Research for MJK book

[Kimbers]

As many of you know, for some time myself and MJK have been collecting and collating information for his book.

You can help us here an now by telling us what you want to hear about.

Are you interested in Jaguar and doing the design on the E-type V12, sitting in the XJ13 when it broke the speed record or would you rather hear about Sir William Lyons and what it was like in the blazing Jaguar factory, trying to rescue workers and cars?

Do you want to hear what Colin was like to be around, or would you rather hear about how things were designed at the time.

Do you want to hear about the now cancelled, New Lambo's or what it was like living day to day under death threats?

Maggie or Tony Rudd.

You get the idea? We really do want to know what most interests you. Is it the human story or the technical stuff? Cars or people, if a mix of both just Lotus or Jag, Lambo, GM etc?

Anything you say will be taken into account and help us in making the book more interesting.

Thanks in anticipation.

[alan]

Is it the human or technical stuff?

Its both IMHO - technical stuff becomes so much more interesting when it has a human aspect. The design of a new part for a car could be dull, but if it had to be done under great pressure to get ready for a product launch etc then the development story comes to life. Seeing a photo of the design team proudly holding the widget they worked 24/7 to get ready makes the story come to life.

Simply by making the book chronological / diary like should help sort out what should be in / out. Some stories will be obvious to include I am sure, for others it might depend on what supporting material you have (photos, diagrams etc).

Dont be afraid to write parts of the book even if you are not sure if they will get used. Sometimes when written down a story works much better than you expect (and vice versa).

Finally recruit a small number of people who you trust to give honest feedback as the work progresses. They should be different characters / ages etc to give different points of view - not just TLF members.

Good luck with this - can I put my name down for one of the first print run!

Regards

Alan

[Guy Munday]

Hey Tony

I always fancied writing a book about the personalities behind Lotus - Fred Bushell, Tony Rudd, Tim Enwright, Roger Becker, Peter Stevens, Mike and Frank Costin, Peter Warr, etc.. Plus other associates, such as David Thieme, John De Loreon, Giorgetto Giugiaro, etc.

MJK has first hand experience of these personalities and it would be great to get his thoughts on his relationships with them.

He is to be applauded and encouraged for considering a book as a permanent account of life at Lotus. I always hoped Fred Bushell would commit his memoirs to paper as I think there were a few stories to tell, now all, sadly, lost for good.

It was great to see you yesterday at Snetterton. I was sorry your father wasn't able to make it and I hope all is well,

[Jonathan]

Bit of both but personally I prefer the human stuff.

I can remember the Esprit Hethel meet where your Dad talked about things he had done in Lotus and the cars - I think most people would agree they could have listened to him all night long.

If it is a book about MJK then make it about him, if it's a book about his career then make it about the career (ie fill it with everything Lotus, Jag, Lambo).

Must admit when I read the Esprit story I was snooze reading on the technical bits, people are much more interesting and I'm sure there are enough stories to fill a book with his career !

Do you have an editor for it ? Or is this a team Kimbers effort ?

[rogerch]

I agree with Jonathan, if it's a book about MJK then that's what it should be. However I would love an insight into Collins mind, as to how he kept coming up with fresh ideas, his ability to "interoperate" the rules, and what it was like to try to possibly keep it and him on the straight and narrow.

[simonb]

Bit of everything (or just the interesting stuff)

In your list of examples, I thought yes to everything, in enough detail to gain an insight, but not so much as to bore me with minutiae of detail

[Kim.com]

Tony, this seems to be a brilliant idea! Not that I can contribute to anything, but let me bee the first to order a book!

Thanks from

/Kim

[internets]

DeLorean....yes please In fact just back from a DeLorean meet in the USA which had a museum of DeLorean artifacts and did see 1 or 2 pics of MJK with DeLorean / Colin Spooner. that I had not seen before, took a pic but not great quality...

Oh and I bumped into an old colleague of MJK, Nick Sutton. Nick worked for DeLorean and then later Lotus with MJK and said he enjoyed his time working with MJK , He also sent his regards!

[Nelly]

I think it would be a shame not to hear about any of the things you have mentioned. It sounds to me like MJK was lucky enough to be in a golden age at both Jaguar and Lotus, who would not want to hear about that?

A career based people story from his perspective staring two iconic british car companies (plus the maddest Italian one), their genius founders and some fab cars would defo be a book worth reading.

Signed copies for sale in the shop?

[cjtpb13]

Kimbers,

As a reader, four books a week whilst travelling on average, I would say make the second book on your Dad's view and relationship with Mr. Chapman. Make this first one about him. He deserves the recognition he has achieved over his career. As many have said, the human interest part is more of the interest. How it relates to the motorcars is the tie in point.

I wish you luck. Having watched my sister in law ( published author with a three book contract ) it is better to over write and have more material than the opposite.

