Luxury products are David Dowsey's passion. Beautiful books are his life. Combining the two is what he does best. Presented here is his catalogue of published books and works in progress.
Aston Martin: Power, Beauty and Soul
Photo by Aston Martin Lagonda
Sophistication, luxury and performance are Aston Martin's hallmarks and, yet, the British marque has endured a complicated and insecure history. After more than 110 years, however, it has also proved itself a great survivor.
Over the last century, Aston Martin has had many owners. Aston Martin: Power, Beauty and Soul focusses on one of the most successful periods of stewardship: that of Ford Motor Company.
Following Ford's majority shareholder purchase in 1987, many held grave fears for Aston Martin’s future, indeed, for its very ‘Britishness’. These fears proved unfounded, however, and the company rose to a financial position it had never held over its storied history.
Importantly, David Dowsey received unprecedented access to inside information and photographs of the most extraordinary custom-made vehicles made by Aston Martin for special – and secretive – customers, allowing him to bring them to light for the first time. Aston Martin: Power, Beauty and Soul includes never-before-seen details of these ultra-expensive hand-built cars, along with behind-the-scenes commentary from those closest to these top-secret projects.
Interwoven throughout the book are stories of the people that brought the cars to life and who made this niche company a world-class manufacturer of the most envied luxury vehicles available today.
Comprehensive technical specifications accompany each vehicle; illustrator Mike Harbar’s delightful renderings add a charming bespoke dimension, befitting their subject.
“For Aston Martin enthusiasts the book’s an essential read, and it’s the definitive work on the activities of the company in the exciting Ford-owned period”
“Dowsey’s access to company archives and his interviews with many of the principals has dislodged certain bits of information that had, in fact, not heretofore been recorded”
“Another book about Aston Martin, one would be tempted to say. However this one distinguishes itself from all those that preceded it... (The) story will not fail to surprise the most enlightened connoisseurs... This work definitely renews the approach on and gives an update of one of the richest parts of the history of the brand.”
Peleus Press, 2007 (including limited edition version), 2010 (second edition), reprinted 2012 (including limited edition version), 2017, 2019, and 2022. National Library Collection. ISBN: 9780957875951
HSV: The Ultimate Compilation of HSV History
Photo: The Distributor Company
Co-authored by David Dowsey, along with Australia’s finest motoring writers (Bruce Newton, Damion Smy, David Morley and Gordon Lomas) and edited by Toby Hagon, this book has epic proportions, with over 500 pages, spread across three volumes, featuring images taken from Holden Special Vehicles’ archive.
The book explores every HSV model, variant and special limited edition in detail; from the classic vehicles that shaped Australia, the muscle cars that got hearts beating, HSV’s world-renowned innovation and design processes, and the contribution Holden Special Vehicles made to the automotive and motorsport landscapes.
The writers interviewed important company executives, engineers, designers, and production staff; people like John Crennan, Tim Pemberton, Ross McKenzie, Ray Borrett, Tony Wilson, Marty White, John Lindell, Chris Payne, John Harvey, Joel Stoddart, John Clark, Chris Polites, and Matt Thomas to get the authoritative inside story.
David Dowsey authored the chapters on design and styling, clay modelling, and concept cars. Exhaustively researched, Dowsey interviewed HSV’s key stylists, including Ian Callum, Neil Simpson, Julian Quincey and Adam Dean Smith, and revealed for the first time McLaren F1 designer, Peter Stevens, designed HSV's first car, the 1988 VL SS Group A 'Walkinshaw'.
This book is the final chapter of the HSV story.
The Distributor Company, 2023. ISBN: TBA
Making the Cut: The Power and Passion behind a Tailoring Dynasty
Photo by Richard Weinstein
Colourful criminals and tales of lunatic asylums, Ponzi schemes, take-over bids, and FBI phone-taps are not the usual stories associated with a tailor. The story of JH Cutler, however, is no ordinary tale.
JH Cutler of Sydney has – over its unbroken 140 years and four generations – firmly established itself as one of the world's most highly regarded bespoke tailors and shirt-makers.
David Dowsey traced the history of the Cutler family back to mid-nineteenth century England. The Ballarat gold rush originally brought the Cutlers to Australia in 1861 and, from there, Joseph Handel Cutler traveled to Sydney, establishing the JH Cutler bespoke tailoring firm that exists to this day, in 1884.
Along the way, the Cutler family and company witnessed two world wars, the Great Depression,
and the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. Intertwining these milestones are stories of famous performing artists, sports stars, country landowners, captains of industry and major politicians, including numerous prime ministers.
With a foreword by Leo Schofield AM, this superlative large scale hardbound book features the finest materials, including a specially made slipcase and a bookmark featuring a miniature JH Cutler trouser pattern attached by JH Cutler ribbon.
The story is lavishly illustrated throughout with a combination of historical photographs from the Cutler family archives and pictures taken by Sydney-based photographer Richard Weinstein.
