By Robert Young
Published in April 2026
ISBN 978-1-918070-02-6
$70 plus shipping
Published by Evro Publishing, Westrow House, Holwell, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5LF, UK
Order Here
Review by Pete Vack
Robert Young has been researching the history of racing in South Africa for years, almost as long as he has known Graham Gauld. Says Gauld, “I have known Rob Young for many years and have always been aware of his plan to record for posterity the racing specials built in South Africa, particularly in the post-World War II years.”
And in Young’s latest book, Special Brew, The Story of the Southern African Formula One and Libre Specials Young exceeds expectations, compiling the stories of over 30 unique Specials created for Formula Libre and Formula 1 from 1960 to 1965. Writes Gauld, “I share with Rob Young the need for those stories to be recorded, not only for South African motor racing history but to develop everyone’s understanding of the passionate individualist who tinkers in his garage and produces his own “special” that often shames the glossy Ferraris or Aston Martins normally owned by the minority in every country who can buy the best the market has to offer.”
Such cars filled the grid and provided an underdog for fans to cheer on. There were many such specials in the US, UK, Italy and France, much less is known about the wild concoctions that grew in South Africa. Rob Young has really filled a gap.
Rob’s book also featured the colorful art of Andrew Embleton as well as hundreds of historical photos from South African events.
What makes Young’s book interesting is the variety of engines and layouts of the Specials. The U.S. had no relevant Formula Libre class, nor an active F1 class; specials here were largely created for the H modified SCCA classes, and the C modifieds. The main powerplants for U.S. specials were Crosleys for the H Mods and Chevy V8s for the larger classes. But as Young points out, in South Africa one would find specials powered by Alfa, Porsche, Citroen, Vauxhall, Borgward, Peugeot, Austin, and even Studebaker engines along with front and rear engine drivetrains. And the people; Young tells us about the people who created these specials and why they themselves were special. A good case in point was the saga of John and Hazel Hanning, Brits who moved to Cape Town, South Africa after WWII and decided to take up motor racing.
John and Hazel Hanning
Remarkably, it was Hazel who served as a mechanic, engineer and designer as the couple worked their way through several specials for the Formula Libre class. First up was a Aston Martin Ulster chassis fitted with a 230 cubic inch Nash Ambassador engine. To increase power, an Austin A90 straight six was installed, and the car was then called an Austin Martin. By 1959 it was outdated and a new Austin Healey chassis was obtained, while Hazel designed an independent rear suspension to be driven by the old Austin A90. It was topped off by an aluminum body looking virtually identical to a Maserati 250F, thanks again to Hazel and perhaps Merit Kits. For its last season, a Jag XK engine was used, but by 1961, the entire concept was truly out of time. But a lot of fun…inexpensive fun….was had in the meantime.
A Citroen Special
Stanley Reed’s Auto-Citroën was conceived in the late 1940s, but continued to race until 1961 and certainly caught attention. According to Young, “The car’s chassis consisted of four thin-walled high tensile steel tubes of 1 and 1/8th outside diameter and braced on each side following aircraft construction to form a very rigid structure. Springing was by torsion bar, and all four wheels were independently sprung and damped by hydraulic shock absorbers. The machine used a standard Citroën front-end reversed with the steering rods locked to the chassis to form the back section and another Citroën front-end at the ‘forward’ end. Rack and pinion steering was used.”
Maserati Chev
Hailing from Pretoria, Louis Jacobsz traveled to the UK to find a suitable race car to bring home. In 1959 he purchased a Maserati A6GCS that was reputed to have been owned by Maria Teresa de Filippis. After a few events in South Africa, the Maserati engine threw a rod and was replaced by a Chevy V8.
Unfortunately, this modification made it a bit of a beasty to handle, and the Maserati-Chev’s foray came to an end at the Transvaal Summer Handicap meeting on 30 January 1960, when Louis slid off the track at the dangerous Devoty’s Curve and rolled the car spectacularly.
Sixth South African Grand Prix, Jacobsz in the Maserati-Chevy V8 along a fast section of the East London track. Photo credit Tim Cooke.
Don’t forget the Alfas
As can be read in Part 2 of the Incredible F1 Alfa Powered Race cars in VeloceToday, “The 1962 South African Grand Prix season would also be see successful Alfa powered racecars. Ernest Pieterse, a proprietor of an Alfa Romeo dealership engaged Peter de Klerk to assist with the fitting of Alfa power to his championship winning Heron.
“The South Africans were adept at building ‘specials’ and Doug Serrurier of LDS fame, a close friend of van der Vyver and de Klerk, used Alfa power in his early constructions. ‘Pure racing parts were hard and expensive to come by and I remember that to make larger valves Doug modified Model T Ford valves in his engine,’ recalled Lew Baker.”
1963 Rand Grand Prix at Kyalami: Peter harries the Ferrari of Lorenzo Bandini thru the Leeukop Bend. He finished third. (Photo: Len Konings)
Interesting stuff, and previously unknown to most of us, if not all of us!
Please read Graham Gauld’s story on the F1 Sharknose Assegai Special in this issue of VeloceToday!
Robert Young’s most recent articles for VeloceToday:
Robert Young has been interested in cars and motor racing since the age of 8 and attended hundreds of motor racing events in southern Africa between 1957 and 1991. He has also attended major motor sporting events in France, New Zealand and the UK. Robert wrote the book “Springbok Grand Prix” while still at school to fund the purchase of his own racing car and has since co-authored a number of books on South African motor sport. During the 1960s and 1970s he contributed to a number of leading international motor sport magazines and more recently he has contributed to American and New Zealand magazines. Robert was an associate editor and part-owner of Classic Car Africa. He raced himself from 1968 to 1982 and competed in Springbok Series endurance events. He won the Natal Modified Saloon Car Champ.
You will want to catch up on these articles about Alfa engine specials published earlier in VeloceToday: