Celebrating the rich, deep partnership between the British car industry and Italian design, this book is packed with coachbuilt cars, design classics and concept cars from the 1920s to the current day. The story starts with the early days of coachbuilt cars on separate chassis from illustrious marques like Bentley, Frazer Nash and Rolls-Royce, which were bodied by such Italian coachbuilders as Pinin Farina, Viotti and Zagato. After World War Two came the golden era of coachbuilt cars, with Italian companies creating some of the world’s most beautiful shapes of all time on chassis from the likes of Aston Martin, Austin-Healey, Bristol, Jaguar, Jowett, MG, Riley and Rover.
Then came the era when Italian carrozzerie morphed into design houses, penning shapes for mass-produced cars like the BMC 1100/1300 and Triumph Herald, and crafting what are widely recognised to be some of the world’s most beautiful cars, such as the Aston Martin DB4, AC 428 and Lotus Esprit.
Finally came the era of the ‘concept car’, with incredible show designs based on British marques such as Jaguars by Bertone, the BMC 1800 Berlina Aerodinamica by Pininfarina and Lotus by Italdesign.
This book reveals the full stories behind the intense, diverse, sometimes surprising and always fascinating links between British cars and Italian design: the characters, the deals, the designs and above all the cars themselves.
Over 40 British marques are included, from AC to Wolseley, and from major names like Jaguar down to smaller operations such as Jensen, TVR, Elva and Gordon-Keeble. These are matched by more than 40 Italian carrozzerie, from Allemano to Zagato. As well as major collaborations – such as Pininfarina and BMC, Michelotti and Triumph, Touring and Aston Martin – myriad never-before-told stories of small operators really make this book special: the likes of Frua, Boano, Fissore, Monviso, Sibona-Basano and Schiaretti.
Richly illustrated with hundreds of period images, high-quality modern photography and dozens of sketches by the designers themselves – many never seen in print before – this is a book to relish for both lovers of design and enthusiasts of British and Italian cars.
Ohe hottest compilation of on-bike road racing footage ever seen! Experience the thrill of riding with the world’s best racers in this dizzying full-on, action blast collection of the best on-bike footage ever recorded. Trees, hedges, houses and stone walls flash past at astonishing speeds. These guys don’t flinch. You will!
Get your leathers and racing helmet on for complete laps of:
THE NORTHWEST 200 – The fastest road racing circuit in Europe, nine miles of winding coast roads. Features Michael Rutter (Ducati 996) and Iain Duffus (Honda Fireblade).
THE ISLE OF MAN TT – World famous mountain circuit, 37.73 miles of endurance, speed, skill and total commitment, Starring David Jefferies (Yamaha R1), Blair Degerholm (Kawasaki ZX7RR), Nigel Davies (Yamaha R145), Iain Duffus (Honda Fireblade) and Steve Hislop (HOnda RC45).
THE ULSTER GRAND PRIX – Steeped in history the Dundrod circuit, set high in the hills above Belfast, is seven and a half miles of pure adrenalin! With the legendary Joey Dunlop (Honda RC45) and John Donnan (Yamaha R6).
THE SOUTHERN 100 – Mass starts on a pure road circuit, 4.25 miles long and fantastic speeds! On-board with Tim Leech (Kawasaki 750), Roy Hanks/Dave Wells (Yamaha 600 Outfit) and Blair Degerholm (Kawasaki 750).
This is the ultimate road racing experience – it’ll blow you away!
Extras exclusive to DVD include more on-bike with Mick Grant and Mad Sunday with David Jefferiesn-Bike Road Race Experience
Get set for the ultimate adrenalin-fuelled, white-knuckle ride as you experience the awesome Isle of Man TT from the racers’ point of view! Breathtaking speeds, incredible camera angles and stunning race action will have you on the edge of your seat.
This jaw-dropping collection opens with the, then, fastest on-board lap ever recorded around the famous Mountain Circuit, courtesy of Guy Martin and his 1000cc Hydrex Honda – at an average speed of 129.8mph!
Join John McGuinness on the AIM Yamaha R1, sidecar legend Dave Molyneux at TT 2005 and the late, great David Jefferies, who provides his own commentary on the 1000cc TAS Suzuki lap.
There’s Uel Duncan Honda Fireblade-mounted Cameron Donald talking you around a lap, Manx sensation Conor Cummins at speeds hitting 185mph during the Centenary Senior TT, a big moment for Paul Hunt and more.
Multiple camera angles let you experience the TT like never before, and get almost too close to the action for comfort, while on-screen graphics show you the incredible speeds reached as you flash past the famous landmarks, hedges, houses and fans!
