Karl Ludvigsen powers to Book of the Year
Congratulations to Guild member Karl Ludvigsen, whose latest book Power Unleashed: Trailblazers who Energised Engines with Supercharging and Turbocharging, has been crowned the Royal Automobile Club’s 2025 Motoring Book of the Year.
The announcement was made at a ceremony held at the Royal Automobile Club in central London on 29th October and attended by distinguished motoring and motor racing authors and publishers from around the world.
Karl, who shows no sign of slowing down at the age of 91, is one of the world’s most respected automotive historians and authors, having written landmark works on Porsche, Corvette and Mercedes-Benz.
Power Unleashed, published by Evro Publishing, represents the culmination of his lifetime of research into the evolution of supercharging and turbocharging. The three-volume work, running to 665,000 words, charts how engineers and visionaries revolutionised the performance of cars and aircraft through forced induction, and how these power-boosting technologies transformed Grand Prix racing, Le Mans and everyday motoring.
Karl, pictured above with Duncan Wiltshire, chairman of the Royal Automobile Club, described the award as deeply gratifying, saying: “Forced induction has fascinated me since I was a student engineer in the 1950s, and this project represents a lifelong journey of discovery – I would like to extend my thanks to Evro Publishing for their belief in this project and their superb work in making it a reality.”
Jeremy Vaughan, Head of Motoring at the Royal Automobile Club, described Power Unleashed as a towering achievement and a truly definitive work. “It is beautifully produced, deeply researched, and stands as a landmark publication that will serve as an important reference for engineers, historians, and enthusiasts alike,” he said.
The presentations also saw the Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously awarded to Guild member Gordon Cruickshank, celebrating his exceptional influence and enduring contribution to the UK’s motoring and motorsport literary scene.
Gordon, who died in December 2024, served as Deputy Editor of Motor Sport magazine for more than three decades. The award citation described his contributions as helping to shape the very voice of British motorsport writing – his deep historical knowledge, sharp editorial eye, and unwavering commitment to accuracy earned him immense respect among peers and enthusiasts, while beyond his editorial achievements, Gordon was a tireless advocate for motoring literature.
