It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Malcolm Jeal, Friend of Automotive History, honorary member of the Society of Automotive Historians and of the Society of Automotive Historians in Britain, on Tuesday 5 July, at 72 years of age. Malcolm will be much missed by all of us. He was one of our foremost automotive historians, and his knowledge and insights were enormously appreciated. He was always ready to share information, and helped many of us. Over a career of many years in the field of automotive history, he held such important positions as chairman of the dating panel of the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain, and editor of The Automobile magazine. As well as being chairman of the SAHB, he founded and edited the first ten issues of our annual publication Aspects of Motoring History. He was for many years one of the organisers of the annual Automotive Historians’ dinner in Paris. Your webmaster was privileged to work with Malcolm on the Paris dinner, and on the continuing development of this website, where his weekly Snapshots were always meticulously researched and full of fascinating facts and anecdotes.
The SAHB extends its deepest sympathy to Malcolm’s wife, Eunice.
Malcolm, I am deeply grateful for your text describing the 1903 Gladiator in “Snapshots”. This debunks the widely and mistakenly held view that Alexandre Darracq retained links with and control over Gladiator following its acquisition by the Harvey du Cros syndicate.It will be one of my lasting regrets that I could not thank you personally.