICK WALSH, Porter Press International, £60, ISBN 978 1 907085 44 4

It comes as something of a surprise that, despite approaching 40 years in classic car media, this is Mick Walsh’s first book. For his debut, he has contributed the 12th title to Porter Press’s

Great Cars series, books that go into incredible depth to relay the history not of a marque or model, but of a single car. In this case it is Alfa Romeo Monza, chassis number 2211130. For the uninitiated, that is FYE 7, the example owned and raced by the Hon Patrick Lindsay for decades and one of the stars of nascent Historic motor sport, as well as a regular sight on the road.

This book traces FYE’s entire history from its arrival in the UK in 1933 via its most celebrated owner to a decade in Hubert Fabri’s impressive collection and finally on to its latest custodian Roderick Jack, who has owned it since 2015.

It is packed with superb archive material, but, like all the books in the series to date, there are some quite tangential chapters. That’s inevitable when you dedicate an entire 300-page book to a single chassis and, besides, the background gen on all the drivers, designers and others adds a huge dollop of colour and helps you to really understand the DNA of the car.

Walsh writes with great passion for the subject, and probably unrivalled knowledge of Monzas because there is unlikely to be anyone on the planet who has driven more pre-war Alfas. The result is an enthralling tale in which it is clear that no stone has been left unturned. With the archive photos complemented by modern photoshoots at Brooklands and in the studio, Bob Freeman’s artwork, and plenty of period artworks and drawings, we would be extremely surprised if there is a notable fact, quote or photo from this car’s 85-year history that is not included here.