Time lining makes for easier reading for most people. Either way to most of us it will make interesting reading.

[Kimbers]

Hmmm. Many people seem more interested in the people stories than the technical stuff, which is good to be honest, because thats always more interesting imho.

In answer to some questions. Yes we have a professional editor. The book will be in the "Esprit" book style square with loads of pictures. It's much more expensive than the "Jabby Crombac" Colin Chapman book style but the difference between a £15 book and a £25 is colour pictures, bigger square pages and more of a collectable. Yes, Bibs and the shop will get a limited edition signed supply for sale.

It's likely that there will also be a bpook launch at a major Lotus event next year, more later when we are further along.

Just done a chapter listing.....I think we may need 2 books as I currently have 57 chapters!

[Jonathan]

It's not 2 books, it's called a supplementary

In all truth the editor should be calling these shots, he should know what makes a successful book - if there was too much bias in the script he should turn around and say there needs to be more of this this and this, in the 2nd draft.

Is it worth asking (if you havent already), they should know what makes a good book and so on.

Failing that you could send the script to me and I could do it

[Kimbers]

Haha. His opinion is write it all down and send him everything and he will edit it to a manageable size.

[Guy Munday]

William Taylor at Coterie Press?

They do all the big format Lotus books and already have a major photographic library, key-person contacts and interviews, etc.

[Kimbers]

No comment.....

[Kimbers]

Having now bought a dictaphone, we are up and running. Anything else that people really want to know about? Any particular model development or period that is of special interest?

Speak now or you can' moan when it's not in the book!

[simonb]

Love to know more about the Cala

and perhaps the similarities (or differences) between an Italian make owned by Indonesians & a Norfolk one owned by Malaysians

[Advantage]

There's got to be some Carlton stories worth telling.

Edit: and flesh out the lozenge badge incident.

[Günter]

could the book not be 'organized' or sorted by the cars he has done and influenced most and would call them as important for his life personally (with some interesting technical backgrounds basically..) -just in a type of cronological order. All is additionally 'garnished' with his fantastic people-stories and relationships who need to get mentioned on just these special cars.. .

sidenote: would also like to hear some more stories from the 'wild at heart' times as an young engineer again ... *three-wheeler* I say

Edited June 28, 2010 by Günter

[USAndretti42]

I see you are using a dictaphone. Can't you use your finger like everybody else?

Now we've got that out of the way, I would say that Tony Rudd's "It was Fun" and the original "A History of Lotus from 1948 to 1961" or whenever it was would be good examples of how to balance the technical and personal sides. They give and insight into the thinking behind why things were done the way they were done and lots of behind-the-scenes stuff. All Lotus, Jaguar and Lamgoreblimey enthusiasts know as much as they want to about the technical specifications of the cars they love but they probably don't know about the blood, sweat, tears, shouting matches, bloody hard work and sheer stubbornness that led to the finished products. These car companies are a lot like swans, all smooth and graceful above the water line with everything going smoothly, while underneath it's flapping like crazy.

I can easily believe you would have enough material for 2 books. That's the editor's and publisher's call but you know we are greedy. We want it all. We all loved the anecdotes thread and we would love loads more of those fleshed out with the history behind them and what happened next.

Rather than a case of what to put in it's going to be a case of what to leave out. I can't wait for the finished product.

[Nick Sutton]

There is more than one book in Mike! To start the series it would be interesting to go through the history of Lotus from the time he arrived until he retired. I'd like to see details of the Europa development up to the GM takeover and afterwards in the first book. When do you anticipate it being published?

regards

Nick Sutton

[Kimbers]

Nick.

It's a year away, though we have a meeting again on 26th to pick up more material.

[arbell9]

hi Tony,

i would like to know what your Dads thoughts are on the ever changing british motor industry, its highs and lows, the what if's, the cars that were doomed to failure, the cars that were canned because of lack of money , changing owners of different motor companies, why did lotus survive, get your dad to wear the hindsight goggles and get him to think what if we had only done that.

also what does he think of the cars that have gone to stratospheric bhp and $$$$.

Ask him did they think of a revolving headlight instead of pop-up after they were banned, so that the light is hidden then revealed. Many car styling features and parts look like clones, are safety and efficiency regulations homogenising the motor car too much or is it that car designiners play safe now , too affraid to be different?

just some ideas

Alex

[esp88]

Hi Tony

Greate idé about the MJK book(s)

And her are some my comments:

- I prefer in geneal the human stuff and his career in the car industires (world wide)

- I think I would like to know his story from start (why he so, interested in the car industry)

if Not what he may ?

- Not only technical but also management point of view

- Good/bad story best/worst expriments he had faced

- Story from differet car industries

and so on ......

I'm looking forward to see the book(s)

Hope comming soon !

Yasuo

[XJ13]

Hi Kimbers - any news on Mike Kimberley's book??

Neville

http://www.xj13.eu