David McKinney

[Richard Armstrong]

I am very sad to have to report that David McKinney has died. Not much more to be said really. A great loss to motor sport history. Even though we seldom met in person we often corresponded over the ether in various fora and by email.

Farewell, David.

http://forums.autosport.com/topic/192052-david-mckinney/

[Oldfart]

Wow, that came from nowhere.
RIP David, we have lost a very knowledgable source.
Very sad

[Carlo]

Totally stunned, a great motorsport friend gone.

[fullnoise68]

Not good news. I think the key thing for us on here is the knowledge that David not only had, but also his willingness to share or contribute. Unfortunately, as the `older generation' pass away, whether they have specific mechanical, engineering or even just excellent general knowledge skills, they take a part of NZ motorsport history with them.

[Michael Clark]

Wow! In part I'm not surprised because Robin Curtis had told me that David had been in hospital, but he wasn't old and I had hoped he would bounce back.

David was the greatest walking encyclopaedia on motor racing that has possibly ever existed - it wasn't often you could 'get him' on something...but a real coup if you could. I last saw him at Goodwood in 2008 but we had had lunch in Central London a few weeks earlier - a proper motor racing fanatics catch up - meeting at a specialist motoring bookshop, lunch outside a pub (in the sunshine!) where motor racing was the topic of discussion for approximately 99% of the time - then off to a model shop.

Amongst the many many things he was a authority on was Maserati's 250F - indeed he wrote a book on the subject and he was always amused when people described their favourite F1 car as the 250F..."Which one, there was so many?" He wasn't the boffin historian type who had no opinions but plenty of facts - David was very good company and enormously helpful with some of the books I've been involved with.

He was present the day Chris Amon made his circuit debut and then was Chris's guest at Brands in 1976 in what was his penultimate GP - although for David it was his first F1 race. He therefore could claim to have present for the beginning and (close to the) end of end of one top driver's long career.

I have always tried to imagine how David's filing system worked - were all those chassis numbers in notebooks or had they been converted to a massive spreadsheet? Either way, he could give the answer in a flash - he carried a heap of facts in his head, and then a heap more on his files.

So not only was a world recognised walking encyclopaedia, he was a world recognised walking encyclopaedia from New Zealand...

Godspeed David

[RogerH]

The very sad passing of probably "the" expert on NZ motor racing history. I had liased with David over a number of years on various NZ motor sport projects and he was always a mine of information with a huge encyclopaedic knowledge who virtually always came up with the answer.
With a few others we had been working to get David's history of NZ motor racing finalised and published - he told me a few weeks ago that things were not looking good with his health and it was only a matter of time but it is still a real shock to loose him. He will be sorely missed. RIP

[Richard Armstrong]

Indeed, Michael. It was always a pleasure and a privilege to be able to pick David's brains and he taught me a great deal about Antipodean racing which you can't find in books. I last saw him at the Bill Boddy memorial meeting at Brooklands in 2011 when we stood at the side of the Test Hill discussing the minutiae of early 1940s motor sport in Australia and New Zealand - interrupted by a succession of passing cars which culminated in the glorious scream of an ERA's supercharger.

[ERC]

So sad. I never knew him, never corresponded with him but appreciated his posts on here, filling in gaps that no one else seemed to be able to do, in a flash.

RiP

[Steve Holmes]

This is very sad news. David's post count on this website isn't anywhere near the highest we have, but every post he made was significant. I think we all came to rely on David to answer those questions nobody else could. His ability to produce answers to such a vast array of questions always amazed me. I knew he lived in London. He simply wouldn't have had the space to keep such a vast filing system that he could draw on every time an answer was required. Therefore, I can only conclude much of what he posted was stored in the filing system perched on his shoulders. And I find this staggering.

Its hard to imagine no longer having him around.

Rest in peace David, you will be missed.

[Shoreboy57]

Such very sad news. I always enjoyed his writing and his collective posts on TRS were extraordinary. RIP David

[Trevor Sheffield]

What an incredible loss. So often the best are lost early. Gone is a true gentleman. His obvious aim in life was to offer honest help using his unique knowledge bank.

He will remain remembered.

[Rod Grimwood]

This is a shock and a sad day for NZ Motosport history. Always a answer to be had if Mr McKinney was involved. Will be very much missed.
RIP David.

[John McKechnie]

I gave him information on several occasions and each time found him genuinely interested.
Despite all his knowledge he was still open to new information.
The articles he wrote for Autonews 69-70 show much deeper depth of understanding of the driver than other writers of the time.
Never met him,but enjoyed our pms.
I thank you for our contact David.

[Grant Ellwood]

I knew he was close to passing but nevertheless still a shock. I am hoping Russ Cunningham will post a eulogy because he was a very close friend of David's, stayed with Dave in UK. Both guys had (or in Russ's case have) a huge cache of NZ Motorsport history.
A great loss.

[RogerH]

David was a man of much motor sport background and competed in (I think) a Cooper 500 Mk10, Lotus 6 and a U2 Mk5.

His main claim to fame was as a journalist and author and some of his achievements include editor of "MotorAction" and "NZ Motoring News" and he was involved with "Rothmans Book of New Zealand Motor Racing" (1963) and "The Dunlop Book of New Zealand Motorsport" (1987). His published works include "Maserati 250F", "Can-Am Cars" and as English editor, "Complete History of Grand Prix Motor Racing".

[bob homewood]

A real sad passing ,I have had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with David on email etc over the last few years as he chased his passion to finish his book and it has taken me down many paths as I have followed up on information for him ,in fact my whole motor sport history gig came about because of his involvement with me ,I have been out of touch with what is happening because of computer problems the last few days and when Steve Elliot came in and told me at Lunch time you could have knocked me down with a feather ,rest easy old mate ,sorry we didn't get all the answers we were looking for ,rest assured I will still keep looking

[fullnoise68]

Out of respect to David, does any TRS member have a photo of him so we can at least put a face to his name so in years to come people can see who we are referring to?

[Shano]

This came as a real shock and the posts above give credit to the calibre of the man. His posts always added interest and colour to what he was talking about. I'm another who will miss his contributions to this and other websites.

[Dale Harvey]

Out of respect to David, does any TRS member have a photo of him so we can at least put a face to his name so in years to come people can see who we are referring to?

There is a photo of him on The Nostalgia Forum. Also many many tributes. A sad loss. RIP

Dale.

[Richard Armstrong]

This picture, from David's Facebook page, shows him as many of us who met him in Britain will remember him. It was taken behind the pits at a Goodwood Revival meeting and he is wearing the sports jacket and tie he usually sported there. Although, having said that, he was no 'fashion victim' or 'clothes horse' and I suspect that - like me - he'd rather have spent his hard-earned on an obscure motor racing book than on a new jacket!