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#1 Doug Nye

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Posted 23 August 2021 - 13:40

Most painfully, I have to report that another of our great friends has passed away this morning - and in this case, only in his mid-60s, agonisingly too early.  

 

Robert Brooks - auctioneer, former racing driver, European Touring Car Champion (Group N),  successful Historic racer, former Chairman of the BRDC - lost his two-year battle with cancer this morning.  

 

I first got to know him when he was a starry-eyed teenaged motor racing enthusiast wearing a brown coat and working as a porter at the Christie's South Kensington sale-room headed by his auctioneer father, Bill.  They ran regular sales of motoring books and collectibles. Soon Robert was promoted, becoming the blazered or suit-wearing sophisticated No 2 in the Hon. Patrick Lindsay's pet motoring department of Christie's, and then its dynamic and ambitious head.

 

He and I worked together closely from as early as 1981 and the BRM Collection Sale - then the Bugatti Royale sale in the Albert Hall in 1987.  In preparation for that he had been talking of possible venues, dismissing each of the usual ones in turn as being inadequate for cars of such great calibre.  As a throwaway remark I rashly said "Huh - you'll be hiring the Albert Hall next".  Within days RB phoned me and said "You know you suggested The Albert Hall other day?  Well I've just hired it!"...  And he had.

 

Christie's dedicated historic and classic car sales boomed under his deft direction. The Monaco Sales were launched, and succeeded, but RB's frustrations with Christie's relatively staid, unimaginative and restrictive ways chafed.  With equally enthusiastic backing and encouragement from Dutch collector and museum proprietor Evert Louwman, RB created Brooks Auctioneers in 1989 - just in time for the collapse in the classic car market.  

 

After early struggles the new company flourished with a combination of RB's ex-Christie's crew (including yrs trly) and our counterparts from Sotheby's car department (led by Malcolm Barber) gelling into what became, in the 1990s, the strongest classic car auction company in the business.  

 

Brooks Auctioneers became so profitable it absorbed Bonhams and the British operation of Phillips, and was re-branded under the Bonhams name (because while Brooks had been founded only in 1989, Bonhams had been founded in 1793...). 

 

Robert had been a frustrated would-be racing driver since his teens. After a Jim Russell school course - in which he and fellow-pupil, future Formula 1 journalist, Alan Henry impressed each other - he had a brief Formula Ford career with a Dastle, ended abruptly by a sizeable shunt which consumed the last of his available funds. He learned to fly, to parachute, he was a decent game shot but he hankered after racing to emulate in some modest way his hero Jackie Stewart. In the early 1990s with Evert Louwman's D-Type Jaguars and Lotus 15 he learned the ropes, and to temper his initial wildly competitive driving for long enough actually to reach the finish.  In his early races, of all the flags he'd seen the chequer was a rarity.

 

At an early Goodwood sprint meeting word went round that RB was about to run in the D-Type.  "Ooh good" cried someone, "All down to the chicane to watch Brookie spin off!".  So down we went and - sure enough - leaving Woodcote - he spun off.  

 

But race driving tuition, first from veteran John Harper, later from Rob Wilson, careful Lotus 15 preparation from David Noble and (least) frequent rollickings from myself saw RB turn himself into a fast, controlled, tough and capable amateur racer.  With Rob he won their European touring car title (in class), which qualified him for long-coveted full membership of the BRDC.  Always a man wanting to run the show he worked hard there to become a Committee member and then Chairman and, in sometimes tense negotiation with Bernie Ecclestone, he helped steer the Club through some difficult times.  

 

But then health problems began to intrude.  A few years ago he and Evert Louwman sold their joint creation - the modern Bonhams company - typically, at the top of the potential market, to new private equity owners and thereafter Robert concentrated upon renovating and running an extensive farm he had bought in deepest Somerset.

 

Over the decades he and I had circled the globe together several times on 'old car' business.  We had hunted great cars and vintage aircraft in the USA, Uruguay, Japan, Australia and New Zealand - we had run cars repeatedly in the Classic Adelaide Rally in Oz, and we had indulged a shared interest in military history even by spending time yomping across the Falklands.  RB was also absolutely instrumental in helping Charles March at Goodwood create our Festival of Speed - then the Revival Meeting.  The man was a serious player.  And he was principled.  And in my experience he was commercially as straight as a gun barrel.

