London, 4 September 2025 – The Royal Automobile Club (RAC) has announced the finalists for its 2025 Motoring Book of the Year Awards, heralded as the preeminent accolades in motoring and motorsport literature. Now in their twelfth year, the Awards continue to celebrate excellence across the spectrum of motoring publishing, from autobiographies and marque histories to technical works and even children’s titles.
The winners, including the coveted overall Motoring Book of the Year, will be unveiled at a gala ceremony at the Club’s historic Pall Mall clubhouse on Wednesday, 29 October 2025.
Jeremy Vaughan, Head of Motoring at the RAC, said: “We founded these Awards in 2013 to recognise excellence and celebrate success in the motoring literary world. They have become the Oscars of the motoring book world, and each year we are thrilled by the quality and breadth of entries. Our sincere thanks go to the judges, who had an especially tough task this year narrowing the field to this exceptional shortlist.”
Eligible titles were published between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025, covering both motoring and motorsport subjects in affordable and premium editions. In addition to category winners, the judging panel will present the overall Motoring Book of the Year Trophy to the title they believe stands above all others. The Graham Robson Trophy will honour the Best Debut Author, while the Lifetime Achievement Award will recognise an individual’s outstanding contribution to motoring literature.
Simon Taylor, Chairman of the judging panel, added: “This has been a bumper year for entries—the biggest in the Awards’ history—with fifty books submitted from major publishers, independents, and self-published authors. Each title was assessed for originality, research, writing style, illustration quality, and production values. The calibre of the finalists is exceptionally high, and the debate among the judges was lively and informed.”
2025 RAC Motoring Book of the Year Finalists
Books About Motor Cars & Motoring (under £50)
- DeLorean: The Rise, Fall and Second Acts of the DeLorean Motor Company – Matt Stone (Motorbooks, £30)
- Ford Mustang 60 Years – Donald Farr (Motorbooks, £40)
- Meyers Manx 1964–2024 – Basem Wasef (Hothouse Media, £49.50)
- Super3 Design by Adventure – Andy Plumb (Lead-in Design Ltd, £49.99)
Books About Motor Cars & Motoring (no price limit)
- Joseph Figoni: Le Grand Couturier de la Carrosserie Automobile Vol. II–IV: Bugatti – Peter M. Larsen & Ben Erickson (Moteurs!, £650)
- Power Unleashed: Trailblazers who Energised Engines with Supercharging and Turbocharging – Karl Ludvigsen (Evro Publishing, £395)
- Spy Octane: The Vehicles of James Bond (Vol. 1) – Matt Field & Ajay Chowdhury (Porter Press International, £99)
- The Magic of a Shadow – Davide Bassoli (Nubes Argentea, £215)
Motor Sporting Subject (under £50)
- A.J. Foyt – Vol. 1: Survivor, Champion, Legend – Art Garner (Octane Press, £37)
- Forever Young: Six Lost Talents of Motor Racing – Ian Wagstaff, Andrew Marriott, Jon Saltinstall & Darren Banks (BHP Publishing, £40)
- Racing Legends: Lando Norris – Maurice Hamilton (Macmillan Children’s Books, £6.99)
- The Grand Prix Year: An Insider’s Guide to Formula 1 Racing – Phillip Horton (Bloomsbury, £20)
Motor Sporting Subject (no price limit)
- On the Prowl: The Definitive History of the Walkinshaw Jaguar Sports Car Team – Neil Smith (David Bull Publishing, £100)
- My Travels On Racer Road: Can-Am and Formula 1 in their Golden Age – Pete Lyons (Evro Publishing, £70)
- Texas Legend: Jim Hall and his Chaparrals – George Levy (Evro Publishing, £60)
- Ultimate Ford GT40: The Definitive History Vol. 1 – Ronnie Spain (Porter Press International, £325)
Best Debut Author (Graham Robson Trophy)
- De Tomaso: Racing Blue Blood – Alejo Pérez Monsalvo & Marcel Schaub (McKlein Media, £295)
- Driving the Dragon: The Rise of the Chinese Car Industry – Mark Andrews (Veloce/David & Charles, £19.99)
- Le Mans 2000-09: The Official History of the World’s Greatest Motor Race – John Brooks (Evro Publishing, £70)
- On the Prowl: The Definitive History of the Walkinshaw Jaguar Sports Car Team – Neil Smith (David Bull Publishing, £100)
Judging Panel
The Awards are judged by six independent experts representing the UK’s most informed motoring literary critics, including Mick Walsh (Classic & Sports Car), Damien Smith (Motor Sport), Mark Dixon (Octane), Ian Titchmarsh (British Racing Drivers’ Club), Ben Horton (Horton’s Books), and Christian Whitehead (Blackwell’s). Simon Taylor, respected motorsport writer and historian, chairs the panel.
Celebrating Motoring in the Heart of London
The Awards are part of the Royal Automobile Club’s London Motor Week (27 October – 2 November 2025), culminating in two landmark public events. On Saturday 1 November, the St James’s Motoring Spectacle will close Pall Mall to traffic for a free, one-day celebration of motoring past, present, and future, highlighting automotive technology and career opportunities. The following day sees the RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, the world’s longest-running motoring event, marking its 129th year.
About the Royal Automobile Club
Founded in 1897, the Royal Automobile Club mirrors the history of motoring itself. Awarded its Royal title by King Edward VII in 1907, the RAC has championed automobilism through events like the 1000 Mile Trial (1900), the Tourist Trophy (1905), and early Grands Prix at Brooklands (1926) and Silverstone (1948). Today, the Club continues to promote motoring innovation, policy, and culture, including representation on the FIA and the RAC Foundation, alongside iconic events such as London Motor Week and the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.
