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

S.F. Edge, Maker of Motoring History

by Simon Fisher

When it came to speed, wether it was bicycles or powerboats, he was on the cutting edge of all the new happenings of this time, as a competitor, a manufacturer, an agent for other makers, and also as a promoter and sponsor. His personality matched his achievements. Ah, drama.

Boost! Roger Bailey’s Extraordinary Motor Racing Career

by Gordon Kirby

Bailey’s professional life spanned more than five decades and included such a variety of positions—mechanic, team boss, official, administrator—that you think you’re dealing with more than one person. No wonder his nickname was Boost!

The Devil’s Mercedes: The Bizarre and Disturbing Adventures of Hitler’s Limousine in America

by Robert Klara

Leave it to a librarian to find answers to difficult questions. A Big Mercedes of the 1930s is plenty rare any old day but the one that stars in this book, war booty as others of its kind, suffered a case of mistaken identity for decades.

The Tom Mix Cord: Saga of a Western Film Star’s Classic Motorcar

by Bob M. White

The “King of Cowboys” was the Hollywood action hero of his day and the highest-paid actor of the silent film era. He did his own stunts so of course he loved fast cars—and this 1937 Cord is the one in which he had that fatal crash.

The Women of General Motors, A Century of Art and Engineering

by Constance A. Smith

Profiles of and interviews with female GMers in design, engineering, manufacturing, and administration. In a 2019 report, GM finished first out of 200 companies in gender equality and is the first—and still only—automaker with a female CEO.

Porsche Special Editions

by Matt Stone

The subtitle covers all the bases: “Includes 930 Turbo Flachbau, GT1, RUF, Singer Vehicle Design, IROC RSR, Club and Anniversary Specials, and More.” The factory alone has brought out over two dozen 911-based Specials and several more are in the works right now—and a book may well be the only place you’ll see one.

Porsche 75th Anniversary: Expect the Unexpected

by Randy B. Leffingwell

The title says it all: Porsche has achieved a significant anniversary. A perfect reason to write a retrospective and conclude it with a little educated future predicting.

Founders of American Industrial Design

by Carroll Gantz

Unlike craft-based design, industrial design has to take into account how/if materials and techniques work in the real world of mass production. The author was a practicing, award-winning designer himself but also an academic and so has a broad frame of reference.

Triumph TR2, TR3, TR3A & TR3B (1953–62)

by Paul Hogan

This book is small enough to fit into the glovebox for a reason: you’ll want it handy when you break down, which you will, because the only thing sturdy in a Triumph is its chassis.

The Automotive Gray Market, An Inside History

by John B. Hege

While grey imports are a worldwide phenomenon, this book looks at conditions in the US where regulatory efforts dropped the number to hundreds per year instead of tens of thousands in the 1980s.

Now I Get It! Every Driver’s Handbook

by Lewis McCaw

A new car ain’t cheap—so don’t ruin it by not understanding what it needs from you. Strange lights/noises/smells are not normal. Clear language and good analogies make this book easy to understand and remember.

Bonneville’s Women of Land Speed Racing

by “Landspeed” Louise Ann Noeth

Unlike other forms of motorsports, gender doesn’t seem to be an inherently restrictive factor on the salt. Over 200 women have stepped up to the starting line, and dozen of them have set records. Many more work the event behind the scenes, and then there are the engineers and builders.