 

Like his great friend and long-time sparring partner Adrian Hamilton, also lost to us this past grim weekend, he lived at full throttle - and he encouraged and fostered many new young talents within his business world.  He wasn't always user friendly. He had a short fuse, and he always wore his heart on his sleeve - but he seldom bore a grudge and any detonation was usually justified - and when it wasn't he would  be the first to apologise and seek to put the matter right.  His team respected and admired him. - some of the younger ones perhaps with that little frisson of fear...but get it right, and he would support them to the hilt.

 

Robert leaves wife Evelyn, daughter Sarah, sons Charlie and John - and umpteen grandchildren.  We were all privileged - and are now all proud - to have known him.

 

DCN

 

 

 

 



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#2 Gary C

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Posted 23 August 2021 - 13:54

Very sorry to hear this, Doug. I well remember Coys meetings at Silverstone where he duelled successfully with F.Sytner!

#3 RobertE

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Posted 23 August 2021 - 16:41

That is utterly shocking and appalling  news. What an excellent fellow he was; I had no inkling he was even unwell! RIP



#4 Pullman99

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Posted 23 August 2021 - 17:30

Very sad to hear this news.  I knew Robert mainly through my time at the National Motor Museum and through his kindness and generosity in connection with a number of projects with which I was involved.   He will be greatly missed by the historic motoring world.  



#5 cpbell

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Posted 23 August 2021 - 19:46

Most painfully, I have to report that another of our great friends has passed away this morning - and in this case, only in his mid-60s, agonisingly too early.  

 

Robert Brooks - auctioneer, former racing driver, European Touring Car Champion (Group N),  successful Historic racer, former Chairman of the BRDC - lost his two-year battle with cancer this morning.  

 

I first got to know him when he was a starry-eyed teenaged motor racing enthusiast wearing a brown coat and working as a porter at the Christie's South Kensington sale-room headed by his auctioneer father, Bill.  They ran regular sales of motoring books and collectibles. Soon Robert was promoted, becoming the blazered or suit-wearing sophisticated No 2 in the Hon. Patrick Lindsay's pet motoring department of Christie's, and then its dynamic and ambitious head.

 

He and I worked together closely from as early as 1981 and the BRM Collection Sale - then the Bugatti Royale sale in the Albert Hall in 1987.  In preparation for that he had been talking of possible venues, dismissing each of the usual ones in turn as being inadequate for cars of such great calibre.  As a throwaway remark I rashly said "Huh - you'll be hiring the Albert Hall next".  Within days RB phoned me and said "You know you suggested The Albert Hall other day?  Well I've just hired it!"...  And he had.

 

Christie's dedicated historic and classic car sales boomed under his deft direction. The Monaco Sales were launched, and succeeded, but RB's frustrations with Christie's relatively staid, unimaginative and restrictive ways chafed.  With equally enthusiastic backing and encouragement from Dutch collector and museum proprietor Evert Louwman, RB created Brooks Auctioneers in 1989 - just in time for the collapse in the classic car market.  

 

After early struggles the new company flourished with a combination of RB's ex-Christie's crew (including yrs trly) and our counterparts from Sotheby's car department (led by Malcolm Barber) gelling into what became, in the 1990s, the strongest classic car auction company in the business.  

 

Brooks Auctioneers became so profitable it absorbed Bonhams and the British operation of Phillips, and was re-branded under the Bonhams name (because while Brooks had been founded only in 1989, Bonhams had been founded in 1793...). 

 

Robert had been a frustrated would-be racing driver since his teens. After a Jim Russell school course - in which he and fellow-pupil, future Formula 1 journalist, Alan Henry impressed each other - he had a brief Formula Ford career with a Dastle, ended abruptly by a sizeable shunt which consumed the last of his available funds. He learned to fly, to parachute, he was a decent game shot but he hankered after racing to emulate in some modest way his hero Jackie Stewart. In the early 1990s with Evert Louwman's D-Type Jaguars and Lotus 15 he learned the ropes, and to temper his initial wildly competitive driving for long enough actually to reach the finish.  In his early races, of all the flags he'd seen the chequer was a rarity.

 

At an early Goodwood sprint meeting word went round that RB was about to run in the D-Type.  "Ooh good" cried someone, "All down to the chicane to watch Brookie spin off!".  So down we went and - sure enough - leaving Woodcote - he spun off.  

 

But race driving tuition, first from veteran John Harper, later from Rob Wilson, careful Lotus 15 preparation from David Noble and (least) frequent rollickings from myself saw RB turn himself into a fast, controlled, tough and capable amateur racer.  With Rob he won their European touring car title (in class), which qualified him for long-coveted full membership of the BRDC.  Always a man wanting to run the show he worked hard there to become a Committee member and then Chairman and, in sometimes tense negotiation with Bernie Ecclestone, he helped steer the Club through some difficult times.  

