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

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.

ROFGO Collection

by Doug Nye

That 917 on the cover hints at treasures. ROFGO was voted 2019 Heritage Collection of the Year, and this book showcases just some of the important Gulf Oil-sponsored race cars it contains.

Fin Tales: Saving Cadillac, America’s Luxury Icon

by John F. Smith

Cadillac, used to being the name in American luxury cars, once dropped back far enough to resort to inflating year-end sales reports to edge out Lincoln for the top spot, requiring an official apology from the top brass. The author was there for the soul searching and the corrective action.

Auto America, Car Culture 1950s–1970s

by Linda, Greg and Darryl Zimmerman

Despite the “car culture” part of the title, this book casts a wider net. You’ll probably be surprised by how many of the images you recognize from period magazines and advertising without knowing anything about the photographer’s whole, wide-ranging body of work.

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.

From Bond to Bentley and Back, Rambles Through a Motoring Life

by Roger Bateman

Bateman has been up close and personal with many, many more cars than the 28 he owned, for instance as a manager of The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu and at Fiennes Restoration. Has he got stories? You bet.

Mercedes-Benz C 111: Fackelträger, Traumsportwagen und Rekordjäger

by Kalbhenn, Heidbrink, Hack

Those gullwing doors are about all the C 111 had in common with the famous 300 SL whose impact M-B was so eager to replicate. Only a few were built, mainly serving as test beds, and the successor C112 was scrapped altogether but this is a big and interesting story.

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.

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.

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.

Mahy – A Family of Cars

by Michel Mahy & David Janssens

“Family” here refers to not just clusters of cars but the actual people behind a collection that now exceeds a thousand items. And they did not play nice! You’d have to live in Belgium to see the cars, or buy this book.