Journalism

Motoring writer Martin Buckley specialises in writing about classic and contemporary cars and is a regular columnist and feature writer for Classic and Sportscar, the Haymarket title that is the easily the best selling and most authoritative in its field. After having his first feature published in Classic and Sportscar in 1985 aged 18, Martin joined the magazine as a staff member in 1988.

After seven years at rival title Classic Cars Martin was tempted back to Classic and Sportscar in 2004 as a freelance contributor; it feels like home.

Martin Christopher Buckley was born in Liverpool in 1966 and raised in Manchester. His enthusiasm for cars has not been an armchair pursuit but has spilled over into his daily existence. As a serial purchaser of more than one hundred classics or alleged classics he knows the pleasure and the pain they can give, but remains hooked.

Martin lived in London from 1988 to 2000 before moving to Stroud in Gloucestershire with partner Catherine and children Sean and Caitlin. Interests include cinema, swimming, and dogs. Martinís writing has taken him all over the world, describing the sensations and textures that make some of the worlds most glamorous, mythical and valuable cars so special. Be it a Duesenberg on the streets of central London, a ten million pound Bugatti Royale in Tokyo or a prototype Mercedes C1-11 in downtown Stuttgart, Martin has worked to bring cars alive and tell their stories in an imaginative way that often blends social context, popular culture and humour.

Martin has been thrilled to drive rarities like the Tucker Torpedo and the Monteverdi Hai and seeks out one-offs with interesting stories to tell. Martin has written extensively on subjects related to cars such as the formative effect of the childrenís Ladybird car titles on a generation of car enthusiasts, his experiences as a car cleaner in the eighties and infamous car accidents that claimed famous lives.

In a twenty year career Martin must now have orchestrated and participated in well over 700 feature shoots and with his contacts in the motor trade, car clubs and the extensive network of owners he has encountered over the years he is confident he locate and capture almost any car, no matter how expensive or obscure. Thanks to a substantial archive he can often package features with rare images and original sales material.

He never restricted himself to writing about expensive cars and derives real pleasure in exploring the social contexts of the ordinary cars people drove thirty, forty or fifty years ago. Martin can write with authority on modern cars and writing extensively for titles like EVO, Car, Autocar, and Top Gear has given him the chance to drive some of the best and most exciting new cars in the world.

Martin has interviewed some significant figures in the world of car design including Bruno Sacco, Bob Knight, David Bache, Jean Daninos, Ian Callum and many others.

Martin also writes regularly for The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Intersection, Interior Motives, BMW Car, Mercedes Enthusiast and the 4Car website. In addition, his features appear in overseas publications including Motor Trend, Forza, Bimmer, Route Classiche, Motor Classik and Corvette Magazine.