WORDS: ELLIOTT HUGHES | PHOTOS: RAC
Magneto contributor and renowned automotive historian Karl Ludvigsen has received a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) for his contributions to the UK’s motoring book industry.
Karl was presented with the award at the RAC’s 2023 Motoring Book of the Year Awards ceremony at the organisation’s headquarters in Pall Mall, London.
“I have never known a time when there is so much chaos, and I don’t envy managers at all,” Karl said after receiving the award. “But it’s also an exciting time, with so many new things coming along – all-electric motor racing, for example, and new makes of car. So much has already been done, but there are always gaps.”
Karl has forged an outstanding career in the automotive industry, having held senior positions at General Motors, Fiat Motors of North America and Ford of Europe. In 1980, he relocated from the US to the UK, where he established his consulting firm, Ludvigsen Associates.
He has written more than 60 books in his 65-year writing career and is a leading expert on the history of Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, and the Chevrolet Corvette.
His first book, an MG Guide published in 1958, was followed by significant publications about high-performance engines, biographies of Ferdinand Porsche, Reid Railton and Lotus founder Colin Chapman, as well as legendary racing drivers such as Stirling Moss, Juan Manuel Fangio and Alberto Ascari.
In an exchange with Classic and Sports Car founder Simon Taylor at the ceremony, Karl revealed that his next work will be Power Unleashed, a three-volume publication charting the development of forced induction, which is due to be published in 2024 – the year of his 90th birthday. Karl began first began researching the history of forced induction in the 1970s, and Power Unleashed is said to have taken 15 years to complete.
The RAC’s coveted Motoring Book of the Year Award was presented to Crispian Besley for Driven to Crime: True Stories of Wrongdoing in Motor Racing, after unanimous agreement among the judging panel. Besley’s book is the culmination of more than ten years of research, and shines a light on an array of misdemeanours that took place on various rungs of the motor sport ladder.
“The motor-racing world is filled with stories involving drivers, team owners, manufacturers and sponsors behaving badly, and this fantastic book highlights many cases that have made headlines,” said judge Christian Whitehead. “We Brits love a good true crime story, and this book was very hard to put down.”
At the awards ceremony, first-time author Besley revealed that he is already working on a second volume.
Car designer Andy Saunders, meanwhile, was awarded Best Debut Author for his book, The Automotive Alchemist. Saunders’ book offers a highly visual insight into his work as a designer in creating over 60 unique cars, 42 of which now reside in museums and private collections across the globe.
“It’s been an absolute rollercoaster. I never did any homework when I was at school, to the extent that they wouldn’t even let me sit my English GCE!” said Saunders. “But I wrote this book because someone said to me: ‘If you don’t put down what you’ve done before you pop your clogs, then no one will know about it.”
RAC chairman Ben Cussons stated: “The awards, now in their tenth year, are globally recognised and celebrate the very best in automotive publishing. Authors and publishers from around the world submitted a record-breaking 56 titles this year, from compelling biographies and crime stories to marque-specific histories.
“The calibre for 2023 has been more impressive than ever – our independent expert judges really had their work cut out, so I’d like to extend an enormous thank-you to them for their diligence and enthusiasm.”
The RAC awarded four category winners in addition to the overall winner and best debut author. All category winners are listed below.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Karl Ludvigsen
The Motoring Book of the Year
Driven To Crime
By Crispian Besley
Evro Publishing, priced £40
Motoring Book of Year (Below £50)
Max Hoffman: Million Dollar Middleman
By Myles Kornblatt
Veloce Publishing Ltd, priced £30
Motoring Book of the Year (No Price Limit)
Kim: A Biography of MG Founder Cecil Kimber
by Jon Pressnell
Dalton Watson Fine Books, priced £115
Motorsport Book of the Year (Below £50)
Speed Queens: A Secret History of Women in Motorsport
By Rachel Harris-Gardiner
Pen & Sword Books Ltd, priced £22
Motorsport Book of the Year (No Price Limit)
Bentley Speed 8: The Comprehensive Story of Bentley’s Last Le Mans Winner
by Andrew Cotton
Sportfahrer Verlag, priced £225
Graham Robson Award for Best Debut Author
Andy Saunders, The Automotive Alchemist
Dalton Watson Fine Books, priced £90
