Kieron Fennelly gives his views on this classically-inspired tough-in-nature new four wheel drive machine… It was Ferry Porsche who, sixty years ago, famously said “I couldn’t find a sports car I liked, so I decided to build my own.” The man behind the Ineos Grenadier, Sir James Ratcliffe evidently had a similar idea. But unlike Porsche who saw his mission as developing his father’s consultancy … [Read more...]
Features by Kieron Fennelly
Volvo XC60 T6 Recharge – Road Test
Kieron Fennelly test drives Volvo’s XC60 mid-size, all wheel drive plug-in hybrid SUV… In 2010, Ford sold its Volvo subsidiary to the Chinese auto maker Geely. A decade under the auspices of the blue oval constrained Volvo as much as it did Jaguar, but Ford’s disciplined product planning schedule did leave the Gothenburg firm with a positive legacy of new models. Under a Geely which has granted … [Read more...]
For Your Bookshelf – “BMW M3 & M4 – The Complete History of These Ultimate Driving Machines”
Reviewed by Kieron Fennelly Author: Graham Robson Published by: Veloce: https://veloce.co.uk/ 253 pages (hardback) UK Price: £40.00 BUT check Veloce’s website – currently they advise “Get 35% off until further notice when quoting ‘STAY-INDOORS-AND-READ’!” ISBN: 978-1-787115-79-8 Originally compiled in 2013 to celebrate 25 years of the BMW M3, this new edition brings the story to … [Read more...]
For Your Bookshelf – “VW Type 4 411 and 412”
Reviewed by Kieron Fennelly. Author: Marc Cranswick Published by: Veloce: https://veloce.co.uk/ 184 pages (hardback) UK Price: £35/$60 BUT check Veloce’s website for special offers on their books – currently they advise “Get 35% off until further notice when quoting ‘STAY-INDOORS-AND-READ’!” ISBN: 978-1-787151-22-4 This book’s subtitle is ‘the final rear-engined cars,’ the 411 and … [Read more...]
For Your Bookshelf – “The Boy – Stirling Moss, a Life in 60 Laps”
Reviewed by Kieron Fennelly Author: Richard Williams Published by: Simon and Schuster: https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/ 306 pages (hardback) UK List Price: £20.00 (but may vary with retailer) ISBN: 978-1-4711-9845-8 Moss died in 2020 and this book is the first able to look back on his whole life. More has been written about Stirling Moss than any other British racing driver, … [Read more...]
For Your Bookshelf – Allard – The Complete Story
Reviewed by Kieron Fennelly. Title: Allard – The Complete Story Author: Allan Allard and Lance Cole Published by: Crowood Press 240 pages; paperback Price: £40/$60 BUT current price on Crowood’s website (at 15th April 2021) £32 (and e-book version also £32, including vAT). https://www.crowood.com ISBN: 978-1-7850-0559-6 Most enthusiasts will have at least a vague knowledge of … [Read more...]
For Your Bookshelf – Ford (UK) Cars 1945 to 1995: A Pictorial History
Reviewed by Kieron Fennelly. Title: Ford Cars (Ford UK Cars) 1945 – 1995: A Pictorial History Author: David Rowe Published by: Veloce Publishing; https://veloce.co.uk/ 160 pages; 330 pictures; paperback Price: $27.50 US; £16.99 UK – BUT check current figure for this title with the publishers; https://veloce.co.uk/store/Ford-Cars-p290695576, as special offers may apply. For example, at … [Read more...]
For Your Bookshelf: Jaguar F-Type – The Complete Story
Reviewed by Kieron Fennelly Title: Jaguar F-Type – The Complete Story Author: Andrew Noakes Published by: Crowood Press Ltd www.crowood.com 192 pages (paperback), with 254 colour and 30 mono photographs ISBN: 978-1-78500-731-6 Price: £25.00 (but £20.00 if bought via the Crowood website, and for the E-book Edition, including VAT) The question Jaguar enthusiasts ask most often is … [Read more...]
For Your Bookshelf: Superfinds (previously unseen 1960s and 70s photographs of exceptional cars)
Reviewed by Kieron Fennelly. Title: Superfinds (previously unseen 1960s and 70s photographs of exceptional cars) Author: Michael Kliebenstein Published by: Porter Press International 420 pages (with 900+ photographs); hardback ISBN: ISBN 978-1-907085-89-5 Price: £90.00 This sumptuous book is a compilation of the roving photography of Corrado Cupellini, a pioneering classic car … [Read more...]
For Your Bookshelf: Alfa Romeo T33/TT33 – The Remarkable Story of 115.72.002
Reviewed by Kieron Fennelly. Title: Alfa Romeo T33/TT33 – The Remarkable Story of 115.72.002 Author: Ian Wagstaff Published by: Porter Press International 128 pages; hardback ISBN: 978-1-907085-34-5 Price: £30 The tenth volume of Porter Press’s much admired ‘Exceptional Cars’ series deals with another Italian sports racer, but for once this is not a Ferrari, but an Alfa Romeo. … [Read more...]
