Updated: 26/09/24
It’s a High Five for Porter Press
Recent books shortlisted a record five times in the 2024 Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year Awards
Porter Press’s amazing record at the Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year Awards continues, with the announcement that the Worcestershire-based publisher has been shortlisted no less than five times in the 2024 Awards.
The record haul comes two years after author Martin Port raised aloft the prestigious Royal Automobile Club Book of the Year awards trophy for books costing no more than £50 for the Porter Press book, ‘Trans-Africa Land-Rover: The Story of Philip Kohler and his Epic Overland Adventure ‘.
Far from a flash in the pan, Porter Press had scored the headline Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year Award in 2019 with ‘The Self Preservation Society, 50 Years of The Italian Job’ by Matthew Field, and has no less than 15 shortlisted nominations to its name since the awards began 10 years ago.
Philip Porter, who founded Porter Press International with his wife Julie in 2005, commented:
“We are humbled, honoured and thrilled in equal measure to yet again receive such a wonderful endorsement from the Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year Awards committee on a selection of our recent books.”
The five Porter Press shortlisted nominations in this year’s awards reflect the vivaciously varied offering for which the company has been celebrated for two decades:
Category: Best Debut Author
“JaguarSport XJR-15 A personal history of the design and development of the legendary supercar”
Author: Peter Stevens
Category: Best Debut Author
“Three Men in a Land Rover - 40,000 miles, 40 countries, one unique adventure”
Authors: ‘Waxy’ Wainwright, Mike Palmer and Chris Wall
Category: Books About Motor Cars & Motoring Costing No More Than £50”.
“Three Men in a Land Rover - 40,000 miles, 40 countries, one unique adventure”
Authors: ‘Waxy’ Wainwright, Mike Palmer and Chris Wall
Category: Books About Motor Cars and Motoring with No Price Limit
“The Austin Pedal Car Story: The fascinating history of Austin’s J40 and Pathfinder from 1946 to present day”
Author: David Whyley
Category: Books On A Motor Sporting Subject With No Price Limit
“The Last Eyewitness: The pioneering motor racing photography of Maurice Louis Branger 1902-1914”
Author: Doug Nye
The winners of the 2024 Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year Awards will be announced at the Club’s historic Pall Mall clubhouse on Wednesday, 30 October 2024, amongst guests from the worlds of publishing, motoring and motorsport.
Updated: 15/08/24
Latest: Chinetti family archives and NART dynasty honoured in books by Doug Nye
Porter Press International is proud to announce that it is working with Luigi Chinetti Jr and Doug Nye to create the first of three planned books detailing the incredible story of Luigi Chinetti Sr and the activities of his legendary North American Racing Team (NART).
Luigi ‘Coco’ Chinetti Jr, who himself finished fifth for NART at Le Mans in 1971, has long preserved his family’s remarkable archives. The new Porter Press books will present much of this material for the first time, exposing many real surprises of immense interest to motoring and Ferrari fans worldwide.
The first volume is due to be launched in early 2025.
Luigi Chinetti Jr adds: ‘“There needs to be a book on your father,” was the refrain so often uttered over the years after my father’s passing; he often alluded to “one day” without doing anything about it. He would come up with a snippet of a tale without really letting me in on any details, especially of his life in Europe, and even then much was left for me to piece together from conversations with friends and writings I would happen across. Mother was the same.
‘Their passing occasioned the assembly by my wife and I of some 350 Bankers Boxes whose contents brought light to the decades of a passion with automobiles: the Alfa-Romeos, the Talbot-Lagos and especially the Ferraris. I am in awe of his devotion to their design brought about by his superb machine skills.
‘I am so thrilled to announce my association with Doug Nye and Philip Porter who share the passions of my parents and myself. We are close in age and can relate to this story; we know where everything goes!’
Updated 06/12/23
Latest: Motoring Literary & Art Festival (December 2nd & 3rd)
Above: Author Mark Cole and former designer Tony Southgate signing books following the GT40 panel discussion. Photo by Chloe Knight.
The inaugural Motoring Literary & Art Festival took place on the opening weekend of December in a heated hall inside The Wing at Silverstone Circuit – the home of British motorsport.
Devoted to motoring books, magazines, art and automobilia, the two-day event was built around – in grand literary festival tradition – a programme of interesting and entertaining panel discussions and talks. A stellar line-up of speakers included industry leaders and experts, writers and designers from across the wide world of motoring and motorsport.
