The KdF car, a German acronym for Strength Through Joy, was conceived by Adolf Hitler's Third Reich as a true German 'people's car'. There is precious little in the legacy of 1930s Nazi Germany that is positive, but after the Second World war - and with a little help from the British - the Volks Wagen really did help put the average man on the road in a car, designed by the great Ferdinand Porsche, that was reliable and well-built. First it set benchmarks for customer satisfaction across Europe, and sales soared. Then it arrived in North America and the slope-backed, rear-engined economy car became a cult hit. By the time the very last original Beetle was built in 2003, over 21m had been built, making it by a long chalk the best-selling single car model of all time. Although its concept is dated by modern standards, the Beetle magic is undimmed, which is why Volkswagen introduced an all-new, modern Beetle in 1998. It has carved out a niche as a distinctive and eye-catching car in a world of automotive clones.

This is the inside story of the workings of the MG Design and Development Office in Abingdon, from 1956 until MG's closure in 1980, as told by Chief Design & Development Engineer, Don Hayter. This book explains how the various models were conceived, drawn, planned and developed by a small team of engineers. It also shows how the constant evolution of BMC, including the Triumph-Austin merger, frequently changed input to, and control of, the department. Safety legislation, mainly imposed by the United States, could have killed MG, but detailed here are the design changes that allowed the MGB, and other models, to survive. Trying to remain as individual as possible, MG developed record-breakers and a unique Competition Department during the period covered by this book. Special cars were built and tested, and prototypes for the MGB replacement, using engines from any part of the group, were drawn up. The continuing support of the American market was essential and much valued, but holding company, British Leyland, prioritised the TR7 - a decision that, ultimately, led to the closure of a successful, happy MG company.

I was Top Gear's script editor for 13 years and all 22 series. I basically used to check spelling and think of stupid gags about The Stig. I also got to hang around with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. It didn't feel like something you should get paid for. From the disastrous pilot show of 2002 to the sudden and unexpected ending in 2015, working on Top Gear was quite a rollercoaster ride. We crossed continents, we made space ships, we bobbed across the world's busiest shipping lane in a pick-up truck. We also got chased by an angry mob, repeatedly sparked fury in newspapers, and almost killed one of our presenters. I realised that I had quite a few stories to tell from behind the scenes on the show. I remembered whose daft idea it was to get a dog. I recalled the willfully stupid way in which we decorated our horrible office. I had a sudden flashback to the time a Bolivian drug lord threatened to kill us. I decided I should write down some of these stories. So I have. I hope you like them. And now, a quote from James May: 'Richard Porter has asked me to "write a quote" for his new book about the ancient history of Top Gear. But this is a ridiculous request. How can one "write a quote"? Surely, by definition, a quote must be extracted from a greater body of writing, for the purpose of illustrating or supporting a point in an unrelated work. I cannot "write a quote" any more than I could "film an out-take". 'Porter, like Athens, has lost his marbles.'

This highly visual study covers the US and Canadian truck manufacturers that built trucks in North America in the 1950s. Following World War II, North American truck manufacturers responded to the prosperity of the 1950s with fresh designs and features. These rugged, reliable trucks were capable of transcontinental commutes of goods on a regular basis, or performing delivery and construction tasks in and around cities. This concise volume covers not only the histories of the major and lesser known truck manufactures, but also the obscure, yet historically significant manufacturers such as Available, Biederman, Brown, Corbitt, Leyland Canada and others. Comprehensive captions and supportive text combine with contemporary brochures, period literature, road test info of the day, factory photographs and over fifty colour photos of restored American trucks, to relate the importance of these historic vehicles. Detailed shots of the engines and features focus on what it was that set certain manufacturers apart in this highly competitive market. This succinct, factual book on American trucking provides a nostalgic look at a significant era in North American history.

Fitting a Camper Van Interior is a definitive guide to modifying or upgrading a camper van interior at home. This book offers guidance and advice on how to maximise the interior space, style and functionality of any camper van model. The book breaks down each task down into step-by-step photography and instructions, from the initial design stages, right through to expanding the camper van with awnings and elevating roofs. With safety tips throughout, the book covers: considerations when purchasing your camper van - classic or new model? How to assess an existing interior and determine what you need from your camper van. There are ideas and suggestions to help decide what you need to include inside a camper van. How to strip the inside of a camper van and prepare it for a new interior, including fitting insulation, sound proofing, rust protection, flooring and panelling is covered. How to make your own seats and fit them, restore a rock and roll bed and fit a hammock. There are step-by-step instructions on making your own kitchen units and fitting equipment such as a fridge and stove. Camper van electrics including hooking up at a campsite, running a leisure battery and other ideas for operating electrical equipment are all covered. Finally, expanding a camper van - how to make a canopy and fit an elevating roof.

