We’ve received a lot of enthusiastic e-mails about the 7 Crook tapes we uploaded last week (thank you), so have decided to do some more. Expect them here sometime next week.
The Bristol Buccaneer
If you’ve received your copy of Mr Bristol, you’re sure to have noticed Loustal’s magnificent rendition of the Bristol Buccaneer on page 40. We can’t show it here for copyright reasons, but if you’ve seen the image, please do let us know what you think. Is this the car that would have saved Bristol Cars? The Buccaneer, for those of you who are not aware of it, was developed in the 1990s and should have brought Bristol firmly into the 21st century. Loustal’s painting was based on photographs of the scale model.
For more Loustal, have a look at some of the covers he made for The New Yorker.
Buccaneer (side on view)
Old-World Craftsmanship
This week the second batch of Mr Bristols is being finished at the bookbinders, and what a glorious sight it is. Classic tools, dedicated craftsmen.
The Mr Bristol Logo
The helmet that features on the cover of Mr Bristol (and is a recurring theme in the book), was hand-drawn by Gert Jan Slagter based on Crook’s racing helmet from the 1950s.
All rights reserved.
The Crook Tapes (7)
“He has now become one of the finest, five finest, racing drivers in the world. Like all drivers of his capacity, and capability - like Stirling Moss, Fangio, Farina, and all the rest of them - it does look so jolly easy when he does it, doesn’t it? But my goodness me, it’s not. To go round corners at the speed that he does, you’ve got to know everything about it, from a to z. He’s a stylist, you know. He’s a tremendous stylist. He knows exactly and absolutely what he’s doing at any time. He’s got a terrifically cool head on his shoulders.”
The Crook Tapes (6)
The Crook Tapes (5)
The Crook Tapes (4)
The Crook Tapes (3)
Coming soon...
Ten years ago Tony Crook, the media-shy former owner of Bristol Cars, was interviewed extensively by Dutch Public Television. Topics during this unique shoot included Crook’s racing career, his years at Bristol Cars, Sir George White, the oil crises, Toby Silverton, Tony’s dismissal from Bristol Cars, and much more. The resulting footage was never used, and later presumed to be lost. Recently though it has surfaced.
In the coming weeks we will be showing clips from these interviews, topic by topic. The first clip should be live around 1st June.
The Crook Tapes (2)
The Crook Tapes (1)
If time permits, we’ll be uploading some more in the coming days.
A Proud Announcement...
Friday 18th May marked the launch of Mr Bristol - The Remarkable Life of T.A.D Crook. Simon Taylor interviewed author Michael Barton and collaborator Cornelis van den Berg at the RAC Pall Mall Clubhouse about the three-year project. The attendance of Sir George White was very much appreciated. Carole Crook and Stirling Moss were unable to attend, but sent letters.
Mr Bristol: Some of Our Favourite Images
Mr Bristol, the first publication of Butterfield Press, features a section of photographs (specially commissioned) of cars that were important to Tony Crook. Not all of them made it into the book. Here are some of our favourites.
All cars were shot in the fall of 2017 with a Fujifilm X-T2 camera (with 35mm F/1.4 R lens) and a Hasselblad H5D-40 medium format camera (80mm f/2.8 lens).