The event also featured prominent automotive artists, an array of specialist exhibitors and a stunning selection of Star Cars.
Above: Land Rover Royalty: from left to right, Martin Port, Julian Shoolheifer, Nick Dimbleby and the Camel Trophy winning Ives brothers with their illustrious Land Rover. Photo by Abigail Humphries
The weekend included a programme of distinguished speakers and panel discussions, plus talks by authors, drivers, engineers, collectors, restorers and designers. More and more great names were gradually added to the developing schedule.
Philip Porter said: ‘This is an idea I had in principle about three years ago but the pandemic put everything on hold. Now it has happened I hope this will build and build to become a significant annual event on the motoring calendar. Our small, but brilliant, team worked their socks off and we have received an absolute plethora of complimentary messages.’
Above: The star of the show: the double Le Mans winning Ferrari 275P surrounded by other very special cars. Photo by Chloe Knight.
Visit our main Festival website for more information: motorlitartfest.co.uk
Updated 28/09/23
I am thrilled to announce that Superbears has been shortlisted for the 2023 Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year Award, in the category 'Books On A Motor Sporting Subject With No Price Limit'. In addition it has been nominated for the 'Book of the Year' award by the Historic Motoring Awards 2023.
The Gibson Technology book has now arrived from the printers and is a superb piece of work by Mark Cole, Wayne Batty, James Page and Martin Port. It is a fascinating book, superbly illustrated. What a success story.
The team is feverishly working on books in the hope of getting them out in time for the Motoring Literary & Festival on Dec 2-3. I may prove to be optimistic but we are working like crazy to launch Desire & Design, Keith Helfet’s superb autobiography, Jaguar XJR-15 by Peter Stevens, The Last Eye Witness - The Pioneering Motor Racing Photography of Maurice-Louis Branger 1902-1914 and Three Men in a Land-Rover.
The intrepid ‘Three Men’ have recently visited us. Their 109in Series IIA, which they christened TEN, based on the registration number TEN 423, disappeared many years ago and we are aiming to find it. Can you help, please?
Finally, can you please spread the word about the Motoring Literary & Art Festival - social media, websites, flyers - anyone can do to make it a success - let’s get the word out there! It is building very nicely with more and more exhibitors and bookings. The excitement is building!
Superbears - The Story of Hesketh Racing, by James Page
Superbears has become the fastest-selling book we have ever produced. Having published the book in April this year, a second print run has already been ordered after the original batch of 1500 copies almost sold out in a little over two months.
Superbears has received rave reviews and was named Book of the Month in both Octane and Classic & Sports Car.
315mm x 270mm | Jacketed Hardback | 264 pages | Over 280 photographs | Price: £89 | ISBN: 978-1-913089-33-7 | Publication date: April 2023 | Author: James Page
This new book from Porter Press International is the first to tell the amazing full story of Hesketh Racing. ‘The biggest little team in the world’ captured the imagination of enthusiasts all around the world thanks to its unique approach and its famous teddy bear logo, and it continues to be one of the most evocative and charismatic names in Formula 1 history.
- The full story of Hesketh Racing, from its Formula 3 debut in 1972 to its final Formula 1 race in 1978.
- In-depth interviews with key team members such as Lord Hesketh, Bubbles Horsley, Nigel Stroud, Dave Sims, Peter Gaydon, Rupert Keegan and Frank Dernie.
- Never-before-seen images from Lord Hesketh’s personal scrapbooks and photo albums.
- A chapter devoted to the inside story of the Hesketh motorcycle.
- A collection of superb archive photographs in colour and black and white, with detailed captions.
Update 16/02/23
With so many new titles heading to the printers in the coming months, there’s just a hint of a lull before the anticipated flurry of new-book launch activity. Of course, our team is as busy as ever with all the usual pre-publishing processes, as well as preparing for our Motoring Literary and Art Festival taking place on the first weekend in December.
Festival preparation is gathering steam rather quickly now – we’re extremely honoured to confirm that Lord Alexander Hesketh will be joining us. We are also thrilled to announce that the Breadvan has been added to the select list of star cars that will be on display.
Update 12/01/23
Expect a bumper year of new book launches, including three additions to our Ultimate series, two new Exceptional Cars titles, and at least 10 bespoke books covering a broad array of automotive subjects from a double Le Mans-winning Ferrari to the endearing J40 pedal cars. In case you missed it, a more detailed breakdown appeared in Issue 63 of the Porter Press Newsletter. We’re incredibly proud and thrilled to be publishing every one of them.