A museum-worthy limited edition is available featuring an unparalleled Macassar ebony
and burl walnut presentation box built by pre-eminent furniture maker and designer
David Boucher that incorporates a removable reading stand, bottle of single malt Tasmanian Lark Distillery whiskey, two Riedel glasses and a pair of embossed shagreen coasters.
One of the world’s most expensive books, the limited edition of five also comes with a bespoke
JH Cutler sports coat made from Dormeuil Extreme Vicuna cloth.
“The full story about Richie Benaud’s sports coat – plus the attire of numerous other movers and shakers that JH Cutler has outfitted – is contained in Dowsey’s book, Making the Cut, by Peleus Press.”
Peleus Press, 2014 (including limited edition version). National Library Collection.
ISBN: 9780957875944
Buy Making the Cut: The Power and Passion behind a Tailoring Dynasty
Elfin: The Spirit of Speed
Photo by Richard Weinstein
Magnificent stories often originate from humble beginnings, and so it is with Elfin Sports Cars.
Built in a Besser Block factory in suburban Adelaide, Elfin's products remained at the vanguard of competitive Australian motorsport from the late 1950s until the premature death of founder Garrie Cooper, at just 46 years of age, in 1982.
From spritely closed-wheel sports cars to ferocious V8-powered Formula 5000s the greatest Australian drivers of the time – including Vern Schuppan, John McCormack, Larry Perkins, John Bowe, Frank Matich, Kevin Bartlett and Spencer Martin, and international luminaries, Formula One World Champion, James Hunt, and Ferrari ace, Didier Pironi – drove Elfin to 29 major Australian titles, along with winning the Singapore, Malaysian, and New Zealand Grands Prix along the way.
Today almost every Elfin built remains extant and many still compete in historic motorsport, the ultimate testament to the skilful engineering and incredible ingenuity of Elfin Sports Cars.
With a foreword by ex-Formula One driver and Le Mans 24-Hour winner, Vern Schuppan AM, Elfin: The Spirit of Speed goes behind the legend to expose the extraordinary tales, many yet untold, from those closest to the manufacturer: family members, drivers, team members, employees, and Elfin owners; in fact more than 50 interviews were conducted by author, David Dowsey.
Specially commissioned studio photography by Richard Weinstein, along with period historic images bring the story to life, while extremely high production values – and an imposing 704 page count – create a fitting legacy to this great Australian story.
“Ultimately, Elfin: The Spirit of Speed is about life. It’s about birth and death, growth and decay. It’s about all the things that make life worth living, and all the hellish things too”
“Elfin: The Spirit of Speed is not a public relations exercise. It is not a fan piece. This book is the true story behind an incredible endeavour. This is the story of Elfin”
“(Elfin Sports Cars) has been celebrated between the covers of the most lavishly produced Australian motoring book this writer has ever seen... combining extraordinary detail, fascinating reminiscences and great yarns... Its production values might make you fall back in love with old-school coffee table books”
Elfin Heritage Centre, 2020 (four limited edition versions). National Library Collection.
ISBN: 9780646807034
Storied Cars: Elfin Type 400 BB661
Photo by Guy Bowden
Since its foundation in 1959, Garrie Cooper’s Elfin Sports Cars company had developed a strong reputation in its native Australia for designing and building exciting and successful racing machines.
In 1966, the marque entered the world of ‘Big Banger’ sports cars. Inspired by the Ford GT40, Lola T70, McLaren M6A and Porsche 908 that ran successfully at Le Mans in Europe and the Can-Am series in North America, Elfin responded with the V8-powered Type 400.
Elfin built only four cars during 1966 and 1967 before new sports car regulations caused its premature demise. In those years, however, the Type 400 attracted Australia’s best racing drivers and teams – like Frank Matich, Spencer Martin, and Bob Jane – who enjoyed great success with the model.
Globe Products manufacturing identity Dick Bassett, who created the successful Globe Wheels business in Adelaide, South Australia, commissioned chassis BB661 in 1965. Equipped with a Ford Cobra V8 engine, Noel Hurd initially raced the car.
Globe fitted BB661 with a new engine featuring special Kevin Drage-designed quad-cam heads in 1968. Keith Rilstone later raced the car before it passed into the hands of successful South Australian driver, Stan Keen who enjoyed enormous success with the car in circuit and hillclimb events.
BB661 eventually made its way to Tasmania and into the ownership of Max Thompson who raced it locally and on the mainland, setting the Baskerville lap record along the way.
Collector Bert Howard acquired the Type 400 in 1979. He retired BB661 and displayed it at the newly opened National Automobile Museum of Tasmania, in Launceston.
Many years later, in need of restoration and rectification, South Australian Mark Goldsmith purchased BB661 and, working alongside original Elfin employees who knew the car well, sympathetically restored it to as-new and period correct condition.
