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Books > Sport & Leisure > Transport: general interest > Road & motor vehicles: general interest > Motor cars: general interest
The automobile is the ultimate analogue machine and mankind's most ingenious, seductive and damaging invention. For over a century, cars have provided reference points for our notions of style, status and desire. In design terms, the Age of Combustion was as rich and varied as architecture's Baroque - and far more popular. And now it is coming to an end, as the internal-combustion engine is superseded by the battery and cars become wheeled computers, running on AI not oil. Together with a wide-ranging introduction, this book reproduces 60 of Stephen Bayley's popular monthly columns for Octane, the outstanding classic car magazine where, for more than 10 years, he has provided the most consistent and insightful commentary on car culture, often based on privileged access to industry insiders.
This third volume continues James Stringer's popular series with another highly entertaining collection of Austin-related stories. This time you can read all about: 'Mugwump' and its journey from Bristol to Cape Town; how Spike Milligan and fellow Goon Peter Sellers nearly fell out over an Austin 12/4; the company's promotional film about the Austin 7 - "The Mighty Atom", and many other colourful and delightfully entertaining stories, which provide the reader with an alternative and untold history of the Austin Motor Car Company.
This comprehensive account of the past, present and future of the automobile examines the key trends, key technologies and key players involved in the race to develop clean, environmentally friendly vehicles that are affordable and that do not compromise on safety or design. Undertaking a rigorous interrogation of our global dependency on oil, the author demonstrates just how unwise and unnecessary this is in light of current developments such as the fuel cell revolution and the increasing viability of hybrid cars, which use both petrol and electricity - innovations that could signal a new era of clean, sustainable energy. The arguments put forward draw on support from an eclectic range of sources - including industry insiders, scientists, economists and environmentalists - to make for an enlightening read.
Following his outstandingly successful books Works Escorts in Detail and Works Triumphs in Detail, rally veteran and historian Graham Robson now tackles the story of Ford's emergence during the 1960s as a leader in international saloon car competition, whether in race or rally, beginning with the Mark 1 Cortina in 1962. Walter Hayes was the driving force behind this push forward. It was he who enlisted Colin Chapman to create the Lotus-Cortina, he who had bold ideas like entering the Safari Rally and the London-Sydney Marathon, he who brought in Alan Mann Racing to wipe the board in touring car racing, he who attracted top-flight drivers like Roger Clark, Jim Clark, Graham Hill and Pat Moss, and he who inspired Ford's quite dazzling success in national and international competition. The career of every works Mark I and Mark II Cortina, Lotus-Cortina, Capri and Corsair is individually recounted in this book, with contemporary action photographs and listings of events entered, results and drivers, along with accounts of performances in rallies and races. In addition there are specially commissioned colour photographs of a number of surviving works cars, which have been shot in considerable detail. For fans of the race and rally Fords of these glory days, as well as for motor sport enthusiasts, this book is pure treasure.
A model-by-model history of the popular Triumph Dolomite family, the range of quality sporting saloons that started with the Triumph 1300 and was in production from 1965-80. The Triumph 1300 was innovative, with front-wheel drive and a four-door body designed by Giovanni Michelotti. In 1970 the Triumph 1500 and the three-door Toledo were introduced, followed by the range-topping Dolomite in 1972, with Triumph's slant-4 overhead cam engine and rear-wheel drive. The fast Dolomite Sprint confirmed Triumph's position as the British 'BMW Beater' in 1973, with its powerful 16-valve engine and value achieved through clever engineering. In 1976 the whole range was renamed 'Dolomite' - and was a well-rounded model spread of four-door saloons, with engine sizes from 1300cc to 2 litres. With technical specifications and over 150 colour photographs, Triumph Dolomite - An Enthusiast's Guide also includes competition history, the Dolomites' ancestors, and a guide to buying and owning these iconic saloons.
Great Small Fiats is a tribute to some of the best small Fiats ever produced. In deciding which models to include in this book, Phil Ward concentrated on three criteria - greatness, size and emotion. Where size is an easy parameter to qualify, greatness is more complicated because it is a combination of of both the manufacturer's and the public's opinion. A car that is highly regarded by the public may not have been a commercial success and vice versa. A truly great car is one that works well for both parties. Emotion may be considered to be an element of greatness in that the public's 'love' for a car is a fantastic benefit for a manufacturer and must be treasured. Fiat have made the mistake of 'improving' an icon on several occasions only to find that public opinion went against them. Fortunately Fiat has been magnanimous enough to respond by giving the car-buying public more of what it wants. As long as they continue to do so then Fiat's reputation as the world's greatest small car manufacturer is set to continue. The author chose the Topolino as the starting point, as it fulfils all the criteria, and was the first Fiat built in the late 1930s to satisfy the Italian public's new-found desire for mobilisation. The old conventions of car production were turned upside down with the arrival of the 600 which revolutionised car production techniques and maximised on passenger space and performance at minimal cost. These principles continued via a succession of models which include the 500, 850, 126, 127 through to more recent models like the Cinquecento and Seicento. Running in parallel with these cheeky Fiats, this book covers a range of slightly larger cars that were built in huge numbers. Though rather staid in appearance, the 1950s Millecento was family transport for millions of Italians covering three decades, four when the Indian-built cars are included. Similarly the 128, Panda and Uno were 'the' Italian small cars of the '70s, '80s and '90s. Nuova Panda carries the banner through to recent models.