The fascinating biography of David Scott-Moncrieff, alias `Bunty' - a colourful larger-than-life personality, enthusiastic car expert, charming entertainer, and passionate vintage car addict. Bunty's favourite marque was Rolls-Royce, and, for some time, he claimed to be the Number 1 in the Rolls-Royce second-hand car trade worldwide. Bunty also owned world-famous race cars, heaps of worn-out hearses (to be rebuilt), supercharged Mercedes classics, and even an antique Steamer. Here, you will meet them all, along with some of his many admirers who had the courage and pleasure to enter the passenger seat. Halwart Schrader travelled to England to meet Bunty on many occasions, knew him well. and has written this long-awaited biography in full co-operation with Bunty's son, Humphrey Scott-Moncrieff.

The Mazda Miata MX-5 has been a popular car among automotive enthusiasts for more than a decade, and hardly a single one of the more than 500,000 sold has not been customized by its owner in some way. This book provides specific how-to instructions through approximately 35 projects that include both maintenance and modification procedures. Each project is treated separately, giving readers very specific information about the commitment in time, tools, money, and talent for each project.

The complete story of the innovative, iconic and enduring Porsche Carrera. This book takes the reader on a journey from the development of its audacious water-cooled design through its racing success and continued production today, to practical maintenance and modification. This book is a true homage to the Porsche Carrera and covers the concept, design and evolution of the 996,997 and 991, including an interview with harm Lagaaji, stylist in the Porsche design studios. Other interviews include racing drivers - past and present - Mike Wilds, Timo Bernhard, Richard Attwood, Richard Westbrook, Mario Andretti, Hans-Joachim Stuck, Wolf Henzler, Brendon Hartley and Peter Dumbreck. There is also a section on how to buy, maintain and modify a Porsche Carrera.

Before yesterday's dream car became today's SUV, the reputation of Porsche as a manufacturer of fine sports cars was established. It started with the ideas of Dr Ferdinand Porsche, and a world best seller that spawned a revered line of sports cars. The Porsche 356 and 911 dominated their classes in international racing, leading to more specialized designs that brought glory to the marque, most famously at Le Mans. Porsche's success was based on excellent engineering. The firm's design consultancy has brought automotive innovation. Such excellence has been centered upon Weissach, the go to place for companies needing a high tech helping hand. Commercial achievement is based on image too. Here, Porsche has carefully chosen its models, and the way they have been sold and promoted. The result, is a unique position in public perception and media coverage. Even during the golden air-cooled era, Porsche wasn't afraid to experiment. The Square Porsche and front-engined coupes, all courted controversy. However, Zuffenhausen believed a Porsche was a Porsche, and soon others did too. The company's tremendous influence in design and engineering has even inspired artistic creation. Like the cars, they represent an inseparable combination of style and substance.

At the end of 1900 the auto industry was set to become a huge force in America over the following ten years or so as the car moved from being a plaything of the rich to being a mass market item, increasingly available to most segments of society. The electric vehicle seemed poised in 1900 to be a leader, or even the dominant force. It had large advantages over vehicles driven by the other two main motive powers, steam and gasoline. Electric cars were clean, odorless, noiseless and they were mechanically simple, compared to their rivals. They rarely broke down and they were easy to operate. An electric car could be started instantly from the driver's seat; no other machine could claim that advantage. But then it all went wrong. The hope and confidence of 1900 collapsed and just two decades later the electric car was dead; two makers continued to produce until late in the 1920s but it was all over for the electrics by the start of the 1920s. Inherent advantages paled in the face of disadvantages that were never resolved. The machines were costly and never came down in price while gasoline cars saw dramatic price reductions over time. Most of all the storage battery was an endless source of problems. Even the genius of Thomas Edison, who worked for over a decade to try and produce a better battery, was unable to prevail. All the electric car industry was able to mount in the guise of dealing with myriad problems was to present an increasingly frantic public relations campaign of lies and deceptive advertising; but never any solutions to the industry's problems.

The first generation 'Sportlich, Leicht und Kurz' - or SLK - was Mercedes-Benz' take on the compact roadster format. Hugely successful from launch, and selling well over 300,000 models, it rapidly became the main competitor to the models of other major German marques. Offering a wealth of options, including a unique 'Vario-roof' folding hard-top, supercharged four-cylinder engines, a 3.2-litre V6 version, and a high-performance AMG version, the SLK is one of Mercedes-Benz' best known, and most sought-after, models.

