About the Author

Gijsbert-Paul Berk studied at the Institute for Automobile Management IVA, Driebergen, and worked as an apprentice for Maurice Gatsonides (Gatso). As a post graduate, he did courses on industrial time- and production management and on marketing communications. His first job was as an assistant in the sports department of the Netherlands Automobile Club, KNAC. At that time he started writing articles for their magazine De Auto. Between 1955 and 1959 he was technical editor of AutoVisie, and the first Dutch journalist to road test the CitroA"n DS. He participated in various economy runs and was a member of the NAV team, organizing motor races at the Zandvoort circuit. After a stint as a freelance journalist, working for, amongst others, Car and Driver (USA) and Popular Mechanics, as well as writing and translating books, he became PR manager for Renault in the Netherlands. In 1973 he was appointed Deputy Director at the Amsterdam Exhibition and Congress Centre RAI, responsible for all communications. He has also contributed to a TV documentary on the 50th anniversary of the CitroA"n DS and was a member of the jury for the International Concours d'Elegance at Het Loo, Apeldoorn (Netherlands).

Reviews

"BOOK OF THE MONTH. A most entertaining and informative book. An excellent publication." - Australian Classic Car "As one of the most important automotive engineers of the last century, Andre Lefebvre's biography is suitably embroidered with more than just his life. Even if you couldn't care less about Citroen (or Voison, a part of Lefebvre's motorsport life), this book will win you over if you possess the tiniest engineering spark." - Wheels, United Arab Emirates Gijsbert-Paul Berk has avoided dry historical distance by spending a lot of time with Lefebvre's family. As a result we have the full story of teh Traction Avant as a plucky underdog adventure ... A fascinating story. Classic Cars Entertaining and well illustrated, the book is a must-buy for any fan of French cars. Classic & Sports Car (UK) SUPERB ... expertly written, accessible and well-illustrated. Octane Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It reveals a most interesting character, who was quite clearly something of a genius. I feel that I'm well versed in 2cv lore, and yet there were plenty of things I learned from reading this text ... a must for all serious Citroen nuts, and very tempting indeed for 2cv and H van fans. 2CVGB News