Archive for Author 'Helen Hutchings', only excerpts shown, click title for full entry.

The Book Bus

by Melanie Moore, Brian Wray

Do you read to your car? Unexpected things might happen. The bookmobile at the center of this story really exists, operated by a former teacher who found her second calling and requisitioned her husband’s vintage VW.

Bella Mangusta, The Italian Art and Design of the De Tomaso Mangusta

by Dick Ruzzin

GM’s styling chief ordered a bespoke Mangusta to show his bosses that they were missing out on the sort of exciting sporty car that would be good for the bottom line. They passed, but the car is still around, owned by the author.

Landings in America: Two People, One Summer, and a Piper Cub

A Flying Memoir

by Peter Egan

A memoir of a 7000-mile flight across the US in a 1945 Piper. It took place 40 years ago, a boom time for private aviation in the US.

Designing Dreams

by Dick Ruzzin

At the center of these essays is the groundbreaking1966 Oldsmobile Toronado, designed by the author. But what started out as the story of its design program then grew into one about the creation of the car designer profession by Harley Earl.

Quest for Speed: The Epic Saga of Record-Breaking on Land

by Barry John

Ever watch a car break the sound barrier? If it’s a blur to look at, imagine what it looks like from inside the cockpit! When Chuck Yeager had done it in the air half a century before, he too was rattled. This book covers highlights of the 100-year LSR history.

Ed Pink, The Old Master

by Ed Pink with Bones Bourcier

There was a time, before crew chiefs, when engine builders were as famous as the star drivers because they saw to every aspect of a car’s performance. Having built thousands of engines, at 92, Pink finally called it quits and finished his biography instead.

William Howard Taft and the First Motoring Presidency, 1909–1913  

by Michael L. Bromley

Impressively documented re-appraisal of oft-maligned president, with special emphasis on autos. At an important early stage, Taft, in the face of opposition, articulated a national interest in the auto industry and the social advances of widespread motorization.

Novi, The Legendary Indianapolis Race Car, Vols 1 + 2

by George Peters and Henri Greuter

Fan favorites, powerful, and certainly capable of winning, no Novi-engined racer ever won the one event they were designed for, the Indy 500.

The Kalamazoo Automobilist: 1891–1991

by David O. Lyon

You may have heard of a Wolverine, but probably not in an automotive context. Checker is a big name, of course. How about Barley, Blood, Cannon, Cornelian, Dort to name just a few of the makers you’ll encounter in this book. Street names are in many cases all that remains.

America’s Fire Engine, The American-LaFrance 700 Series, 1947–1959  

by Walter M. McCall and Alan M. Craig

Although that famous flat front was not the first example of cab-forward design, ALF’s success with it made it an industry standard and earned the 700 Series the nickname “America’s Fire Engine.”

The Chandler Automobile

A History Including the Cleveland and Chandler-Cleveland Marques

by James H. Lackey

Successful automaker, quality product, various styles, competitive prices. Promising. But an unclear product strategy and resulting overextension pulled out the rug.

Early American Bicycle Works, Exploring the Architecture and Innovation of an Industry  

by Robert L. McCullough

Today’s bicycle works pretty much the same it did after standardization around 1890. But not many of the original makers survive, at least not in their original form or in that industry. This book looks at various aspects of the industry during its early years.

Newer Entries »
« Older Entries