Birkin, centre, might have belittled himself in print, but in reality he was a dashing character
GAMMA-KEYSTONE VIA GETTY IMAGES
WE ALL HAVE A COPY OF Full Throttle, don’t we? A core book of any motoring library, written by a dashing hero of the track. Have we all read it fully? I realise now that having bought it looking for romance and excitement, I skipped what Birkin calls the kernel of his book – lambasting the 1930s establishment about the poor facilities and support for motor racing. Sued by Brooklands, the very place we picture him, for slamming the ageing track as inadequate and dangerous he had to insert a mild retraction – without removing the contentious words.