 

But then health problems began to intrude.  A few years ago he and Evert Louwman sold their joint creation - the modern Bonhams company - typically, at the top of the potential market, to new private equity owners and thereafter Robert concentrated upon renovating and running an extensive farm he had bought in deepest Somerset.

 

Over the decades he and I had circled the globe together several times on 'old car' business.  We had hunted great cars and vintage aircraft in the USA, Uruguay, Japan, Australia and New Zealand - we had run cars repeatedly in the Classic Adelaide Rally in Oz, and we had indulged a shared interest in military history even by spending time yomping across the Falklands.  RB was also absolutely instrumental in helping Charles March at Goodwood create our Festival of Speed - then the Revival Meeting.  The man was a serious player.  And he was principled.  And in my experience he was commercially as straight as a gun barrel.

 

Like his great friend and long-time sparring partner Adrian Hamilton, also lost to us this past grim weekend, he lived at full throttle - and he encouraged and fostered many new young talents within his business world.  He wasn't always user friendly. He had a short fuse, and he always wore his heart on his sleeve - but he seldom bore a grudge and any detonation was usually justified - and when it wasn't he would  be the first to apologise and seek to put the matter right.  His team respected and admired him. - some of the younger ones perhaps with that little frisson of fear...but get it right, and he would support them to the hilt.

 

Robert leaves wife Evelyn, daughter Sarah, sons Charlie and John - and umpteen grandchildren.  We were all privileged - and are now all proud - to have known him.

 

DCN

Very sad, from what I heard of him, it seemed he was an absolute enthusiast.  R.I.P.



#6 Ray Bell

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Posted 24 August 2021 - 01:11

I concluded the same thing when I met him at the Bathurst 24-hour race...

 

A gentleman through and through as well.



#7 JacnGille

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Posted 24 August 2021 - 02:02

Sad news



#8 cooper997

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Posted 24 August 2021 - 03:04

Early this morning I sent a message out to a few Aussie enthusiasts about the passings of Richard, Adrian and now Robert.

 

Tony Parkinson aka Parky, sent through these words from his own personal experience. Then a reminder he received from Dean Rainsford.

(shared here with permission).

 

 

"That really is a sudden changing of the guard on the global scene.

 

Whilst I only knew of Richard Williams and Adrian Hamilton, Robert Brooks we did get to know - enticed by Dean Rainsford - as an active Classic Adelaide participant

from inception in 1997 with a Louwman D-type in the company of Doug Nye, Paul Vestey and others from UK and Europe. Brooks also

supported the AGP Historics at Albert Park with several substantial cars. He sold a works Austin Healey for me in 2000 and we met up a few times

in London or at Goodwood. Always a pleasant encounter…liked a cup of tea, he did. Brooks had a fondness for coming Down Under and for the car folk here.

 

He and Louwman sold their interest in Bonhams in 2018 and I had heard on the UK grapevine that Robert was not well - but not to

what extent. Sadly he wasn’t able to stick around to enjoy the spoils but reading Doug’s tribute, he packed plenty into his truncated

time on earth."

 

 

"Dean Rainsford reminded me that Robert was largely responsible for getting the Poms out to Classic Adelaide and that Adrian Hamilton ran C-type in 1997 - complete with an orange in the door pocket. He added that Robert and Doug Nye pushed him into approaching Jack Brabham…"

 

Classic-Adelaide-D-Type-01.jpg

 

Classic-Adelaide-D-Type-02.jpg

Alas, both sceengrabs from Classic Adelaide video footage.

 

 

Condolences to Robert's family and friends.

 

 

Stephen


Edited by cooper997, 24 August 2021 - 03:04.


#9 Doug Nye

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Posted 25 August 2021 - 14:21

RB after his staggering drive in the sports car race at the inaugural Goodwood Revival Meeting in 1998.  Having put so very much into the creation and organisation of that Meeting he was not going to let the body damage caused to the 15 at the start - which resulted in the left-side of the Lotus's tail bodywork being ripped upwards by the airstream to form a quivering airliner-tailfin - prevent him scoring a worthwhile result.  With his hair on fire he had ripped his way back through the field - ignored a black-flag, first shown without the Clerk of the Course's say-so and then rescinded - caught his assailant Frank Sytner's big Lister-Jaguar with I think 2 laps to go and then won a sensational race.  When he came in I said to him "Hang on a minute - I thought I wrote your scripts?".