Here are 111 more gripping Porsche Stories that afficionados of the Stuttgart brand and sports car enthusiasts should know. Wilfried Muller tells the stories of very individual characters - no matter if in the race car cockpit or on the executive floors of the Stuttgart factory, the New York showroom or the Santa Ana racing headquarters in California. Meet Mark Donohue, Dan Gurney, Alwin Springer, Max Hoffman, Jackie Oliver, Brian Redman, Stefan Bellof, Bjoern Waldegard, Valentin Schaffer and many more. Enjoy the anecdotes of race cars dubbed Mickey Mouse or Kangaroo, Earl Rossi's 917 on the French Autoroute, tales from 10,000 mile rallies, Porsches that handled best when going 1.5 mph, and Porsches that were never built. Learn about the background to America's very own version of the legendary 962 racer, the story of the 356C SC Cabriolet, and the elusive America Roadster. Not to forget the chapter about magic Porsche words, which tell the stories of Porsche Design, "RS" or the "Schuttgut", the Porsche family's home base and retreat in the Austrian mountains.

A celebration of 40 classic cars from around the world

Fueled by passion, nostalgia, and perhaps eccentricity over necessity, Chris Haddon celebrates often overlooked cars and introduces the world's most classic cars and their owners. Some are immaculate, while some come with rust, but regardless of age and value, these cars are regularly used, loved, and clock up an impressive mileage.

Total Car Care is the most complete, step-by-step automotive repair manual you'll ever use. All repair procedures are supported by detailed specifications, exploded views, and photographs. From the simplest repair procedure to the most complex, trust Chilton's Total Car Care to give you everything you need to do the job. Save time and money by doing it yourself, with the confidence only a Chilton Repair Manual can provide.

This book looks at all the variants including the 997 Targa and 997 Targa 4S, The 997 Turbo and Turbo S, 997 Carrera and Carrera 4S, 997 GT2 and 997 GT3 and 997 GT2 RS and 997 GT3 RS.

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.

That dream car of all dream cars, the Mercedes-Benz, is presented here in full glory through 285 images. What were the qualities that made them icons of all auto building? Beginning in the pioneer days with the 35 HP model of 1901 through the top-rank sports cars of the 1920s and 1930s, the gullwing-door 300 SL and the legendary "Uhlenhaut Coupe" of the 1950s, and the C 111, with its Wankel engine, of the late 1960s, the line goes on to the present-day SLS AMG. While history influenced changes in construction and design, they blend smoothly into a series yet retain distinctive variations. An exciting spectrum of 18 super sports cars is featured with text that is both entertaining and informative. For the sports car enthusiast and automotive history buff, this is a book you will refer to time and time again.

The Rootes Group, although only achieving a 10-12 per cent market share, were the sixth largest British car manufacturer: more importantly, during the 1950s, more than half the cars they produced were exported. With every model produced from 1950 onwards featured in full colour and with detailed information - including colour schemes, optional equipment, technical specifications, plus other manufacturers' cars built using Rootes components - this is the ultimate book for all Hillman, Humber, Singer and Sunbeam enthusiasts. Cars produced by Chrysler/Talbot and Peugeot after their acquisition of the Rootes Group are also included. This book includes hundreds of original photographs, taken by the author at many car shows over a number of years, and provides a unique pictorial history of Rootes-manufactured cars.

Having this book in your pocket is just like having a real marque expert by your side. Benefit from James Taylor's years of Range Rover ownership and experience, learn how to spot a bad example quickly, and how to assess a promising one like a professional. Get the right Range Rover at the right price! Packed with good advice - from running costs, through paperwork, vital statistics, valuation, and the Range Rover community, to whether a Range Rover will suit you and your lifestyle - this is THE COMPLETE GUIDE to choosing, assessing and buying the Range Rover of your dreams.

In 1984 Peugeot launched the 205 1.6 GTi, which not only changed Peugeot's image forever, but also set a new benchmark for 'hot hatches' eight years after the legendary Golf GTI had raised the bar. Weak points, rust traps, and potential mechanical defects are all laid bare by an expert for the would be buyer. Clear 205-specific photos illustrate problem areas and good points too, as well as model variations. The author also embraces customized and mechanically modified cars. A unique points scoring system lets you evaluate your potential purchase like and expert and also to determine which price category it should fall into. With both mileage and particularly condition having a marked affect on potential prices, the author gives sound advice on what is worth restoring and what, however tempting, is likely to cost a new owner an unrecoverable fortune. Weak points, rust traps, and potential mechanical defects are laid out for the reader, with clear 205-specific guidelines offered on the practicalities of rectifying such problems.