With a foreword by John Bowe AM, Elfin Type 400: The story of BB661 tells all the twists and turns in the life of this magnificent and important motor car, unearthing hitherto unknown detail, and explaining the complicated and controversial design and build.
The first in a special new series focusing on single examples of exceptional vehicles, Storied Cars tells, in great detail, the account of one chassis: design and build; unique specification; ownership history; and racing record (if applicable).
The books are organised into four main sections: a history of the marque; an account of the model; detailed analysis of the specific chassis; and a scrapbook featuring history file, race results, owner biographies, build sheets, maintenance schedules, receipts, correspondence, and more.
Storied Cars is a book series of magnificent stories beautifully told.
“We were doing about 140 miles per hour and we went up over the hill and it never came down”
Private commission, 2023. National Library Collection. ISBN: 9780646886367
A Le Mans Diary
Book cover design by David Dowsey. Photos by David Wright and David Dowsey
The Le Mans 24 Hours is the ultimate test of mechanical and human endurance, and justly acclaimed as the world’s greatest motor race.
Closely following the gruelling French enduro of 2006, David Dowsey goes track-side to cover the famous Audi diesel win and the other ‘races within the race’, featuring evocative marques such as Ferrari, Porsche, Spyker, Aston Martin, Corvette, Lola, Pescarolo, and Lamborghini.
Along the way, he visits the unique Aston Martin DB7 V8 Le Mans at Manoir de l'Automobile, explores Monet’s Garden, pays his respects to Leonardo da Vinci at Château d’Amboise and gets a front row seat at Le Mans scrutineering and the Drivers’ Parade; all while enjoying the famous hospitality of the Hotel de France, the home of John Wyer and his successful Aston Martin, Gulf Ford and Porsche teams from 1953 to 1975.
A Le Mans Diary features specially commissioned end papers by noted illustrator, Mike Harbar; all-colour photography by David Wright and David Dowsey; a complete race report; and comprehensive results chart.
“Dowsey has another commendable book to his name, the limited-edition
A Le Mans Diary”
Doright Publishing, 2007. National Library Collection. ISBN: 9780646475592
Coming out of the cold: The intriguing story of John Morgan and Co, tailors to John F. Kennedy, Harold Macmillan and John Le Carré
Photo by Richard Weinstein
Why would a US president and the British prime minister share the same tailor during one of the 20th Century’s biggest crises? The mind boggles.
Many bespoke tailoring houses have fascinating histories and storied clients, but only one can lay claim to concurrently tailoring for John F. Kennedy and Harold Macmillan at the height of the Cold War. John Le Carré, who wrote gripping spy thrillers of that era, also had his suits made there, as did Agatha Christie. And so the plot thickens...
Coming out of the cold unravels the true story of why these fascinating people – and many more – frequented John Morgan & Co, an almost 200-year-old British bespoke tailoring house.
Written with the cooperation of John Morgan & Co’s proprietor, David Dowsey has comprehensively compiled Coming out of the cold from various sources, including interviews with the owner’s family members, current and surviving staff, the records of numerous British museums and archives, and extensive archival material owned by John Morgan & Co. Hundreds of period images and the specially commissioned photography of Richard Weinstein add gravitas to this most intriguing of tales.
Private commission, 2024. ISBN: TBA
VACC: Powering automotive for 100 years
Book cover design by Faith Johnstone
The automobile industry is the force behind a nation's motoring life. Without it, many commercial and social activities would come to an abrupt halt. The force behind Victoria's automotive industry for a century has been the Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce (VACC). This is its story.
VACC: Powering automotive for 100 years is a collectible book of outstanding quality, chronicling the 100-year history of VACC and all things automotive in Australia over the past century. Authored by respected motoring historian, Bill Tuckey – with additional text by automotive business authority, Ian Porter, and David Dowsey, who also edited the book, VACC: Powering automotive for 100 years is VACC's official centennial publication.
VACC: Powering automotive for 100 years features precious archival black and white and colour photographs of Victorian automotive identities and the businesses they have run and provides insights into the crucial role the automobile has played in Australia throughout the last century. A large-scale coffee table book of 236 pages, VACC: Powering automotive for 100 years comes complete with a high-quality slipcase and ribbon bookmark.
VACC, 2019 (including hard cover and soft cover versions). National Library Collection.
ISBN: 9780646598314
On Solid Ground: 90 Years of VACC
Book cover design by Gavin van Langenberg
Authored by revered motoring journalist, and creator of the Wheels Car of the Year award, Bill Tuckey, and edited by David Dowsey, On Solid Ground is the official history and story of the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC).
A large-scale coffee table book of 224 pages, On Solid Ground contains hundreds of historic images of Victorian automotive businesses and provides insights into how Australians ‘motored’ throughout the 20th Century with the help of the salespeople, mechanics, crash repairers, tyre dealers and others, who kept their vehicles on the road.
VACC, 2008 (including hard cover and soft cover versions). National Library Collection.
ISBN: 9780949563224