Click for more information.
A biography covering the life of Selwyn Francis Edge, commonly known as “SF,” a significant pioneer of motoring in Great Britain, was released in London this morning for sale in the American market.
In 1902, Selwyn Francis Edge drove a Napier to victory in the Gordon Bennett Cup, a race on public roads between Paris in France and Innsbruck in Austria. This it’s said was the start of serious British participation in motor racing.
SF was deeply involved in launch of the Brooklands race track in Surrey, England, setting a 24-hour solo driving record there when the circuit opened in 1907. SF was most closely associated with Napier and AC Cars, as he played a key role in the growth of car manufacture in Great Britain.
Said “Bentley Boy” S.C.H. “Sammy’” Davis, “His keen grey eyes, the bushy eyebrows and the hawk-like face…made him a notable figure in any assembly.” The publisher maintains, not without justification, that this biography “uncovers the life of an extraordinary man whose achievements deserve to be far more widely recognized.” (AutoInformed.com: Bentley Mulliner to Build 12 New 1929-30 Le Mans Winners)
Items of Interest
- Dedicated cyclist: SF’s early interest in cycles led to racing achievement on two wheels and three, including setting records for round trips between London and Brighton, and taking part in a race from Bordeaux to Paris in 1891.
- Introducing the motor car to Britain: from his first driving experience, in 1897 with a De Dion-Bouton, SF quickly became an influential advocate of all things automotive in a country that initially lagged far behind France.
- Motor racing pioneer: after early competitions on motor tricycles, SF became a regular competitor in the long-distance races of mainland Europe, winning the 1902 Gordon Bennett Cup in a Napier and becoming a national celebrity.
- Growth of Napier: with SF guiding, this long-established engineering company evolved into the manufacturer of some of the finest cars of the Edwardian era.
- Brooklands: upon the circuit’s opening in 1907, SF drove a Napier solo for 24 hours at an average speed of just over 65 mph, establishing a record that stood for 18 years.
- AC Cars: after the First World War, SF helped to develop AC Cars into an important manufacturer of sporting cars, with more attempts at speed records along the way.
About Simon Fisher
Simon Fisher grew up in Surrey, England, not far from Tilburstow Hill, scene of some of S.F. Edge’s early competition successes. After university he trained in London as a chartered accountant, using a 1934 Alvis Firefly as his everyday car. A few months after qualifying he signed a six-month contract to work for his employer in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the end of which he “forgot to return home.”
The rest of his career has been spent in Eastern Africa, mainly in Kenya, where he and his wife Catherine now live. That didn’t prevented him from pursuing his passion for early motoring. He has been a member of both the Vintage Sports-Car Club and the Alvis Owner Club for more than 50 years and the Veteran Car Club for almost as long, and has maintained a succession of elderly cars in England, including two Napiers, while his Alvis Firefly spent many years with him in Nairobi.
S.F. EDGE: MAKER OF MOTORING HISTORY By Simon Fisher
- US price: $65.00
- CDN price: $80.00
- ISBN: 9781910505793
- Format: 9.5in x 8.3in
- Hardback
- Page extent: 192
- Illustration: 110 images
Evro Publishing books are distributed in North America by Quarto Publishing Group USA. Books can be ordered from Quarto by email [email protected]; phone number: 800-328-0590; or website: www.quartoknows.com. Please use the relevant ISBN number (9781910505793) when ordering.
US Bound – New Bio S.F. Edge – Maker Of Motoring History
Click for more information.
A biography covering the life of Selwyn Francis Edge, commonly known as “SF,” a significant pioneer of motoring in Great Britain, was released in London this morning for sale in the American market.
In 1902, Selwyn Francis Edge drove a Napier to victory in the Gordon Bennett Cup, a race on public roads between Paris in France and Innsbruck in Austria. This it’s said was the start of serious British participation in motor racing.
SF was deeply involved in launch of the Brooklands race track in Surrey, England, setting a 24-hour solo driving record there when the circuit opened in 1907. SF was most closely associated with Napier and AC Cars, as he played a key role in the growth of car manufacture in Great Britain.
Said “Bentley Boy” S.C.H. “Sammy’” Davis, “His keen grey eyes, the bushy eyebrows and the hawk-like face…made him a notable figure in any assembly.” The publisher maintains, not without justification, that this biography “uncovers the life of an extraordinary man whose achievements deserve to be far more widely recognized.” (AutoInformed.com: Bentley Mulliner to Build 12 New 1929-30 Le Mans Winners)
Items of Interest
About Simon Fisher
Simon Fisher grew up in Surrey, England, not far from Tilburstow Hill, scene of some of S.F. Edge’s early competition successes. After university he trained in London as a chartered accountant, using a 1934 Alvis Firefly as his everyday car. A few months after qualifying he signed a six-month contract to work for his employer in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the end of which he “forgot to return home.”
The rest of his career has been spent in Eastern Africa, mainly in Kenya, where he and his wife Catherine now live. That didn’t prevented him from pursuing his passion for early motoring. He has been a member of both the Vintage Sports-Car Club and the Alvis Owner Club for more than 50 years and the Veteran Car Club for almost as long, and has maintained a succession of elderly cars in England, including two Napiers, while his Alvis Firefly spent many years with him in Nairobi.
S.F. EDGE: MAKER OF MOTORING HISTORY By Simon Fisher
Evro Publishing books are distributed in North America by Quarto Publishing Group USA. Books can be ordered from Quarto by email [email protected]; phone number: 800-328-0590; or website: www.quartoknows.com. Please use the relevant ISBN number (9781910505793) when ordering.