Must remember not to use the adjective ‘definitive’ in this review, because that’s just what I thought Simon Moore’s previous books would turn out to be, only he keeps demonstrating that there is no such thing as definitive – at least not until we get to the end of time. Until then, Simon will continue to root out and dredge up more lost, hidden and obscure information about his beloved supercharged Alfa Romeos, and he will continue to issue updates like this one, rightly called The 8C Story Continues, rather than risk suggesting that this will finally be the last word.
It seems remarkable now that, as comprehensive as it was, Simon’s first book was compiled without the help of Google or digital scanning. As he points out in his foreword he (like Motor Sport) relied on postal letters and sending photos through the mail. Since then the internet has opened a million potential research avenues and speeded communication radically, while a number of important photo archives have also become newly available. The results are contained in this heavyweight production, as crisply presented as the previous Parkside works with some truly wonderful photos used healthily large.