 

He was quite pleased...  

 

Justifiably.  Note the damaged tail panel bent upwards behind him.

 

DCN

 

RB-Lotus-15.jpg


Edited by Doug Nye, 25 August 2021 - 14:23.


#10 Belmondo

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Posted 25 August 2021 - 15:56

Cracking photo!



#11 SamoanAttorney

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Posted 25 August 2021 - 16:13

With a lurking Jeff Bloxham, if I'm not mistaken.



#12 kyle936

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Posted 25 August 2021 - 16:34

There's a lovely video about Robert's great race described above by Doug, the first Sussex Trophy race at the Goodwood Revival, with contributions from Simon Taylor, Stuart Graham and Robert Brooks himself - I watched it not so long ago and remembered it (not something you forget!), just took me a while to find it again:

 

 

The camera work is a bit wonky (early days for the event) but that doesn't matter - adds to the drama and the suspense.

 

To be honest, that's all I knew about Robert Brooks, other than Doug's eulogy above (sadly, that's too often the way when folk pass away - you only really find out about them after they're gone). In the video he comes across as a very genuine, genial, likeable fellow, but the way he drove that race showed what a fierce character he could be too!



#13 Doug Nye

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Posted 25 August 2021 - 20:05

 ;)   ;)   ;)



#14 Lola5000

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Posted 26 August 2021 - 07:47

Most painfully, I have to report that another of our great friends has passed away this morning - and in this case, only in his mid-60s, agonisingly too early.  

 

Robert Brooks - auctioneer, former racing driver, European Touring Car Champion (Group N),  successful Historic racer, former Chairman of the BRDC - lost his two-year battle with cancer this morning.  

 

I first got to know him when he was a starry-eyed teenaged motor racing enthusiast wearing a brown coat and working as a porter at the Christie's South Kensington sale-room headed by his auctioneer father, Bill.  They ran regular sales of motoring books and collectibles. Soon Robert was promoted, becoming the blazered or suit-wearing sophisticated No 2 in the Hon. Patrick Lindsay's pet motoring department of Christie's, and then its dynamic and ambitious head.

 

He and I worked together closely from as early as 1981 and the BRM Collection Sale - then the Bugatti Royale sale in the Albert Hall in 1987.  In preparation for that he had been talking of possible venues, dismissing each of the usual ones in turn as being inadequate for cars of such great calibre.  As a throwaway remark I rashly said "Huh - you'll be hiring the Albert Hall next".  Within days RB phoned me and said "You know you suggested The Albert Hall other day?  Well I've just hired it!"...  And he had.

 

Christie's dedicated historic and classic car sales boomed under his deft direction. The Monaco Sales were launched, and succeeded, but RB's frustrations with Christie's relatively staid, unimaginative and restrictive ways chafed.  With equally enthusiastic backing and encouragement from Dutch collector and museum proprietor Evert Louwman, RB created Brooks Auctioneers in 1989 - just in time for the collapse in the classic car market.  

 

After early struggles the new company flourished with a combination of RB's ex-Christie's crew (including yrs trly) and our counterparts from Sotheby's car department (led by Malcolm Barber) gelling into what became, in the 1990s, the strongest classic car auction company in the business.  

 

Brooks Auctioneers became so profitable it absorbed Bonhams and the British operation of Phillips, and was re-branded under the Bonhams name (because while Brooks had been founded only in 1989, Bonhams had been founded in 1793...). 

 

Robert had been a frustrated would-be racing driver since his teens. After a Jim Russell school course - in which he and fellow-pupil, future Formula 1 journalist, Alan Henry impressed each other - he had a brief Formula Ford career with a Dastle, ended abruptly by a sizeable shunt which consumed the last of his available funds. He learned to fly, to parachute, he was a decent game shot but he hankered after racing to emulate in some modest way his hero Jackie Stewart. In the early 1990s with Evert Louwman's D-Type Jaguars and Lotus 15 he learned the ropes, and to temper his initial wildly competitive driving for long enough actually to reach the finish.  In his early races, of all the flags he'd seen the chequer was a rarity.

 

At an early Goodwood sprint meeting word went round that RB was about to run in the D-Type.  "Ooh good" cried someone, "All down to the chicane to watch Brookie spin off!".  So down we went and - sure enough - leaving Woodcote - he spun off.  

