Macchina

This highly desirable edition is an essential acquisition for photography collectors and true motor sports aficionados alike. A sumptuous 376-page volume, it features photographs taken during Nicholson’s illustrious career, including some previously unpublished images. Macchina is a timeless depiction not only of the cars, but the drivers, the mechanics, the spectators. Nicholson is as fascinated in the thrill of machines moving at breath-taking speed as he is in the spectacle of the race, the crowds and the colourful characters behind the scenes. 

As Christopher Nurse writes in the book’s foreword; “At its heart Macchina is about human endeavour: people striving to excel and achieve something of significance through the application of knowledge, skill, ingenuity and willpower.” 

Opening with images of road trips on two-lane blacktops crossing the deserts of the USA. It encompasses stock-car racing in Tonopah, Nevada (passing through Goldfield, home to the blind DJ ‘Super Soul’ from the 1971 film Vanishing Point), speed trials on the dry lakes in Utah, drag racing in Southern California, NASCAR racing in South Carolina, the Carrera Panamericana in Mexico. Featuring a hill climb in the UK, races involving historic machinery around the ramparts of Angoulême and the streets of Monaco, the iconic race around the clock at Le Mans, and of course the incomparable Formula One. 

Macchina chronicles the freedom, excitement, teamwork and poetic essence at the heart of this unique sport. These are the atmospheric images that take you behind the scenes into every aspect of the world of motor sports, from the raw, grass roots energy of banger racing to the spectacular verve and passion of Grand Prix. As such, Macchina is a fascinating social commentary as well as a unique photographic journey.

Nicholson has been granted unprecedented access to leading personalities and events, however his focus as a photographer is never merely on the personalities themselves, but how people prepare for their gladiatorial moments.

Nicholson comments, “In the process I’ve met people whose raw passion for the automobile and motor racing is second to none: people who travel the world in search of the perfect drive, be it in a straight line, around a dirt oval or on a modern Grand Prix circuit. I’ve met some who give everything they have just to race at the weekend, working hard and then even harder on their car just to go that little bit quicker. The stories behind their love of racing resonate with me. I admire people who never waver from their goals and I share their passion and commitment.” 

With insightful accompanying text by writer and former Guardian chief sports journalist Richard Williams, and an introduction by Jon Nicholson, the book is beautifully crafted in Florence and released as a numbered, limited-edition of just 1000, signed by Nicholson. 

This truly extraordinary volume, published by Fyshe, is destined to become a highly collectible photography edition and a treasure for true fans of motorsport all over the world.