LUDVIGSEN'S HAT-TRICK
Every autumn motoring books are honoured at three big awards events: the Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year Awards, the International Historic Motoring Awards and the Guild of Motoring Writers Awards. This year Karl Ludvigsen’s MSMT-supported Power Unleashed won all three — an unprecedented achievement.
Power Unleashed has been many decades in the making and was finally published in April 2025 at the time of its author’s 91st birthday. Karl Ludvigsen has won over 60 book awards during his distinguished career but never before has he garnered three in the space of just a few weeks.
First came the Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year Awards on 29 October. From 15 shortlisted books in five categories, the six-strong panel of judges chose Power Unleashed as the overall winner. Jeremy Vaughan, Head of Motoring at the Royal Automobile Club, commented: “Power Unleashed is 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.”
Two weeks later, on 15 November, it was the turn of the International Historic Motoring Awards. Hosted by broadcaster and racing driver Amanda Stretton, this event issued 17 awards across the breadth of the historic motoring world and Power Unleashed was the judges’ choice for Book of the Year. The citation stated: “This life’s work by Karl Ludvigsen on the history and impact of supercharging and turbocharging was rewarded for its depth of information and high quality of presentation.”
Finally, the Guild of Motoring Writers held its Awards Evening on 4 December. The Hagerty Award for the Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy is the Guild’s book award and one of its ‘blue riband’ honours, inaugurated in 1972 on the occasion of the opening of the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu. The very first winner was — guess who! — Karl Ludvigsen for his book The Mercedes-Benz Racing Cars, and in 2026 Karl won the award for a record fifth time for Power Unleashed. As pictured, the trophy was presented to him by the 2024 winner, John Mayhead of sponsor Hagerty Classic Car Insurance, and Robert MacGregor, Chair of the National Motor Museum Trust.
