The Man Who Built the Best Car in the World by Brian Sewell, book review

Sewell recounts the story of Henry Royce, the self-taught Edwardian engineer who built the Silver Ghost, and Charles Rolls, the educated aristocrat who was to sell it

A passion for cars: Brian Sewell (Rex Features)

What does one think of when one recalls the writing of the Evening Standard's late art critic Brian Sewell? His withering put-downs, his inexhaustible knowledge of art history, his controversial comments about women artists – not, I'd wager, children's literature.

But Sewell could always be surprising. He expressed with stinging clarity what he liked and disliked, but he was too plain-dealing, too far removed from sycophancy, to be fully predictable in his tastes.

The Man Who Built the Best Car in the World, written in the final year of Sewell's life (he died from cancer in September), is a short book for young children on one of his great passions: cars. In a soft, but precise, tone Sewell recounts the story of Henry Royce, the self-taught Edwardian engineer who built the Silver Ghost, and Charles Rolls, the educated aristocrat who was to sell it. Together they realised their vision of a "car that will never break down… fit for kings and emperors." The car would run silently, "instead of the clatter, rattle and occasional explosive bang of all other early cars." The story is accompanied with handsome colour illustrations from Stefan Marjoram, a former creative director at Aardman Animations.

This final work from Sewell is his second children's book, following on from The White Umbrella which was published in the spring. Sewell said then that he wanted to write a book to get young minds working, a book "that encourages children to look about them and think, 'what is that?' and 'why is that?'. And to be interested in things".

As with The White Umbrella, Sewell does not patronise his young readers and his achievement is that his prose is still smooth and accessible. Despite his own love of the subject (he used to write car reviews for the Standard's ES Magazine) he wisely saves any technical jargon for the appendices.

This is not a book designed to please long-term followers and anyone hoping for sly, grown-up references will find none. This is as innocent a children's book as any and a neat little stocking filler for any little boy (or girl, sorry Brian) with a budding car obsession.

Quartet Books, £11.99. Order at £10.79 inc. p&p from the Independent Bookshop