Book Review: Vanwall by Denis Jenkinson and Cyril Posthumus
In early 1958, Denis Jenkinson, then of Motor Sport magazine, asked Tony Vandervell whether he might write the story of his Vanwall grand prix team. It was about to embark on the season in which it would become the first British Formula 1 team to win the World Manufacturers’ Championship.
Jenkinson’s request was “politely brushed aside”, as were numerous other requests for close cooperation with Vandervell’s outfit. But the “old man” did assent to “Jenks” keeping lap charts on race days during the 1958 season, which provided him with a unique perspective from which to later write the Vanwall story with fellow journalist, Cyril Posthumus.
In the early 1970s, the two writers took on the project at the request of Vandervell Products Ltd – by now owned by GKN – and were given full access to the team’s perfectly preserved archive. They also spoke to all the major personalities involved – the majority of whom were still living – as well as Vandervell’s family, to create what remains a definitive account of this upstart race team.
Vandervell, who died in 1967, was an industrialist first and race-team owner second. What quickly becomes apparent during the book is that his focused, business brain was instrumental in enabling Vanwall to successfully take on the best that continental Europe had to offer: a task in which BRM, with whom Vandervell had initially been involved, had failed up to that point.
One manifestation of that focus, and a healthy scepticism for the motives of outsiders, was that aforementioned reluctance to get too close to the press. He was a demanding boss, but one who inspired loyalty in his staff and successfully fostered a bunker mentality. The team worked long hours in a well-equipped workshop, buried deep in his industrial premises, far from public gaze.
Another trait that stemmed from his industrial experience was that Vandervell was a pragmatist. He was delighted to showcase the best of British engineering wherever possible, but unafraid to turn to the best that foreign suppliers had to offer – Bosch fuel injection, for example – if it would make the car perform better. His approach was a sharp contrast to the British-or-bust philosophy of BRM.
Vanwall is filled with all the detail you could ever wish to read about this short-lived but unique race team, including its early days campaigning and improving the Thinwall Special Ferrari. Access to Vandervell’s correspondence, expertly handled at the time by his secretary and later wife, Marian Moore, takes us behind the scenes in his dealings with suppliers, race promoters, Enzo Ferrari and many more. The book is well illustrated in black-and-white with contemporary photos and technical drawings from the archives, and has appendices that cover race results, chassis numbers, drivers and suppliers.
Woven between the technical developments behind Vanwall’s cars and a blow-by-blow account of its rise to glory are the human stories. None is more poignant than the death of Stuart Lewis-Evans following a crash at the 1958 championship-winning Moroccan GP, which heavily influenced Vandervell’s decision to cease regular racing at the height of the team’s powers.
Vanwall
by Denis Jenkinson and Cyril Posthumus
Patrick Stephens Ltd, 1975. ISBN 0-85059-169-4
Find it on eBay
Jenkinson’s request was “politely brushed aside”, as were numerous other requests for close cooperation with Vandervell’s outfit. But the “old man” did assent to “Jenks” keeping lap charts on race days during the 1958 season, which provided him with a unique perspective from which to later write the Vanwall story with fellow journalist, Cyril Posthumus.
In the early 1970s, the two writers took on the project at the request of Vandervell Products Ltd – by now owned by GKN – and were given full access to the team’s perfectly preserved archive. They also spoke to all the major personalities involved – the majority of whom were still living – as well as Vandervell’s family, to create what remains a definitive account of this upstart race team.
Vandervell, who died in 1967, was an industrialist first and race-team owner second. What quickly becomes apparent during the book is that his focused, business brain was instrumental in enabling Vanwall to successfully take on the best that continental Europe had to offer: a task in which BRM, with whom Vandervell had initially been involved, had failed up to that point.
One manifestation of that focus, and a healthy scepticism for the motives of outsiders, was that aforementioned reluctance to get too close to the press. He was a demanding boss, but one who inspired loyalty in his staff and successfully fostered a bunker mentality. The team worked long hours in a well-equipped workshop, buried deep in his industrial premises, far from public gaze.
Another trait that stemmed from his industrial experience was that Vandervell was a pragmatist. He was delighted to showcase the best of British engineering wherever possible, but unafraid to turn to the best that foreign suppliers had to offer – Bosch fuel injection, for example – if it would make the car perform better. His approach was a sharp contrast to the British-or-bust philosophy of BRM.
Vanwall is filled with all the detail you could ever wish to read about this short-lived but unique race team, including its early days campaigning and improving the Thinwall Special Ferrari. Access to Vandervell’s correspondence, expertly handled at the time by his secretary and later wife, Marian Moore, takes us behind the scenes in his dealings with suppliers, race promoters, Enzo Ferrari and many more. The book is well illustrated in black-and-white with contemporary photos and technical drawings from the archives, and has appendices that cover race results, chassis numbers, drivers and suppliers.
Woven between the technical developments behind Vanwall’s cars and a blow-by-blow account of its rise to glory are the human stories. None is more poignant than the death of Stuart Lewis-Evans following a crash at the 1958 championship-winning Moroccan GP, which heavily influenced Vandervell’s decision to cease regular racing at the height of the team’s powers.
Vanwall
by Denis Jenkinson and Cyril Posthumus
Patrick Stephens Ltd, 1975. ISBN 0-85059-169-4
Find it on eBay