Book Review: The Michael Turner Collection

For over 50 years, renowned motor sport and aviation artist Michael Turner annually produced a set of paintings depicting stand-out moments from that year’s Formula One and sports car racing season.

The paintings were reproduced as a set of Christmas cards and made available through Michael’s own company, Studio 88, which he formed in 1963. Over the years, these cards became highly-collectable to the extent that, in 1992, Michael’s wife, Helen, formed a Collectors’ Club which quickly gained a worldwide membership.

Now, for the first time, the entire collection of cards produced between 1960 and 2016 are published together in the book, ‘The Michael Turner Collection’, written by Chas Parker in conjunction with Michael. Each card is reproduced on high-quality paper, together with its original caption, a brief synopsis of the event depicted, and Michael’s recollections of why he chose that particular subject and setting.

Chas Parker started collecting the cards himself in the early 1970s and got to know Michael and Helen through the Collectors’ Club. With a few gaps still to fill in his own collection, Chas thought that a book containing an image of every one of the cards issued would appeal to both fellow collectors and enthusiasts in the history of the sport. Chas is a long-time motor racing enthusiast who has written nine books, including co-authorship of the Jaguar C-type and D-type volumes in the ‘Great Cars’ series for Porter Press and comprehensive histories of Brands Hatch and Silverstone.

The subjects range from heroes of the 1960s such as Jackie Stewart, Jim Clark, Graham Hill and John Surtees to modern day drivers including Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, and the tracks include classics such as Nürburgring, Spa, Monaco and Silverstone. Some sports car events such as the famous Le Mans 24-Hours are also included.

The Collection provides a unique perspective on the post-war development of motor sport, with Michael’s attention to detail ensuring that the cars and circuits alike are recorded accurately and in a way that could not be captured in a photograph. In order to achieve this, during his career Michael travelled to most of the major Grand Prix circuits across the world.

This really is an exceptionally thorough and well presented book. It is truly staggering how many artworks Michael Turner has produced. This book is a must have for any Grand Prix Formula One or motorsport fan. This Book could be classed as a summary of Grand Prix racing from 1960 to 2016. Iconic Grand Prix and Formula One moments caught in beautiful artwork. So many motorsport legends captured in beautiful artwork it really is a wonderful book. It’s a double thumbs up from us.

Order this book direct from www.porterpress.co.uk and get 10% off using the code ‘HEAVEN10’