It is with great sadness that Peter's family announce his sudden and unexpected death. He will be much missed by his family, his local community and the wider world in which he took so much interest and made such a mark.

Peter approached this book project in a very hands-on way, handling all aspects of sale and distribution himself. He was delighted and amazed at the response to it and copies have circulated all over the world. His untimely death means that sales of remaining copies will be delayed while the family are processing Peter's affairs in the aftermath. Thanks for your understanding in the meantime.

Christmas stop press! I've been reading the life story of Peter Wright, called How Did I Get Here?, and it's fantastic. Wright was one of the elite engineers who worked with Colin Chapman at Lotus to build some of the world's greatest grand prix cars, after which he joined the FIA to regulate the sport. The clarity of his words, his modesty and the enormity of the events that unfolded around him are mesmerising.

Best of all is a nine-page chapter on his 'spare time' project of 1976-1977: running wind tunnel tests for the Lotus 78's designer, Ralph Bellamy. He describes how a tired and cut-about quarterscale model with sagging sidepods led to the historic discovery of ground effects - and how the full-sized car's side skirts were subsequently tested on a Renault 4 van. The description is so matter-of-fact that I found it quite moving.

As I write, I've only reached page 125 of 339, but I'll be reading the rest tonight. Spend your wisest £30 of the silly season on a copy direct from Peter at howdidigethere.co.uk.
Steve Cropley – Autocar