As a little teaser for the forthcoming Great Cars book on another double Le Mans-winner, the TWR-Porsche WSC95, author Serge Vanbockryck has sent us these illustrations.
The inaugural Porter Press Motoring Literary & Art Festival takes place on 2-3 December at Silverstone – the home of British motor racing. Based within the superb Wing facility in the International Grand Prix paddock, the two-day Festival will be devoted to motoring books, art, magazines and automobilia. There will be a variety of famous speakers from across the motoring world, plus a wide range of exhibitors and a selection of star cars. Not to be missed.
Update 03/11/22
We are very pleased to announce that Trans-Africa Land-Rover: The Story of Philip Kohler and his Epic Overland Adventure by Martin Port has won the 2022 Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year Award (No More Than £50 category). This year, 48 books were submitted by a total of 22 publishers across four categories.
Updated 31/10/22
We are very pleased to announce that Ultimate Works Porsche 962 - The Definitive History is Octane magazine's 'Book of the Month' for December 2022.
Here is an extract of the review, written by Mark Dixon:
"Spending the thick end of a thousand pounds on a book - even three books, as with this slipcased set - might seem hard to justify but, if you're a Porsche racing enthusiast, this definitive history would surely become a cherished heirloom. Make sure your knees and/or reading desk are in good shape, though, because each one of the three volumes is a monster. Stacked in their slipcase, they could be a danger to small children and pets.
"Size and price aren't automatic guarantees of quality, of course, but author Vanbockryck has already made his mark with a companion work on the 962's predecessor, the 956, also from Porter Press. Not many race cars have been given so much devoted attention and at such length."
Updated 26/09/2022
We are very pleased to announce that Trans-Africa Land-Rover: The Story of Philip Kohler and his Epic Overland Adventure by Martin Port is a 2022 Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year Award finalist. This year, 48 books were submitted by a total of 22 publishers across four categories, with Trans-Africa Land-Rover being one of only three selected in the ‘Books About Motor Cars & Motoring Costing No More Than £50’ category.
2022 is the ninth year that the Royal Automobile Club has chosen to recognise and celebrate the best automotive books, authors and publishers. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony to be held at the Club’s Pall mall clubhouse on Wednesday 2 November 2022 starting 6pm.
Book awards season is upon us and we’re delighted to say that BRM – Racing for Britain by Ian Wagstaff and Doug Nye has been selected as a finalist in the Publication of the Year category, at The Historic Motoring Awards 2022. The winner of this prestigious award will be announced on Wednesday evening 16 November 2022 at the Londoner Hotel, London.
Updated 24/08/2022
Ultimate Works Porsche 962 – The definitive History
3 volumes, 1,400 pages, 1,800 photos
Welcome to the second part of Serge Vanbockryck’s extraordinary body of research on the Works Porsche 956 and 962 racers that dominated Group C racing for a decade from 1982 onwards. While the first part centred on the 956, and can be viewed and purchased here, this three-volume production focuses on the 962 and covers every aspect of the cars including their development, race seasons, drivers and chassis histories. A project more than 30 years in the making, Ultimate Works 962 is quite simply be the most thoroughly detailed, definitive history of the 962 yet.
Limited to 962 copies.
Signed, and even more limited special Collector's Editions of both 956 and 962 are also available (handcrafted to order).
9600 HP in new Netflix series
About a year ago, I had a call asking if I would be happy to provide my E-type, 9600 HP, for a Netflix production starring Rowan Atkinson. Not surprisingly, I did not hesitate.
Atkinson had, I subsequently learnt, requested this particular car. He is, of course, a dyed-in-the-wool car enthusiast and has owned and raced some very special cars. I recall interviewing him at the very first Goodwood Revival meeting and asking what he thought of the event. He replied that he felt the Earl of March, as the Duke was then, was suffering from, ‘a form of madness, but it is a very benign form of madness’!
The Netflix series is called Man vs. Bee and has just been released.
I will not give much away, but the car comes in for what might be described as ‘rough treatment’. With this in mind, another Opalescent Gunmetal Grey E-type Coupe was obtained by the production team and mocked up, including certain interior features unique to this prototype, to double for the genuine car when appropriate.
