Old Contemptible

by Charles Howard

The long subtitle says it all: “The history of chassis number 2095, a 1912 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, and the car’s first two valiant owners, Barrington Stopford and Walter Carlile, both of whom drove it in The Great War.”

James Garner’s Motoring Life

by Matt Stone

You know him as “that actor” but did you realize that he was a serious and competent racing driver who could have made it in the pro world?

England’s Motoring Heritage from the Air

by John Minnis

A bird’s eyes view makes even familiar things look new, even strange. From Edwardian times to the 1950s, these photos show how drastically the landscape changes to accommodate the car and its attending infrastructure.

Janis Joplin

Janis Joplin

A book cover with scalloped edges? Nope, this is . . . a postage stamp! Nothing escapes our attention, especially if it’s well designed and of some cultural import. So there.

The Mighty MG Magnettes of 33

by Graeme Cocks

The K3 Magnettes are plenty interesting all by themselves but one of them, chassis K3003 which spurned this excellent book and is discussed at length, may have a doppelganger that confounds historians to this day.

Corvette – 
America’s Star-Spangled 
Sports Car

by Karl Ludvigsen

Only in its current iteration—61 years after its launch!—is the Corvette a legitimate sports car. How this piece of Americana got there is explored by a book fittingly launched on the 4th of July.

Bomber Aircraft of 305 Squadron

by Lechosław Musiałkowski

Notice any strange markings on these familiar WW II aircraft? That’s because they’re in Polish service on RAF duty.

Porsche Unexpected: Discoveries in Collecting

by Leffingwell, Ingram, Furman

Yes, it’s about a Porsche collection but also a lot, lot more: how to collect, what to collect, how to buy and sell and display.

And then there’s the extreme photography of the sainted Furman.

Three Wheelers A–Z

by Chris Rees

Profusely illustrated, this book showcases a vast number of mostly odd machinery. If you recognize even a few of the names you’ll know way more than most folk.

Spitfire V vs C.202 Folgore: Malta 1942

by Donald Nijboer

The air battles over Malta rank as the most intense aerial engagements of WW II. The stakes were high for each side and their most capable fighters were sent to put things right.

Lagonda, A History of the Marque

by Arnold Davey & Anthony W. May

Founded by a US opera singer of Scottish ancestry in 1906, this British luxury marque has had a difficult life. Owned by Aston Martin since 1947 you may soon see Lagonda-branded SUVs on the road so find out what makes Langonda special.

American Motors Corporation

by Patrick R. Foster

What started as the largest merger of car companies in US history had an ignominious end. Undeserved, the author says. Such much is AMC part of US culture that a 2008 car magazine touted the firm’s revival—only to be debunked as a cruel April Fool’s joke.