Doug Nye with Geoffrey Goddard

Great Racing Cars of the Donington
Collection tells the vigorous and fascinating
history of Grand Prix motor racing. Detailed
and entertaining profiles of the great person-
alities, places, races, marques and models
combine with full technical data and racing
records to give a penetrating insight into the
eighty years of this most popular of all speed
sports.
All this is set against the unique back-
ground of the Donington Collection of
Single-Seater Racing Cars, which was opened
to the public in I973. This vast display of
thoroughbred racing machinery, the largest
collection of its kind anywhere in the world,
is situated in Donington Park near Derby in
the English Midlands. Here, preserved for
posterity, on the site of Britain’s first main-
land road circuit, are the great single-seater
cars which made famous such names as Tazio
Nuvolari, Alberto Ascari, ]uan Fangio, Mike
Hawthorn, Stirling Moss, ]ack Brabham,
Graham Hill, ]im Clark and Iackie Stewart.
Donington Park was opened for motor-
cycles in I931 and enlarged to accommodate
cars in r933_ From I935 to I938 the Doning-
ton Grand Prix was held at the circuit and
became Britain’s top motor race. The Park
saw the mighty German Mercedes-Benz and
Auto Union teams racing there before the
Second World War brought about its closure.
The atmosphere and excitement of the circuit
are relived by one of its ace competitors and
also by Britain’s leading racing writer. These
two chapters lead into a detailed study of the
cars in the Collection, vividly brought to life
by Doug Nye, one of the country’s most
prolific racing feature writers.