Bugatti type 57 Grand Prix – A Celebration
By Neil Max Tomlinson
To dispel myths and legends of any subject is a very tall order. As a writer and researcher you stand alone with your head above a parapet just waiting to be shot down once your findings are published. So, one of the qualifications necessary is to have a very thick skin and, in my view, something only to be taken on by a brave man. Neil Max Tomlinson has produced a work—in the making for some years now—to argue established points and beliefs surrounding the Bugatti Type 57. How many T57Gs were made? How were the T57 and the T59 models entwined? Tomlinson’s love and passion for vintage motor cars from a very early age, his work as an engineer over many years and as a founding member of the Bugatti Trust make him a man well qualified to take on the necessary analysis to lay out his thinking on the subject. Unfortunately, the value of this research may well be for a niche audience rather than for the wider motor racing and motoring public to digest. Nevertheless, one must only congratulate the author on such a work that celebrates many aspects of both cars and creators. The period images and photographs are personally a little uninspiring, many have been seen previously in other publications. Maybe this is why the author used a painted image for the front cover, conjuring the notion of a fresh book—which editorially there can be no denying.
In conclusion, if you are a Bugatti lover this book is definitely for your library, and I’m sure those readers will spend many a happy hour devouring the content. For the broader reader, I’m not too sure. Having said that, there can be no criticism of the author’s devotion and tenacity in the production of this work. Our rating system leaves me in a dilemma, however, I will award three stars—recommending the work—with a proviso of being for Bugatti aficionados.
This hardback book contains 158 color and black and white images on 176 pages, and is available for £50.00 / US$85 + P&P, from www.veloce.co.uk
