Optimism - The Enthusiast's Guide to the Great Aussie Special Racing Cars

5th edition, printed in April 2014, Compiled by Dick Willis

Optimism: The Enthusiast's Guide to the Great Aussie Special Racing Cars representing the golden age of Australian Motor Racing.

Foreward

For decades, from the hilly banana plantations of subtropical Coffs Harbour Dick Willis has ventured widely across Australia - to Mount Panorama's swoops and dives, to the seagulls and white horse fences of Sandown, to splendid speedhappy Phillip Island, to that race-circuit-in-a-paddock Winton, across the flat sere desert landscapes to Mallala and Collingrove, to all the scruffy circuits and hills of NSW„ even across the ditch to New Zealand. To Dick, the Queensland circuits are just a doddle. Each year Dick has set Historic Racing's most-traveled record, and continues to do so. It has been my great pleasure to accompany Dick .on many of those travels and to many of those races, usually he with his car and I with mine. This has been an educational trip through our lives, our passions, and our aspirations. Then Dick goes home to Coffs Harbour to drive his wife Joan delivering Meals on Wheels to those who need.

I recall Dick at Gnoo Blas hurrying me down row after row of display vehicles to excitedly show me an American truck so fastidiously restored that its dance floor standard timber rear tray was fastened by plated bolts whose flats all lined up. After that I sent him a Christmas card which said "From one dribbling enthusiast to another".

For what seemed like forever, Dick was the registrar for our sort of cars. He did a good and conscientious job, repeatedly recognized for its quality.

And now he has applied this great experience, this great passion and enthusiasm, and this hard work to another worthy project. Dick said long ago that he was going to create a book of "Australian Specials" - and this is the result.
This is a good man and this, his latest work, is a good book. I commend it to all.

John Medley