Michael Turner Collection

Over 50 years of motorsport inspired Christmas cards

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 is 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.

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.

• Uniquely illustrates the evolution of F1 since the '60s
• Classic Edition, Collector's Edition & the amazing Unique Edition
• 300+ paintings by the world's leading motor racing artist
• Each painting accompanied by Michael Turner's comments
• The definitive guide to these famous Christmas cards
• Foreword by Sir Jackie Stewart
• Signed by Chas Parker

Specification

• ISBN: 978-1-907085-99-4
• 315 x 270mm
• 204 pages
• Over 330 images

The author – Chas Parker

Chas Parker swapped a career in astronomy, during which time he was press officer for the Royal Greenwich Observatory, based at Herstmonceux in East Sussex, to begin writing about his other great interest of motorsport. He spent seven years as a sub-editor on Motorsport News, often reporting on events such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Goodwood Revival and the Silverstone Classic. He has written 14 books, including histories of Brands Hatch and Silverstone, together with Haynes manuals about the D-type Jaguar, Bugatti Type 35 and Lola T70. He has also written books in the Porter Press International Great Cars and Exceptional Cars series about the Jaguar XK120, C-type and D-type and SS100, as well as an Enthusiast’s Guide to the Model T Ford and The Michael Turner Collection. Together with co-author Philip Porter, he was shortlisted for the 2017 RAC Motoring Book of the Year Award for Great Cars – C-type Jaguar, the autobiography of XKC 051. He lives in East Sussex with his wife Diane.