Shutter & Speed 2
by Gary Critcher
As the title suggests, this is the second volume of a “personal photographic collection of motor racing images” compiled by Gary Critcher in the UK, a collector of photographs and film. He has a background in television with ITV, Sky, Discovery, the BBC and with Formula 1 when Bernie Ecclestone initiated his digital TV project for F1.
This neat, card-covered book (230 mm x 210 mm) contains 122 pages of previously unseen images that Critcher has accumulated over many years. The black & white and color photos are from the 1950s through to the 1980s.
What makes this book special is the diversity of the content. We are treated to everything from 500 cc racers, hillclimbs, Formula 1, sprints, saloon cars, and Indy cars. The F1 content contains excellent shots of the early McLaren days with Bruce McLaren, Phil Kerr, Tyler Alexander, Denny Hulme and the M7A. The author’s own favorite, the Lotus 72 in both its red & gold and black & gold liveries, is featured over sixteen pages with various drivers including Rindt, Wisell, Fittipaldi, Peterson and John Miles. There is a lovely informal shot of Ronnie Peterson, in civies, walking through the Crystal Palace paddock.
The photos I find the most interesting are the off-beat ones—things like the weird, and not so wonderful, 1966 twin engine Stein Porsche Indy Car. A brief write-up is included in the six-page spread. The late sixties shots at the Shelsley Walsh and Prescott hillclimbs also captured my attention, as did a photo of two Studebaker Avantis, resplendent with white stripes, that were used as course cars at the 1962 British Grand Prix. The creator of James Bond, Ian Fleming, owned an Avanti. An unusual sight on British roads.
The author has gone to a lot of trouble to ensure that the photos have detailed captions. He also enlisted the help of some race mechanics from the period to provide their thoughts and comments, adding further interest. Image quality varies but is generally very good.
If you do not already own Volume 1 you can now get both volumes at one reduced price.
Copyright 2021, Peter R. Hill (speedreaders.info).
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Thanks indeed Peter, it was a lot of fun going through old negatives and slides and doing research on them. You forgot to mention that the book is ONLY available through http://www.shutterandspeed.com!