 

But race driving tuition, first from veteran John Harper, later from Rob Wilson, careful Lotus 15 preparation from David Noble and (least) frequent rollickings from myself saw RB turn himself into a fast, controlled, tough and capable amateur racer.  With Rob he won their European touring car title (in class), which qualified him for long-coveted full membership of the BRDC.  Always a man wanting to run the show he worked hard there to become a Committee member and then Chairman and, in sometimes tense negotiation with Bernie Ecclestone, he helped steer the Club through some difficult times.  

 

But then health problems began to intrude.  A few years ago he and Evert Louwman sold their joint creation - the modern Bonhams company - typically, at the top of the potential market, to new private equity owners and thereafter Robert concentrated upon renovating and running an extensive farm he had bought in deepest Somerset.

 

Over the decades he and I had circled the globe together several times on 'old car' business.  We had hunted great cars and vintage aircraft in the USA, Uruguay, Japan, Australia and New Zealand - we had run cars repeatedly in the Classic Adelaide Rally in Oz, and we had indulged a shared interest in military history even by spending time yomping across the Falklands.  RB was also absolutely instrumental in helping Charles March at Goodwood create our Festival of Speed - then the Revival Meeting.  The man was a serious player.  And he was principled.  And in my experience he was commercially as straight as a gun barrel.

 

Like his great friend and long-time sparring partner Adrian Hamilton, also lost to us this past grim weekend, he lived at full throttle - and he encouraged and fostered many new young talents within his business world.  He wasn't always user friendly. He had a short fuse, and he always wore his heart on his sleeve - but he seldom bore a grudge and any detonation was usually justified - and when it wasn't he would  be the first to apologise and seek to put the matter right.  His team respected and admired him. - some of the younger ones perhaps with that little frisson of fear...but get it right, and he would support them to the hilt.

 

Robert leaves wife Evelyn, daughter Sarah, sons Charlie and John - and umpteen grandchildren.  We were all privileged - and are now all proud - to have known him.

 

DCN

Thank you for sharing this fine tribute of your friend  :up:



#15 bradbury west

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Posted 05 November 2021 - 10:37

An obituary to Mr Brooks appeared in the Telegraph a couple of days ago. I am hoping that Tim can post the link. He was a remarkable man on many levels.

I only knew of him via his businesses and as a very good race driver at Goodwood. But at that very cold Members’ Meeting a couple of years ago I was there on the Friday around the paddock, and saw Mr Brooks  in his well lived-in shooting coat, with a few people whom he clearly knew well. I knew a couple by sight and reputation and one as someone I often chat to at Goodwood. The   conversation was convivial to say the least, but not loud or boorish, just people enjoying company together.  I saw the chap I knew a bit later and mentioned the earlier gathering and mentioned that Mr Brooks seemed a delightful man, endorsing my own distant impression as a layman and enthusiast. My contact whom I have known via his cars and business for the thick end of 30 years replied  “Yes Roger, you would like him, you would like him”.  I think I would.

Roger Lund



#16 Tim Murray

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Posted 05 November 2021 - 10:46

Here’s the link to the Telegraph obituary:

https://www.telegrap...-driver-helped/

#17 Ray Bell

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Posted 05 November 2021 - 11:49

My time with him was all too short...

 

A very down to earth and friendly soul, unaffected by the disasters happening around his car in the 24-hour race at Bathurst, he was just the kind of person you really wanted to know.



#18 bradbury west

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Posted 05 November 2021 - 13:52

Thanks, Tim

RL



#19 Doug Nye

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Posted 05 November 2021 - 18:58

Thank you very much for comments above on my long-time friend and colleague.  RB was indeed a fine man - great commitment - he demonstrated enormous cochones both in business and on track - and was just generally a very engaging and pleasant character.  He was also absolutely no-one's softie, he had a core of steel and could be hard as nails when he felt it necessary.  I liked and admired him immensely - we got on very well for nearly 40 years - and by and large, whenever we didn't see eye to eye - a very full and frank discussion would end in shared mirth and often a simple agreement just to disagree (of course, he usually came round to seeing 'it' my way, hem, hem).

 

Yesterday saw his Memorial service in London.  I couldn't attend but reportedly it was jam-packed, beautifully presented and went off very well.  His family and his enduringly loyal team would have seen to that.  I will draw the family's attention to some of the contributions above.  

 

Thank you all, yet again.

 

DCN


Edited by Doug Nye, 05 November 2021 - 19:00.