‘Four Wheel Drift’

Originally published in 1959 ‘Four Wheel Drift’ was aimed at younger readers but it’s a great reminder of motor sport at the end of the rock ‘n’ roll decade.

The title is a throwback to doorhandle-to-doorhandle or wheel-to-wheel dices at Goodwood or a blustery Silverstone in the 1950s – a time when, well, motor sport was about the thrill of competing and not about satisfying the sponsors.

There are plenty of books about the era, including the excellent and oft-overlooked ‘Alf Francis, Racing Mechanic’ but for a light read (and fiction at that, rather than reportage, technical analysis or biography) it does take some beating.

It also gets the imagination going, because so many characters in the story are clearly based on well-known motor racing people. Quite who is impossible to definitely pinpoint, but some names do spring to mind as the reader turns the pages.

The story of Nick Bailey – special owner and salesman at a garage specialising in used sporting and pre-war thoroughbred cars – is a  reminder of garages along the A3, from the South London suburbia of Tolworth to Guildford and beyond. Nick loves cars, competes with his special (seemingly an Austin 7) in club racing at the weekend but the grind of work, in no way helped by his grumpy flash ‘arry boss Eddy Lash, eventually forces him out.

Nick’s already met Sam, driver of a breathed-on baker’s van. The van – a Durham – is clearly inspired by a Jowett Bradford, but the camionette driver’s technical skills have hotted it up no end.

Not giving any of the story away Nick and Sam meet motoring racing photographer Duclos, who could be based on period Grand Prix snapper Louis Klemantaski and, through him, meet wealthy industrialist Sir Reginald Yates, whose inspiration might have been Tony Vandervell.

Together the newly-formed equipe takes a sports-racer and create a Grand Prix car and it’s likely some readers might be thinking of Connaught Cars. Ably assisted by mechanic George (was Alf Francis the inspiration here?) the new, small team faces the might of the major teams.

It won’t take more than two evenings to read and it’s easy to pick up a copy up for no more than the price of a glossy monthly. But one question remains? Just who was Bruce Carter? One bookseller told The Special it might have been former Brooklands Society Vice-President Alan Hess, founder of Speed magazine. If you can confirm or deny we’d love to know.