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

Pink Cars and Pocketbooks, How American Women Bought Their Way into the Driver’s Seat  

by Jessica A. Brockmole

Did automotive advertisers really ignore women from the beginning? Written by a “history nerd” this book came out of her doctoral dissertation and paints a much more complicated picture: automakers had all the right market research intel but their outreach failed.

Auto-tecture: Unique Designs for the Contemporary Garage

by Andreas K. Vetter

Tired of sticking the ole car into its little shed? Need some glam, make a statement, be hip? You’re not alone. This idea book is practical enough to include floor plans but, really, is more about the art of living with a car.

The Americans: The Most Iconic U.S. Cars and Their Era

by Blake Z. Rong

The Ghia-badged cover car is certainly eye-catching but would you have pegged the Asimmetrica as American? Or iconic? If such questions do not trouble you enjoy here a highlight reel from Duesenberg SSJ to Tesla Cybertruck.

Corvair Style

by Richard Lentinello

It was voted “Car of the Year” when it came out and its design staff received an industry award. Nine years and 1.8 million cars later it was all over. What happened? This is not the book for probing questions but enthusiastic owner endorsements.

Rolls-Royce Memories, A Coming-of-Age Souvenir

H. Massac Buist

Written in 1926, this memoir offers both a personal and in-depth look into yesteryear when cars and airplanes were new and wondrous. We are given a contemporary account of the doings of Charles Stewart Rolls and F. Henry Royce. It’s like watching the old TV show “You are There.”

Driving the Dragon, The Extraordinary Rise of the Chinese Car Industry  

by Mark Andrews

Nobody would be surprised to hear that Japan is no longer the world’s largest exporter of automobiles. But that it is China, a relative latecomer, that bested it is not so obvious and it is due to unique political factors.

Fabuleuses collections oubliées

by Christian Martin

Whether the collections are fabulous is debatable but the photos here certainly are, and the book itself is a fine example of craft. Behold eight European “collections” that in most cases are glorified junkyards with trees growing through cars and you have to ask yourself what the motives of these people are.

Main Street to Miracle Mile: American Roadside Architecture

by Chester H. Liebs

As the use of the car expanded so did the infrastructure related to it, from automobile showrooms to the layout of city grids to roadside conveniences. This is one of the classics, a foundational text that has inspired many others.

Crankshaft, A Periodical

by Richard Lentinello

Created—by a one-man band and in small numbers—for the serious collector-car enthusiast who appreciates in-depth, well-researched articles on a variety of original-spec automobiles, foreign or domestic, old or new.

Amateur Racing Driver

by T.P. Cholmondeley Tapper

In the 1930s he became the first internationally known racing driver from New Zealand and had a promising start but a short career, making a greater name for himself as a skier and also found his way into aviation.

Pontiac Performance 1960–1974: The Era of the Super Duty, H.O., & Ram Air Drag & Muscle Cars

by Don Keefe

Pontiac is still a registered trademark in the GM family but you haven’t seen a new car since 2009. Once upon a time they cranked out some of the most iconic performance cars of the day (as well as some real land yachts).

Porsche RS: Development, History, and Technology 

by Bergander, Hoberg, Besser

While the RS is mostly associated with the 911 there are other Porsches with that special spec; this book discusses them all but the main focus is on the various series of 911s.