{"product_id":"whitney-straight-racing-driver-war-hero-industrialist-the-authorised-biography-hardcover","title":"Whitney Straight: Racing Driver, War Hero, Industrialist - The Authorised Biography - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003ePaul Kenny\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Whitney Straight made his own way in life. Born in New York with a silver spoon in his mouth, he would earn his living in the boardrooms of some of Britain's greatest companies. He dropped out of Cambridge to become an outstanding racing driver and run a team of Maseratis across Europe and Africa. A qualified pilot at 17, he revolutionised aircraft design for the enthusiast, and his extraordinary efforts in the Second World War saw him rise from Pilot Officer to Air Commodore. He survived the invasion of Norway, a crash-landing in occupied France and a year as a PoW to emerge with an MC, DFC and US Legion of Merit. After the war, Straight rejected Churchill's proposal of a career in politics and instead became CEO of BOAC, transforming it into a national airline to be proud of. At Rolls-Royce, he railed against a company dominated by engineers who made poor businessmen, and played a founding role in the separate paths of the aero and auto businesses that are still seen today. An incurable romantic, he could never imagine being married to anyone other than his wife, yet he had numerous relationships. Paul Kenny has been granted unfettered access to Straight's diaries and photograph albums, and has scoured archives on both sides of the Atlantic, leaving no stone unturned in pursuit of the full story of one of the twentieth century's greatest mavericks. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePaul Kenny \u003c\/b\u003eis one of the few chartered accountants with a degree in archaeology. His first book, \u003ci\u003e The Man Who Supercharged Bond\u003c\/i\u003e (Haynes, 2009) was described by chat show host and petrol-head Jay Leno as 'one the automobile books of the year, if not the automobile book of the year'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 376\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e January 06, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47419016151261,"sku":"9781803991115","price":62.18,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0811\/9867\/8237\/files\/h9XVcIwMuQ9781803991115.webp?v=1771229966","url":"https:\/\/handfulofbooks.com\/products\/whitney-straight-racing-driver-war-hero-industrialist-the-authorised-biography-hardcover","provider":"Handful of Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}