Backfire
£129.40
Alan Clark’s passion for cars – that he bought, drove and wrote about over 50 years
Alan Clark was passionate about cars from an early age. He bought his first car – a secondhand 6.5 litre Bentley – while still a schoolboy at Eton and without a driving licence. By the time he was 24 he had been banned from driving three times, not only for speeding but in one instance for driving an open Buick Roadster with a girl on his lap. He dealt in ‘classic’ and vintage cars and soon built up an impressive stable of his own.
One of his first published pieces of journalism appeared in the US magazine, Road and Track, for which he was briefly UK correspondent. BACK FIRE, the title of a column he wrote in Thoroughbred and Classic Cars magazine, ran for three years until his death in September 1999. Alan Clark’s elder son, James Clark – who has inherited his father’s motoring enthusiasms – provides a Prologue; Alan Clark’s widow Jane writes a moving Afterword.
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Additional information
| Publisher | W&N, 1st Phoenix Edition (3 Oct. 2002) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 224 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0753813734 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0753813737 |
| Dimensions | 12.95 x 2.29 x 20.07 cm |
by sandra196310
Too much one mans personality which doesn’t come out as very nice. Would have preferred more about the cars (which were a great selection) than Clarks rants and ramblings
by stuart robinson
The book seems rather yellowed and smells of old age considering its real age.
Slightly disappointing.
S.ROBINSON
by Cartoon Man
How many people can claim to have owned these cars? Alan Clark was a one off. A good writer who owned some of the world’s most interesting cars. What with today’s speed cameras he would probably have lost his licence.
by HowieP
This is a compilation of short articles and as such doesn’t really hang together well. A few more dates are needed for context. It’s written by a very wealthy and privileged man who seems to have little interest in the sports cars of mere mortals, for example MGs and Triumphs. No, he’s a Bentley, Rolls Royce and Porsche man, although to be fair amongst his favourite saloons are a 2CV and a souped up rusty Beetle.
His position as a member of the establishment, as a motoring journalist and as MP gave Clark free access to many races and motoring legends, though in this book there’s little that is revelatory or memorable.
It’s a reasonable read for enthusiasts and cheap, but I was somewhat unimpressed.
by David Eden
This gem publishes Alan Clarke’s celebrated Backfire columns from Classic and Sportscar Magazine. Alan Clarke might not be everyones cup of tea. He could be opinionated and arrogant. But he knew and loved cars and was privileged to know and drive some of the most remarkable cars ever created. And he writes about them with great panache and authority. Terrifically enjoyable.
by jm
If you like unrestored cars this is the book for you.
by Ed Far Q
Utterly brilliant thoughts on cars, motoring, girls, touring,… And Bentleys!
This is often a philosophical work on “movement as meditation”.
Don’t think that just because he’s a “toff” that you can not read this. He was a car lover just like you are.
He may have been Secretary of Defence under Margeret Thatcher (a wasted talent) but he speaks lyrically, and highly informatively on every car you can name: 2CV, VW Beetle, Porsche 911, “Yanks”, rare Ferraris (although he didn’t rate them too highly), and of course, the love of his life… Bentleys!
These are “only” his collected magazine writings. They are more than that.
by andrewchapple
I didn’t think I’d like this book as much as When the Revs Keep Rising but it’s a touching story of the automotive life of an eccentric motoring enthusiast and while we have a very different taste in cars, some of Alan’s opinions are still very valid today.
A great read.