The Royal Automobile Club has awarded its 2025 Motoring Book of the Year title to celebrated historian Karl Ludvigsen for his monumental three-volume study Power Unleashed: Trailblazers who Energised Engines with Supercharging and Turbocharging.
Published by Evro, the 665,000-word work is the culmination of more than six decades of research into the evolution of forced induction in both aviation and the motor car. Spanning everything from early Grand Prix experimentation to the turbocharged dominance of Le Mans and the modern road car, it represents the definitive record of how supercharging and turbocharging reshaped the pursuit of performance.
Accepting the award, Ludvigsen, now 91, said: ‘It’s deeply gratifying to see Power Unleashed recognised in this way. Forced induction has fascinated me since I was a student engineer in the 1950s, and this project represents a lifelong journey of discovery. I hope readers will share my admiration for the brilliant minds who turned air and pressure into power.’
Among the other winners was Meyers Manx 1964–2024, produced by the Magneto team at Hothouse Media and written by LA-based contributor Basem Wasef, which took the category for books priced under £50. Editorial director David Lillywhite accepted the award on Wasef’s behalf at the Club’s Pall Mall headquarters.
Further accolades went to Joseph Figoni: Le Grand Couturier de la Carrosserie Automobile Vol. II–IV: Bugatti by Peter Larsen and Ben Erickson, A.J. Foyt – Vol. 1: Survivor, Champion, Legend by Art Garner, and My Travels on Racer Road by Pete Lyons. The Graham Robson Award for Best Debut Author was presented to Alejo Pérez Monsalvo for De Tomaso: Racing Blue Blood.
A posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award honoured Gordon Cruickshank, long-time Motor Sport editor, whose insight and integrity defined British motor sport journalism for decades.
The judging panel, chaired by Simon Taylor, comprised Mick Walsh, Damien Smith, Octane’s Mark Dixon, Ian Titchmarsh, Ben Horton and Christian Whitehead.
Highlights of the evening can be seen on this YouTube video.
