Archive for Items Categorized 'British', only excerpts shown, click title for full entry.

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.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars: Making a Legend

by Simon Van Booy & Harvey Briggs

This book is more of an introduction to the company philosophy and a behind-the-scenes look at how they build cars than a thorough history. That the firm now calls itself “House of Rolls-Royce” speaks to the brand’s lifestyle aspirations.

The Riley M.P.H.: A History of Its Development & Production 1932–1935

by Robin Cameron

Blink—and you missed it! Not because it’s so fast but because it was offered for only half a year and in all of 14 copies. Like many other makers’ “Vitesse” or “Speed” models Riley’s “MPH” was less about nominal speed than the idea of speed.

The Singer Story: The Cars, Commercial Vehicles, Bicycles & Motorcycles

by Kevin Atkinson

Everyone knows that Bugattis used distinctive flat-spoke aluminum wheels. So did Singer—but 20 years earlier. The curved front forks of a bicycle are a George Singer patent, and still in use today. If you don’t know Singer, you should.

The Complete Catalogue of British Cars 1895–1975 

by Culshaw & Horrobin

It seems farfetched nowadays but once upon a time the British motor industry was thriving. First published in 1974, this book catalogs some 700 manufacturers and 3700 models—and those are just the production passenger cars.

Alvis Society, A Century of Drivers

by David Culshaw

From kings to serial killers, people who chose an Alvis were a discerning lot. Every car ever made is recorded here, and only here.

VANWALL, The Story of Britain’s first Formula 1 World Champions

by Jenkinson & Posthumus, with D. Nye

Ever noticed the MAHLE logo on a modern race car? British industrialist Tony Vandervell’s old company became part of that group in 2007. He got many things right, including his F1 team.

Jaguar E-Type Factory and Private Competition Cars

by Peter Griffiths

Wait, the sexy “crumpet-catcher” was a serious race car? Campaigned by regular people? To this day? Yes, yes, and yes. And finally there’s a book about all of them, not just the Lightweights!

Silver Cloud II Brochure 

Quiet elegance with an appeal to a classic era. This could be said of the Rolls-Royce and Bentley models of the 1950s and 1960s. It could also describe this brochure for the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II and the Phantoms, Bentleys, and Bentley Continentals—1959 to 1962.

Those Elegant Rolls-Royce

by Lawrence Dalton

This first of the five Rolls-Royce books lifelong motoring enthusiast Lawrie Dalton would write covers the range of coachwork mounted on Rolls-Royce chassis from 1907–1939. To produce the best book possible, he started his own publishing house; that was half a century ago, and it still exists.

Around the World in a Napier – the Story of Two Motoring Pioneers

by Andrew M. Jepson

Around the world in 80 days?? Nah. Make that six years—and 46,528 miles, and 39 countries. They literally went were no one had been before. And you can follow them here.

Freestone & Webb, 1923–1958

by James Taylor

“Top Hat” and “Razor Edge” were just some of the clever ideas this coachbuilder had up their sleeve, they won gold medals nine years in a row, and were among the last five big remaining firms. But bespoke coachwork went the way of the dodo bird and it is little consolidation that F&W went out in a blaze of glory.