In the 1930s, Bentley's Derby factory supplied only chassis, without bodies, and customers for these refined, fast and enormously desirable cars would then select and turn to one of the many coachbuilders to design and construct a body for them to meet their tastes and requirements. This book covers both British and overseas coachbuilders, and reviews the bodies they built on the 31/2-litre, 41/4-litre and Mk V Bentley chassis. Coachbuilders are dealt with in alphabetical order, with details of the different types of body they supplied - saloon, coupe, drophead, sports, sedanca, etc - and photographs showing the wide variety of their creations. Bentley aficionados will particularly appreciate the inclusion of chassis numbers for all the cars bodied by all the coachbuilders, which makes this a truly definitive work.
The Mercedes-Benz W123 was launched in 1976 and sales quickly surpassed those of its predecessor, the W114. The W123 went on to become the most successful Mercedes, selling 2.7 million cars. Mercedes-Benz W123 - The Complete Story explores the life of this highly regarded executive car from its initial evolution, development and production to the creation of new models and its success in motorsport. The book features the styling, engineering and technical advances introduced over the lifetime of the three series; full technical specifications together with customer options, equipment and interior trim for each model; production numbers and vehicle number sequences and finally there is a section on the little-known details of the manufacture of the car in China.
Haynes offers the best coverage for cars, trucks, vans, SUVs and
motorcycles on the market today. Each manual contains easy to
follow step-by-step instructions linked to hundreds of photographs
and illustrations. Included in every manual: troubleshooting
section to help identify specific problems; tips that give valuable
short cuts to make the job easier and eliminate the need for
special tools; notes, cautions and warnings for the home mechanic;
color spark plug diagnosis and an easy to use index.
What happened when America's richest car company, producing many thousands of cars per year, went head to head with Ferrari of Italy in the mid `60s? This is the story of an immovable force coming up against the stubbornness of an unmovable object - that is, Ford against Ferrari. Enzo Ferrari, whose company produced less than four hundred cars per year in 1963, wasn't going to bow to Ford after he had turned down its offer to buy his company. The only place left to duke it out was on the racetracks of the world ... and one in particular: Le Mans.
The original Land Rover evolved for almost seventy years, from the ground breaking Series I model in 1948 to the final Defender in 2016. Now there is a totally new Defender for the 2020s. Land Rover charts the history of the authentic bloodline in striking, carefully compiled and, in some instances, very rare photographs. It presents the memorable mileposts - and bizarre diversions - in an astonishingly long life. This is a rich visual tribute to the genius and guts of these legendary vehicles.
The Mercedes 126 S-Class of 1979-1991 remains the most successful premium saloon in the company's history and is considered by many to be one of the best cars in the world. "You don't simply decide to buy an S-Class: it comes to you when fate has ordained that your life should take that course. The door closes with a reassuring clunk - and you have arrived." said the sales brochure of the first real Sonderklasse, the W116. With over 300 colour photos and production histories and specifications for both Generation One and Two models, this is an essential resource for anyone with an interest in this timeless car. The book covers an overview of the key personalities who drove the development of this model; the initial 116 Sonderklasse and its subsequent evolution; the history and personality of each model and finally detailed analysis of the different engines - both petrol and diesel.
"Little Book of Camper Van" looks back at the development of one of
the most quirky and unique vehicles to have been manufactured, and
is a fascinating look at a cultural icon.
From famed automotive journalist Jason Torchinsky comes a witty insider's guide to self-driving cars, the automated future, and the road ahead. Self-driving cars sound fantastical and futuristic and yet they'll soon be on every street in America. Whether it's Tesla's Autopilot, Google's Waymo, Mercedes's Distronic, or Uber's modified Volvo, companies around the world are developing autonomous cars. But why? And what will they mean for the auto industry and humanity at large? In Robot, Take the Wheel, Torchinsky, cofounder of The Autopian and former senior editor of Jalopnik, star of Jason Drives, and producer of Jay Leno's Garage, gives a colorful account of the development of autonomous vehicles and considers their likely implications. He encourages us to think of self-driving cars as an entirely new machine, something beyond cars as we understand them today, and considers how humans will get along with these robots that will take over our cars' jobs, what they will look like, what sorts of jobs they may do, what we can expect of them, how they should act, ethically, how we can have fun with them, and how we can make sure there's still a place for those of us who love to drive, especially with a manual transmission. This vibrant volume brimming with insider knowledge, humor, and original artwork pushes us to reconsider our understanding of cars, raises fascinating ethical questions, and compels us to act now to shape the automated future.
Written for the do-it-yourselfer, good enough for the pro. Includes everything you wish to know about your vehicles heating and air conditioning. From simple adjustments, to complete tune-ups and troubleshooting. |
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