For Your Bookshelf: Shadow: The Magnificent Machines of a Man of Mystery
Reviewed by Kieron Fennelly. Title: Shadow: The Magnificent Machines of a Man of Mystery Author: Pete Lyons Published by: Evro Publishing 464 pages; hardback ISBN: 978-1-910 505-49- Price: £75 / $90 The man of mystery is of course Don Nichols whose dramatic looking Shadow racers were such a feature of Formula 1 and the Can Am series in the 1970s. Born in 1924, Nichols was old … [Read more...]
For Your Bookshelf: Mes Années Matra
Reviewed by Kieron Fennelly. Title: Mes Années Matra Author: Bruno Morin Published by: L’Autodrome Editions 127 pages; hardback ISBN: 978-2-910434-64-9 Price: €39 In 1967 engineer and racing enthusiast Bruno Morin left Thomson and took a substantial pay cut to join Matra’s racing division. He sought adventure and was not disappointed. Beginning as a chassis engineer calculating … [Read more...]
SEAT Leon FR – Road Test
SEAT’s sporty FR version of the Leon… …Tried and test-driven by Kieron Fennelly. This the fourth edition of model which has been central to the SEAT range since 1999. Differences between this Leon and its immediate successor are largely aesthetic, although the 2020 model does have a 9 cm (3.54 in) longer wheelbase, the kind of development possible with VW’s clever modular chassis, which also … [Read more...]
For Your Bookshelf: Ferrari 857S – The remarkable history of 0578M
Reviewed by Kieron Fennelly. Title: Ferrari 857S – The remarkable history of 0578M Author: Ian Wagstaff Published by: Porter Press International Ltd. www.porterpress.co.uk 128 pages; hardback ISBN: 978-1-913089-08-5 £30 Fifties and sixties sports cars, especially Ferraris, exert an enduring fascination. Volume nine in Porter Press’s Exceptional Cars series deals with the … [Read more...]
For Your Bookshelf – The All-American Hero and Jaguar’s Racing E-types
Reviewed by Kieron Fennelly. Title: The All-American Hero and Jaguar’s Racing E types Author: Phillip Bingham Published by: Porter Press International Ltd. www.porterpress.co.uk 287 pages; hardback Price: £60.00 ISBN: 978-1-907085-01-9 The subtitle of this work, 'Briggs Cunningham’s Le Mans dream' reflects the ambition of one (very) rich American enthusiast to win Le Mans with … [Read more...]
Book Review – Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupé
Book Review – Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupé – The Autobiography of CSX 2300 …Reviewed by Kieron Fennelly. Title: Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupé Author: Rinsey Mills Published by: Porter Press International Ltd. www.porterpress.com 336 pages; hardback Price: £60.00 ISBN: 978-1-907085-42-0 This is a mighty tome, entirely appropriate though for what was a mighty if … [Read more...]
Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.0 – Road Test
Kieron Fennelly test drives Alfa’s Giulia saloon – practical but with a sporty heart beating beneath its suave exterior… One of the earliest and most revered names in the auto industry, Alfa Romeo was founded in 1910. Its halcyon days were the pre-and post-war periods when it dominated European motor racing. Aided by Italian styling houses, the company produced some of the most attractive cars of … [Read more...]
Book Review – An English Car Designer Abroad
Book Review – An English Car Designer Abroad... ...Reviewed by Kieron Fennelly Title: An English Car Designer Abroad Author: Peter Birtwhistle Published by: Veloce Publishing Ltd. www.veloce.co.uk 256 pages; hardback Price: £37.50 ISBN: 978-1-787114-70-8 Peter Birtwhistle managed what many young men aspire to, but few achieve – to become a car designer. An RCA graduate, … [Read more...]
Mazda CX-30 SkyActiv – First Impressions
Kieron Fennelly puts the CX 30 through its paces – and describes its clever, innovative SkyActiv engine… Mazda is one of the smaller manufacturers, rather like Volvo. However, unlike the Swedish company which is part of the Chinese concern Geely, Mazda continues to plough an independent furrow. For many years, Ford was a major shareholder, but Dearborn gave up its 33% in 2010 when it also sold … [Read more...]
Vauxhall Astra Mk 7 1.2 petrol – First Impressions
Kieron Fennelly drives, and gives his views on, the latest Astra, in 1.2 litre petrol form… In 2019 Vauxhall/Opel’s Astra celebrated its 40th birthday (and Kim adds that he was at the UK launch of the Opel version, at Donington Park in the autumn of 1979, and remembers just how much the attending motoring writers were impressed with the new model). Many readers might recall the original Mk 1 … [Read more...]
