Once upon a time it was easy to tell one make of car from another. The shape of the grille or a distinctive badge was all that was required to tell the onlooker what they were looking at. Sadly those days are behind us, but the rich history of those identifying features lives on for those with an inquisitive mind. Some marques, such as Aston Martin, only ever had one badge, while others went through a range of insignia over the years. Some badges, such as Ferrari, were inspired by local heraldic devices, while others were based on flags. The names of these companies have equally fascinating stories. Some, like Ford, were derived from the names of their founders, while local history played a role in the naming of companies such as Lada. This book tells the stories of many of these names and badges, detailing their origins and development and accompanied by a range of interesting illustrations.

Cars are the scourge of civilization, responsible for everything from suburban sprawl and urban decay to environmental devastation and rampant climate change--not to mention our slavish dependence on foreign oil from dubious sources abroad. Add the astonishing price in human lives that we pay for our automobility--some thirty million people were killed in car accidents during the twentieth century--plus the countless number of hours we waste in gridlock traffic commuting to work, running errands, picking up our kids, and searching for parking, and one can't help but ask: Haven't we had enough already? After a century behind the wheel, could we be reaching the end of the automotive age? From the Model T to the SUV, "Autophobia" reveals that our vexed relationship with the automobile is nothing new--in fact, debates over whether cars are forces of good or evil in our world have raged for over a century now, ever since the automobile was invented. According to Brian Ladd, this love and hate relationship we share with our cars is the defining quality of the automotive age. And "everyone" has an opinion about them, from the industry shills, oil barons, and radical libertarians who offer cars blithe paeans and deny their ill effects, to the technophobes, treehuggers, and killjoys who curse cars, ignoring the very real freedoms and benefits they provide us. Focusing in particular on our world's cities, and spanning settings as varied as belle epoque Paris, Nazi Germany, postwar London, Los Angeles, New York, and the smoggy Shanghai of today, Ladd explores this love and hate relationship throughout, acknowledging adherents and detractors of the automobile alike. Eisenhower, Hitler, Jan and Dean, J. G. Ballard, Ralph Nader, OPEC, and, of course, cars, all come into play in this wide-ranging but remarkably wry and pithy book. A dazzling display of erudition, "Autophobia" is cultural commentary at its most compelling, history at its most searching--and a surprising page-turner.

In a book of Porsche photography and engaging conversation, Lance Cole journeys through a personal passion for Porsche one that many supercar enthusiasts share. Herein light falls on sculpted metal and paint -shiny and less shiny. Throwing off the conventions of Porsche purism, yet at the same time always respecting the origins of Porsche, and the status of the 911, this is a book that celebrates the engineering and the design language of Porsche amid its culture. From an oily-rag 356 to old 911s and new 911s, with a brief alighting upon other cars of the Porsche clan, this is an eclectic collection of enthusiasts moments captured across a British Porsche landscape.

'Sweet, funny, heartbreaking but uplifting at the same time. I absolutely LOVED this book.'Alice Fletcher doesn't like to take chances and she certainly doesn't believe in fate. Three years after the end of her last long-term relationship, she's in no hurry to risk another heartbreak. But fate has other plans. One day, on her drive home, Alice comes across a man, dazed and lost, by the side of a wrecked car. And with no one else around, Alice goes to help. TV star Jimmy Mack is riding the crest of the career wave one minute, and the next he's staring at his crashed car. But when Alice comes to rescue him, things start to look up. What Alice and Jimmy discover next changes everything. Fate might have marked them out for each other, but somehow their destinies have got tangled. Will they get their happily-ever-after, or might their time together be shorter than either of them would hope... Join Jill Steeples for this truly 'out of this world' romance and a love story to remember. Perfect for fans of Jessica Redland, Cathy Bramley and Miranda Dickinson. Please note that this book was previously published as Desperately Seeking Heaven. What readers are saying about Jill Steeples: 'So beautiful. So soothing. Filled me with warmth for quite sometime after reading it. Amongst all other things Jill Steeples teaches readers to dream, believe, love and live life to the fullest.' 'What a fabulous book! I was so engrossed nothing was getting in the way of reading this. The ending was not what I expected - and I've never been so pleased to be wrong footed!' 'This is so much more than a 'romance' and the twists and turns had me desperate to know how it was all going to turn out.' 'So I'm sitting here with tears streaming down my cheeks as I write. I have literally just put down this amazing book. I have read some brilliant and heart warming things in my time, but this really did get to me.'

Mercedes-Benz Pagoda SLs are cars that have the style and dynamic qualities that can be instantly recognized and appreciated 35 years after they went out of production. They are more practical than their predecessors, the 300SL Gullwing and roadsters, and more memorable than their successors, the W107 Panzer-wagen SLs. This book gives you a "warts and all" introduction to what these SLs are like to own, drive and maintain, plus a step-by-step guide to how to evaluate any example you might be considering. It includes 100 photos of what to look for - and what to avoid - plus a realistic assessment of running and restoration costs, and market values. This includes servicing and spare parts prices, and the relative values of the various models, specifications and vehicle conditions you are likely to encounter. Written by the Editor of the Mercedes-Benz Club Gazette, it draws on the experiences of the late Roger Edwards, a former Mercedes-Benz apprentice who spent his life working on and enjoying these cars. Including input from Roger's colleagues, who continue to run his company, a leading source of expertise on Pagoda SLs. The book also benefits from the author's 30 years of owning, restoring and enjoying old cars, and his contacts in the world of Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts. One of a comprehensive series of buyer's guides published by Veloce, it uses a well-established evaluation system, developed to enable potential buyers to assess any car they view. It is written in an easy to follow, jargon-free style and will equip you with all you need to know when buying a Pagoda, whether you want to get your own hands dirty or just need to know what is necessary to supervise others working on your behalf.

A unique work revealing to readers for the first time the aerodynamic evolution of the sports prototypes of the latest "Golden Age of Endurance Racing", those with hybrid powerplants. A painstaking exploration of the world of the enthralling sports prototypes, the cars developed from the Group C period - in the first half of the Eighties - through to the protagonists of the current WEC and ELMS championships. Hundreds of colour drawings document the technical evolution of the covered wheel racing cars of the past 40 years. Cars of extraordinary appeal such as the Porsche 956s, the XJ series Jaguars, the Series C Mercedes, the Peugeot 905, through to the more recent Audis, great dominators of Le Mans in the 2000s, the Toyotas and the Porsches. All this in a technical overview introduced by historical-regulatory contextualisation, indispensable for an understanding of a world that, in recent years, has featured even greater technical evolution and sporting excitement than Formula 1.

Throughout the history of the sports car, no marque has epitomized the excitement and passion of driving like Porsche. The Saratoga Automobile Museum, in collaboration with architect Steven Harris, presents 22 of the marque's rarest air and water-cooled cars. This remarkable collection highlights the manufacturer's past seven decades of production -- from 356 Carreras and Speedsters, to high-performance RS 911s -- all captured in sensational detail by James Lipman. The stunning imagery is accompanied by specifications and history, as well as driving impressions from leading automotive writers Jethro Bovingdon, Andrew English, Andrew Frankel, Richard Meaden, and John Simister. The 911 Edition is a special version of Air & Water for collectors, limited to just 911 individually numbered units. It features a unique cover with individually numbered metal plates, an art print of an image from the book, and an exclusive cloth-wrapped clamshell case. Each copy of the 911 Edition is protected by a custom-made individual mailing carton.