Vintage Car Research LLC Newsletter, September 2017
'There aren't many of my reference books that I read and reread, I usually use the, for specific research. The Autobiography of XKC 051 is the exception. I have reread it a few times. I highly recommend this book to you because it is not just a car story, it is also a people story.'
'If the care and people stories aren't enough I highly recommend the detailed research behind the book. As you would expect from Chas Parker ad Philip Porter, the research is remarkable, the fact checking precise. I research automobile provenance for a living. I know what it takes ad how difficult and time consuming highly detailed research can be. The scholarship and research in this book is most extraordinary, a credit to the authors. The book includes nearly 300 photos, many the crisp black and white images that I find so useful in my research. There are colour studio photos as well. The appeal of this book is not limited to just Jaguar XKC fans but to any Jaguar fan, any fan of vintage automobiles, any automobile provenance research, any restorer and anyone who enjoys human stories of risk, adventure and high achievement.'
World Forum for Motor Museums Secretariat, September 2017
'The Series of Great Car books from Porter Press are a step above anything else that has been produced in the past. Superbly Well researched this series of books is an essential tool for the serious motoring historian and one make specialist alike.
'...Any Jaguar enthusiast will enjoy this addition to the 'Great Cars' series.'
The Automobile, October 1, 2017
'It's difficult to believe that Philip Porter has time to eat or sleep, given the frequency with which his Porter Press imprint releases new books on to the market. Barely a month seems to go by without another addition to the Great Cars series, and just as we were finishing our review of the eighth book, number nine dropped through our letterbox. Book 10 has already been announced, and no doubt many more will follow after that.
'...As we have seen, the Great Cars books follow a pretty rigorous format, so readers will know what to expect. Photographs of the car at every stage of its life, many of which will be unfamiliar, are mostly excellent and the race-by- race detail is obviously the product of some fairly studious research. Where the book shines most, however, is in the potted biographies of all the major players in the car’s history. Whilst the careers of drivers such as Hamilton and Rolt are well-known, the information on the less celebrated names such as Ninian Sanderson and Desmond Titterington is new to many of us. This side of the story helps contextualise the events on-track and brings a much-needed human interest element to the blow-by- blow account of the car itself. Unlike some of the previous Great Cars titles, this one should appeal to a wide audience of historic motorsport enthusiasts, as well as to the Jaguar completists.'
MotorSport, October 1, 2017
'Sticking to the pattern of the Great Cars series, Porter’s offering on the famous C-type
Duncan Hamilton and Tony Rolt drove to victory in the 1953 Le Man 24 Hours is another
staggeringly thorough volume, generously illustrated, comprehensively researched and
pleasingly decorated with race programmes, letters and receipts.'
New Zealand Classic Driver, Jan-Feb 2018
'Another superb and well-researched book from truly knowledgeable Jaguar experts.'
Daily Express, February 17, 2018
'...news that Jaguar is to build 25 continuation models of the gorgeous D-Type was all the excuse we needed to run this tome on its predecessor, the C-Type.'
Jaguar World Monthly
'This lavish, 320-page, hardbound book delves deep into the car's history, covering all of its races (its 1953 Le Mans win especially), those who drove it and its owners is great detail.
'...this is a superb history of not just one of the most successful individual cars in Jaguar's history but fifties motor racing as a whole.'
Classic Motor Monthly
'Any enthusiast should enjoy this addition to the 'Great Cars' series, from Porter Press International.
'The book covers the development of the C-type, focusing on the three lightweights of 1953 with thinner-gauge aluminium bodies, pioneering disc brakes and aircraft-style fuel tanks.
'The story of the 1953 Le Mans 24 Hours is told in full, with extensive illustration and behind-the-scenes insights drawn from period interviews with many participants. You'll also find action with Ecurie Ecosse in 1954 and early 1955, taking in 13 race meetings with drivers such as Ninian Sanderson, Peter Walker, James Scott-Douglas and Desmond Titterington. The privateer racing period tells of Bill Smith in 1955, the car repainted red, until his death while racing another one of his cars; Geoffrey Allison in 1956, the car repainted white.
'XKC 051's later life is revealed, first in America, where notable racer and collector Briggs Cunningham was the owner for 18 years, followed by a return to the UK in the hands of Adrian Hamilton (Duncan's son) for over 20 years.'
Jaguar Magazine
'This is the ninth publication by Philip Porter in his Great Cars series, and it has to be said that they never fail to blow us completely away.
'...This is an ideal Christmas or birthday gift for anyone with a passion for historic Jaguars.'