306 replies to this topic

[Doug Nye]

Our great friend and colleague Geoffrey Goddard - for many enthusiasts one of the top three motor racing photographers of the 1950s-1970s - passed away this morning, after a brief illness. In addition to his own photography he worked tirelessly for many years to collect and preserve the motor sporting photography of his predecessors, from the 1890s forward. If it had not been for his discreet yet all-embracing interest, much of this material would never have survived at all. His finest personal work comes probably from the Targa Florio, Spa and the Nurburgring, and Monaco (in that order). His life's work survives him. As does the legacy of enjoyment and entertainment and a trailer-truckload of 'Geoff stories' which coloured and enriched the lives of this unique character's friends.

DCN

[Kpy]

RIP Geoff Goddard.
I have Track Pass with me now. A great collection of his work to remember him by.

[Dennis Hockenbury]

I am terribly saddened to learn of Geoffrey's passing. Many of his timeless images form much of my visual impression of the Grand Prix era prior to the time of my involvement.

My sincere condolences to his family and friends.

[Keir]

Track Pass is a favorite among favorites !!

[David McKinney]

Sad news indeed

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by Doug Nye
Our great friend and colleague Geoffrey Goddard - for many enthusiasts one of the top three motor racing photographers of the 1950s-1970s - passed away this morning, after a brief illness. In addition to his own photography he worked tirelessly for many years to collect and preserve the motor sporting photography of his predecessors, from the 1890s forward. If it had not been for his discreet yet all-embracing interest, much of this material would never have survived at all. His finest personal work comes probably from the Targa Florio, Spa and the Nurburgring, and Monaco (in that order). His life's work survives him. As does the legacy of enjoyment and entertainment and a trailer-truckload of 'Geoff stories' which coloured and enriched the lives of this unique character's friends.

DCN

Very sad news. Track Pass brings out so much of his character and collects a lot of great photography.

[Macca]

That is extremely sad news. I hope we will be allowed to share some of those 'Geoff stories', as well as to know a little more about the man, to go with his legacy of brilliant photographs.


Paul M

[pilota]

Hello Doug

Really sad to hear about Geoff. I met him a few times in one of my previous incarnations, and remember him with fondness.
It's interesting that you say "His finest personal work comes probably from the Targa Florio, Spa and the Nurburgring, and Monaco (in that order)" as most will probably be familiar with his Le Mans work - an event he hated IIRC.
My condolences to yourself, and Geoff's family and friends. As you say "His life's work survives him" (which is probably more than most of us can say)
Nathan

PS - My favourite (probably unsurprisingly) is Ferrari In Camera.

[Ruairidh]

I am so sorry to hear this sad news.

[Adam F]

Very sad news.

As Doug says, Geoff Goddard's pioneering work in preserving many examples of early motor sports photography should rank alongside his more widely recognized talents a great photographer.

Although I never met him, I understand he was a true "character".

[RTH]

Sad news indeed, so many motor racing people seem to have left us in the recent past.

[David M. Kane]

A real star has gone missing...I enjoyed his work very much.

[Rob29]

RIP Geoff. Another name that seems to have been in print as long as I have followed the sport passes on.

[Hans Etzrodt]

Very sad news.

I hope Geoffrey Goddard's legacy will pass into good hands.

[Gary C]

Unbelievable. RIP Geoff.

[Alan Cox]

May I echo all of the above sentiments. His great record spans the years that most TNFers hold in fondest memory - probably due, in no small part, to Geoff's contribution.

[MattKellett]

I'm very saddened to hear this news. I think we all agree that Geoff had a great talent for composition, not only of the cars we enjoy so much in motion, but he really captured the essence of the sport with shots of cars being prepared for racing. One of my favorites is of some school boys watching the mechanics working on a Ferrari in an old garage.

My condolences to his family and close friends, and my thanks for sharing your world with us.

Matt

[pilota]

Originally posted by Hans Etzrodt
Very sad news.
I hope Geoffrey Goddard's legacy will pass into good hands.

I believe it already has. IIRC Doug Nye owns the Geoff Goddard photo collection.
Nathan

[Macca]

Jointly I believe with Paul Vestey, a previous owner of P3/4 c/n 0854, now owned by MKIVJ6.


Paul M

[D-Type]

Sad news indeed.

My condolences to his family and friends.

[jj2728]

Oh my, this is sad indeed. Very few Grands Prix reports were as interesting to me as those penned by Henry Manney and photographed by Geoffrey Goddard in Road & Track.

[Duncan Fox]

Sad news. Many of the McLaren Trust photographs have his stamp on the back of them. His work will record forever the many moments in time, that people such as myself now study to recover the information captured within.

[Scuderia SSS]

yes very sad indeed, i have many photos by Geoff, and as Nathan previously said "Ferrari in Camera" a particular favourite of mine.
My sincere condolencies to all that knew and loved him.

Paul.

[Doug Nye]

Thank you all - I am passing on your kind comments to Geoff's widow, Betty. They were married for 51 years, having spent their honeymoon at the 1954 Spanish GP, Pedralbes, Barcelona...

I think Geoff would have liked you all to enjoy some of his personal favourites - here's one many of you might recall... :



Copyright: Geoff Goddard/The GP Library

[James Page]

That's a wonderful photo! Guessing it's Vaccarella from the reception?

Are Goddard's pics online anywhere, a la Klemantaski? I've done a quick Google search but can't find anything.

[Doug Nye]

No James - not legally. We used to have a website but it proved beyond steam-powered us!

DCN

[James Page]

Shame! Looks like I'll have to invest in 'Track Pass' instead - it seems to come highly recommended around here.

