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Books > Sport & Leisure > Transport: general interest > Road & motor vehicles: general interest > Motor cars: general interest
The Kellner Affair tells the fascinating story of some of the most
influential people in the French luxury car business before, during
and after World War II and how they came together and fought
bravely against the Nazi occupation of Paris. They include the
famous coachbuilder Jacques Kellner, the designer Georges Paulin,
and Walter Sleator, the director of Rolls-Royce France, It details
how they formed a resistance group and gathered intelligence, and
how they were betrayed by double agents and some were executed in
1942. Volumes I and II also include an in-depth discussion of
aerodynamic cars, and the famous streamlined designs of Georges
Paulin. Volume III contains a large portfolio of period images of
Kellner-bodied cars such as Hispano-Suiza, Renault, Rolls-Royce,
Bugatti, Farman, and many more, along with period articles and a
wealth of design drawings as well as facsimile reprints of Kellner
brochures. The book relies heavily on newly discovered archive
material as well as private documents that have never previously
been published. This is one of several Dalton Watson publications
that celebrate coachbuilding, from Erdmann and Rossi, many years
ago to the recent Saoutchik, Talbot-Lago Grand Sport and Gaston
Grummer books and the forthcoming works on Park Ward, Pourtout, and
Hooper.
Panhard & Levassor was a ground-breaking company whose
innovations set the standard for modern motoring. Not only was it
the first company to produce a vehicle with an internal combustion
engine mounted at the head of the chassis rather than under the
driver's seat, the entire 'Panhard' layout of engine, gearbox,
shaft drive to rigid rear axle, set the standard which is still
used today. As the author reveals, Panhard & Levassor can also
claim to be the first manufacturer to sell cars commercially.
Author David Beare follows the fortunes of the company and its two
founders, the affable and portly Rene Panhard complementing the
intelligent and somewhat haughty Emile Levassor. From the late
1800s through the two world wars, they continued to produce
revolutionary designs, including sleeve valves, monocoque chassis
units and the new economy cars with air-cooled flat-twin engines
and bodies and chassis made largely of aluminium. As an important
contributor to the design and performance of their subsequent road
cars, Panhard & Levassor's pioneering competition successes in
early road-racing in the period from 1894 to 1903 are also covered,
when the company was at the forefront of motor-racing technology
and won many races. The story ends with the take-over of the
company by Citroen, which ultimately absorbed the Panhard &
Levassor creative genius into their own designs.
Although not the first sports cars produced by Morris Garages (MG),
the MG T-Series set themselves apart, with an impressive radiator
flanked by sweeping fenders and sparkling performance. The cars
featured an ash-wood body covered in steel, bolted to the chassis
and had leaf-spring suspension. In this readable and informative
book, the author follows the development of the various MG T-Series
models, including the prewar Midgets and the MG TC, TD and TF. The
book covers the technical developments such as the introduction of
synchromesh gearing and hydraulic brakes as well as new engines.
Due to the post-war popularity of the cars in the United States
after American GIs shipped examples back from Britain,
modifications were made for US editions. Soon celebrities such as
Clark Gable were driving them. The author also describes the
competing interests within the BMC group as other sports cars such
as the Triumph TR2 and Austin Healey 100 were also developed. As
this book shows, however, whatever the competition, the MG T-Series
were always a class apart.
You might think a Cobra is an unattainable dream, and you'd be
right. However, a replica that looks just like one and works rather
better is not only attainable - it costs about the same as a
Toyota. Iain Ayre has been reviewing, building and designing Cobra
replicas for decades: there's nobody better to have in your pocket
when you stop dreaming and start checking out buying or building
one for real. This book condenses all you need to know into 64
packed pages covering Cobra types; low, medium and high budgets;
buying pitfalls; engine and donor recommendations; and, good and
bad points - pretty much everything you need to know to start
scaring BMWs with budget V8 thunder.
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