Goldie: He Amazing Story of Alfred Goldie Gardner, the World’s Most Successful Speed-Record Driver

Dessau, Germany, 1939. A 49-year-old veteran of the Great War hobbles over to his sleek, green racing car, hands his walking stick to his mechanic and awkwardly pulls his damaged leg into the bowels of the machine. His hosts, the glamorous young drivers of the Nazi state-sponsored Silver Arrows team, share bemused grins as he rolls up his sleeves, dons an old-fashioned leather racing cap and pulls down his goggles. A few minutes later, to the astonishment of the Germans, the mostly selffunded car flashes past at over 200mph, setting a host of new international records.

Goldie moves from the brutality of an Edwardian public school, through the jungles of Ceylon and into the blood-soaked trenches of the Somme. The book follows Goldie Gardner as he emerges into the post-war world, trying to make sense of what has happened, finding friendship and love, and searching for a way to prove himself. Motor racing and record breaking seem to offer a solution, but what follows is a story of obsession that establishes him as one of the most extraordinary record breakers of all time but leads to heartbreak, betrayal and eventually taking one risk too many.

John Mayhead is one of the UK’s foremost classic car writers and commentators, contributing regularly to various national newspapers and magazines, TV, radio and podcasts. Since 2012, he has been the Editor of the UK Hagerty Price Guide and European Bureau Chief for Hagerty Insider. John is also a concours judge, is the owner of a small but eclectic group of old cars and likes nothing better than getting his hands dirty under the bonnet, especially when helped by one of his five children. Previously, John served in the British Army, including operational deployments to Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. He is married and lives within earshot of Goodwood in Sussex. Goldie is his first book.