[Arjan de Roos]

In Holland we have a saying thats like: He who writes, will remain forever. I guess the many photos can replace many letters.

[David M. Kane]

Talking about a photo being worth a 1,000 wods...so wonderfully spirited and intense...

[d j fox]

A very talented gentleman indeed. To me his great talent was the ability to produce not merely pictures of cars and drivers, but somehow to capture the real essence of motor racing and the personalities of the 50’s, 60’s and 70s.
My condolences to his family.

[Barrie Hobkirk]

Sad news that indeed hurts. I will miss Geffrey Goddard. Through Doug a visit was arranged to Geffrey in the Sandhurst woods back in the early 1990's. Intending to spend the entire day digging through his vast photographic records for 250F material, I was quickly side-tracked by his other passion. The railroad. His collection of scale railway engines, cars and books would impress the best. We had such an enjoyable day going over each and every model and railroad book. So much so, that upon my return to Canada, I purchased and sent him a book on the history of Canadian railways. I will miss Geffrey Goddard. My sincere condolencies to all that met or knew him.
Barrie Hobkirk

[M Needforspeed]

a very sad new .

How many Goddard pics I haver scanned so far ? countless

After Jabby crombac, Keith Duckworth, another big loss of those who could keep the memory of Motor racing evolution




Geoffrey Goddard had an internet site , isn it ?

[West3]

How terribly sad...

Geoffrey Goddard and Henry Manney's collaborative efforts in the pages of Road & Track were instrumental in inspiring my lifelong passion for motorsports. The words and images seemed to leap off the pages, capturing the essence of a golden era.

Geoff Goddard's evocative work will not be forgotten.

[Twin Window]

Originally posted by Doug Nye

...here's one many of you might recall:

Oh, yes.

A genuine classic.

[Doug Nye]

Here's another couple Geoff always enjoyed...





Copyright: Geoff Goddard/The GP Library

DCN

[Twin Window]

Wonderful; especially the mechanics labouring with the engine.

For me, Geoff's b&w photos always seemed to enjoy an element of lighting/contrast that his peers more often than not failed to achieve.

[Scuderia SSS]

And his still life was equally as good as his action shots...still capturing an esscence of life
Copyright Geoff Goddard of course

[jj2728]

Originally posted by Doug Nye
Here's another couple Geoff always enjoyed...



Copyright: Geoff Goddard/The GP Library

DCN

A classic. I have that photo in my copy of Automobile Year number 15. It is from the 1967 24 hours of Le Mans. The caption is as follows:
"The indefatigable Ferrari mechanics install a new P4 engine before the race. The men from
Maranello always work with dedication".

[Bill Wagenblatt]

Along with many others, an article in Road & Track written by Henry Manney with Geoff Goddard photographs was instrumental in my early motor sports education.

Geoff Goddard RIP you’ll be missed by many. My condolences to his family and many friends.



Geoff Goddard at the 1974 Dutch GP

Bill

[MCS]

Yet another link to the great and glorious past gone.

His photographs were wonderful, quite wonderful. I can still see in my mind's eye so many magical images that enraptured me in my youth.

The b/w photograph of the Targa Florio posted by Doug - for me, anyway - sums up his genius.

God rest his soul and let us all be thankful for his truly magnificent work.

[Paul Parker]

Out here copies of Autosport are nowhere to be seen and I missed the obits in the serious papers if indeed they bothered.

I first met GG in 1988/89 and bought some pics from him, although he was much more interested in chatting to my girlfriend about horses. Later I met him again in the company of Michael Cooper. He was quite a character. How very sad.

[Arturo Pereira]

Indeed a sad loss. My condolences to his family and friends.

Track Pass is a classic.

[Michael Oliver]

Just noticed this news, very sad. I have long been an admirer of Geoffrey Goddard's photos and the Targa shot from behind the car must be one of the all-time great motor racing pics.

I have used numerous GPL pics in my books and also for research, as Geoffrey was one of those people who liked to photograph the technical details of the cars and how their specification changed from race to race, rather than just on-track shots. Thank goodness for people like him, as his shots are invaluable when you are trying to verify the history of a particular chassis - many a GPL shot has been used for rivet-counting purposes!

And Track Pass is my favourite browsing book for motor racing nostalgia - just wish there were more volumes like it! Any chance of a volume 2 Doug?!

[JohnS]

Originally posted by Michael Oliver
And Track Pass is my favourite browsing book for motor racing nostalgia - just wish there were more volumes like it! Any chance of a volume 2 Doug?!

Track Pass is a great book, one of my favourites. I'd love a volume 2 as well, but I'd also love a reprint of Volume 1 where the photos are printed and reproduced better. If you compare the quality of the paper/printing etc to, for instance, Track Record by Maurice Rowe, or Formula One through the Lens by Nigel Snowdon, it's very poor, and doesn't do justice to the terrific photography.

It would also be nice to see some of his work in colour (I'm presuming he did take some colour shots?).

John

[Allen Brown]

Like Michael, I somehow missed this thread. This is a real loss.

Can I add my condolences - to his friends as well as to his family.

Allen

[Doug Nye]

From Betty Goddard, thanks to all TNFers for your very kind thoughts and comments.

Enjoy...


1


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Photos copyright: Geoff Goddard/The GP Library

DCN

[Twin Window]

Marvellous...

[Alan Cox]

Oh, to have been there, standing just behind Geoff!

Brilliant, as ever. Thank you, Doug, for posting these.

[Doug Nye]

I forgot...

[Vitesse2]

That Gonzales picture is wonderful, Doug. Perhaps the same occasion as this one?