LJK Setright, who died last week aged 74, was one of the most inspiring motoring – or should I say engineering - enthusiasts of our age. One of the world's foremost and most distinguished motoring journalists he was also one life’s great characters.

His numerous publications included histories of Rolls Royce, of Automotive Tyres, of Mercedes Benz SL’s, of Valve Mechanisms for High Speed Engines, of Ferrari and of Turobcharging and Supercharging. In short he was interested the the detailed engineering behind cars and motorcycles and, given the amount of legislative intervention that increasingly shapes what we drive, one of his last works: Drive On! A Social History of the Motor Car is perhaps one of his best.

Setright started writing for an engineering magazine in 1961, moving to Car a few year later, where he was to work alongside George Bishop, Russell Bulgin, and Phil Lewellin, retiring after a productive 33 years. I still have the magazines with their columns in and the quality of the research, the writing and the opinion leaves many of todays’ scribblers sadly wanting. (George Bishop died around 10 years ago, Bulgin too young about 4 years ago and Phil Lewellin only 2 weeks ago).

Setright – as he was well known as no-one ever seemed call him Leonard - liked tyres, hats, champagne and Bristol cars – writing the seminal history of the marque in ‘A Private Car’. He disliked dogs, speed limits, public transport and 'environmental faddists'. Setright pointed out, the introduction of speed limits in Britain in the early seventies was originally a temporary measure introduced to save petrol during the fuel crisis—nothing to do with dangerous driving on the roads… oh how far have we come from that ideal!

Never short of an opinion – I have a feeling that is why I warmed to him.

In Setright's world the car was an undoubted force for good but how did he defend the motor car against the criticisms of the environmentalists? Global warming? Increased carbon emissions? The depletion of fossil fuels?

'Environmental issues are something that make me extremely angry,' Setright said. 'It is an impertinence on the part of mankind to believe that they can exercise any control over the environment at all. It's nonsense. It's even nonsense talking about energy crisis. There can be no such thing. It is impossible to lose or destroy anything, you can convert energy into matter but the sum total remains the same. We're in sight now of hydrogen propelled vehicles and hydrogen is the basic stuff of universe, it won't run out. There's not even a real shortage of oil. That's only commercially and politically manipulated panic.’

How ironic that within a week of his death we are running out of petrol as the refineries are blockaded by angry drivers intent on forcing our government to reduce its’ outrageous tax on petrol and diesel. Fuel duty presently stands at 47.1 pence per litre (with 17.5 per cent VAT also charged on the total price).

Setrights' wit and wisdom will be missed.