Updated 22/03/2022
We are all very excited because BRM - Racing for Britain is now with us.
BRM is so much a part of British motor racing heritage and in 2022 we are all celebrating the 60th anniversary of the great Championship year, a year when not only did Graham Hill become a very popular World Champion but the team won the Constructors’ Championship.
Working closely with two generations of the Owen family, our authors Ian Wagstaff and Doug Nye, admirably supported by editors Gavin Green and James Page, and designer Martin Port, have done a fabulous job.
Updated 13/01/22
Update 26th October 2021 
Following their recent nomination as finalists for Publication of the Year in The Historic Motoring Awards, we're excited to announce that Ultimate McLaren F1 GTR by Mark Cole and JUE 477 by Martin Port have now also been shortlisted for Royal Automobile Club Book of the Year awards for 2021.
Wonderful news: two of our titles, Ultimate McLaren F1 GTR and JUE 477 have been shortlisted in the 2021 Historic Motoring Awards’ Publication of the Year category. Congratulations, and best of luck to authors Mark Cole and Martin Port, respectively.
Updated July 2021
News from 2020
Great Cars Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe and Ultimate Works Porsche 956 have been short-listed by the Royal Automobile Club for their Specialist Motoring Book of the Year award.
Above: Michael Kliebenstein (left) is given the award by Andrea Martini (right), President of Milano AUTOCLASSICA.
Have you ever heard of a book being given a Book of the Year award before it has been published? It has happened with SuperFinds. With many of the extraordinary featured cars being Italian, it is a real honour that the Milan Autoclassica Classic Car Show has given their ‘Book of the Year 2020’ to SuperFinds by Michael Kliebenstein.
Updated April 2020
Sir Stirling Moss, British motor racing legend dies at 90
To me, and to many, he was simply the greatest.
Not only was he the finest all round motorsport competitor who has ever lived, he was the personification of the perfect sport. A sporting hero to several generations, he was probably the first sporting superstar.
He was both James Bond and the Beckham of his era: he dated a roll call of beautiful women and he was the first sportsman to be on the front pages of the newspapers as well as the back. Admired worldwide but loved by the British, he was the English crusader who went to foreign lands and, against the odds, conquered. That he became known as 'Mr Motor Racing' says it all.
His greatest sporting achievement, and one of the very greatest in the history of sport, was his victory in the 1955 Mille Miglia – a wonderfully insane race of 1,000 miles round Italy. Comprising a mix of fast long straights alongside the Adriatic, roads through cities, towns and villages and taking in long, snaking tortuous mountain passes, he averaged, together with his invaluable navigator ‘Jenks’, just a shade under 100mph. It defies belief.
The world has lost one of its greatest ever sportsmen; Britain has lost one of its greatest heroes.
Philip Porter
Read the Stirling Moss obituary by Philip Porter
RAC Motoring Book of the Year Winner 2019
October 30th 2019
Image copyright: John Brooks.
The accolade of ‘Motoring Book of the Year’ went to Matthew Field for ‘The Self-Preservation Society 50 Years of the Italian Job’, published by Porter Press International. A unanimous decision by the judges.
Christian Whitehead from Foyles said “It’s a treasure trove of archive material with stills, behind the scene shots, promotional cinema posters and engaging facts of the stresses that the film crew had to endure. You can’t help but smile at the story of the making of one of Michael Caine’s best loved films”.
Mick Walsh from Classic & Sports Car said “A remarkable celebration of this cult movie classic that author Matthew Field has researched passionately since his teenage years. Bloody brilliant!”.
The 335-page book includes more than 50 in-depth interviews with the cast and crew, and is beautifully illustrated with hundreds of never-before-seen photographs and production documents from the filmmakers’ private collections providing a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at how the British classic made its way to the big screen and includes a foreword by Sir Michael Caine and an introduction by Academy Award-winning Producer Michael Deeley.
As a small company, comments from our customers are hugely important to us
This is why we always ask for feedback with every parcel we send out. Online reviews are fantastic, as they help us both improve what we do, but also spread the word about our books.We have been very fortunate in receiving some wonderful reviews from the trade press over the years, but we would particularly like to hear from you, our customers, so that we can continue to provide the high quality titles and service you have come to expect.
Each title has its own page on our website, and at the bottom of each page is a link to enter a review. If there's a book you particularly enjoyed, we would be very grateful if you would take a few moments to tell us what you thought about your purchase.
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