“Speed Demons of Road and Track” was a 1935 collectible booklet issued by Amalgamated Press as part of The Champion story paper’s “Sports Wallet” promotion. Readers collected sets of small black-and-white photo cards (each measuring approximately 44 x 65 mm) that folded out concertina-style inside the individual themed booklets.
The Speed Demons booklet featured seven leading stars of automobile and motorcycle racing from the era: Sir Henry “Tim” Birkin, Malcolm Campbell, Rudolf Caracciola, Captain G.E.T. Eyston, Earl Howe, “Speedy Bob” Lea, and Stanley Woods. It celebrated the thrilling world of 1930s Grand Prix racing, Brooklands track battles, and land-speed record attempts that fascinated the British public.
The individual concertina booklets (including Speed Demons of Road and Track) were designed to be inserted into a separate large orange cardboard Champion Sports Wallet, which was given away with the paper. Aimed at the magazine’s young male readership, these fragile paper cards formed part of an eight-booklet series covering popular sports. Today they remain a rare and nostalgic snapshot of pre-war British motorsport fandom and Amalgamated Press’s popular promotional marketing.
