This collection of stories profiling one hundred beautiful vehicles (and their owners) is the ultimate gift book for car lovers.
New York Times best-selling author and popular Wall Street Journal “My Ride” columnist A.J. Baime selects the one hundred cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles to fill the dream garage.
Stunning photography and Baime’s engaging essays celebrate everything drivers love about their cars–from technical specifications to satisfy gearheads to intangibles like a driver’s relationship with his or her car–making it truly “my ride.”
You want fast? Step on the gas in a Koenigsegg CCX, ’87 Lamborghini, or 1970 Pontiac GTO. You want classic? Here are the keys to a ’62 Corvette, ’57 Thunderbird, or 1930 BMW–the oldest Bimmer in the United States. You want cool? Take a ’64 Shelby Cobra, Tesla Model X, or Aston Martin Vulcan for a spin. You want one-of-a-kind? How about a ’52 Seagrave fire truck, ’73 VW Thing, or the Batmobile?
You also get to meet the owners. There’s the story of a pizza-delivery man who dodges polar bears in his Hyundai in Barrow, Alaska; an NBA star who endures Los Angeles traffic by having his Tesla drive for him; and a retired Kentucky entrepreneur with a 22-foot-long 1937 Cadillac, which he calls “the biggest, baddest car that could exist.”
It was unusual for sporting events in the ’50s to be photographed in colour, so this archive is a real treasure, capturing the excitement and atmosphere from a golden age of British motorsport. Despite being unpublished at the time they were taken, these original photographs were unearthed 50 years later, sensitively restored, and then published for the first time in this book. Images of Goodwood, Aintree and Brands Hatch feature classic 1950s racing cars such as Triumphs, Jaguars, Mercedes and Porsches. See close ups of the action and many of the well known drivers of the time – Fangio, Taruffi, Stirling Moss, Masten Gregory, and many more. Martyn Wainwright’s love of the sport, and talent for reportage photography shines through in this evocative and authentic collection.
An absolute must for Revivalists and all lovers of classic motorsport, 1950s Motorsport in Colour has been out of print for several years, but is now available again in this new paperback edition as part of Veloce’s “Classic Reprint” series.
Launched in 1959, the Mini helped to change automotive design, with its unique combination of aesthetics, space efficiency, engineering approach, and handling. Alec Issigonis’s masterpiece was an instant hit – not just with the buying public, but with celebrities and racers alike, from Sir Stirling Moss to ‘The Fab Four’. The Mini became a much-loved staple of the British car industry – a position that it has arguably enjoyed for 60 years and continues today.
In this latest addition to the Scrapbook series from Porter Press International, the story of this unique little car is broken up into accessible nuggets and aided by a collection of archive and contemporary photography, to illustrate just what makes the Mini so special in this, its 60th year.
Author Martin Port set the scene with a look at why this charismatic little car is so loved around the world. He reveals how the concept became a reality and covers each main incarnation of the classic Mini, from 1959 to 2000. From celebrity owners to appearances on the silver screen, competition wins and all sorts of weird and wonderful Mini variants – this is the ultimate visual guide to an icon of British design.
Inspired by the success of the Ford Mustang “pony car” in the US, Ford UK launched “The Car You Always Promised Yourself” in 1969. It was an instant hit.
There was an almost bewildering range of specs and trims, from L to XLR. An upgrade in 1972 introduced the overhead-camshaft Pinto engine to the 1600 and 2000 models, along with a front-end facelift and a new dash layout. Not to mention a 1300cc four-cylinder to a 3-litre V6. Thirty-nine incredible variants of the Mk1 Capri were released at launch.
Factory-Original Ford Capri Mk1 takes you through the production period and pins down the correct factory specifications, equipment and finishes across the range, including the RS3100 and the factory “specials”. This information is backed up by specially commissioned color photography of 10 outstanding examples of the cars.
You’ll love the detail in production changes, dates and numbers, engine and chassis numbers, and aftermarket specials – convertibles by Abbott and Crayford, and performance Capris including the Broadspeed Bullitt and the Uren Comanche. There is also information on Capris built outside the UK.
This is the most comprehensive guide on the Capri Mk1 that has ever even been attempted. It’s thorough enough to satisfy the most ardent enthusiast for these stylish and desirable cars, and detailed enough to provide answers to questions about originality.
Phil Hill (1927-2008) was Ferrari’s 1961 Formula 1 World Champion Driver – and the first, and to date only, American-born sportsman to win world-class motor racing’s premier road racing title. He was also three-time winner of both the Le Mans 24-Hour and the Sebring 12-Hour races, twice-winner of the Buenos Aires and Nürburgring 1000Kms classics, and twice-winner of the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix.
Phil Hill drove not only for Ferrari. He also raced at top international level in Cobra, Ford GT, Chaparral, Porsche, Cooper and Aston Martin cars amongst others. He was a global player, an internationalist who saw his first Formula 1 car at the British Goodwood race circuit as early as 1950
Twelve years later he would himself be Ferrari’s reigning Formula 1 World Champion Driver.
Through all his racing up to 1962 Phil Hill used his favoured Leica cameras “… to show the folks back home” the motor racing scene he so loved in fantastic quality colour.
Built around this very personal and long-private photo collection of mainly Kodachrome motor racing photography – intimate, candid, often exquisitely composed, a superb-quality colour record of a bygone age absolutely brim-full of nostalgia, personality, spectacle and drama.
BOOKSHOP EDITION
Reviewing the evocative years 1950 to 1962, the single volume Bookshop Edition covers 80 events with some 530 colour photographs, each captioned in Phil’s inimitable style and all beautifully laid out over 488 pages of the finest Italian art paper. The book is hardbound with a cloth case and a printed jacket, and will be delivered in a matching heavyweight slipcase.
The photographs themselves cover many of the most important events in Phil’s long and illustrious racing career, from his early successes in SCCA national races in the United States of America – at such venues as Pebble Beach, Elkhart Lake, Palm Springs, Sebring, Daytona and, of course Watkins Glen – through his breakout years onto the International scene in Europe and South America, to his hugely successful Championship-winning years with Ferrari.
His uniquely insightful coverage includes his three formative drives in the Carrera PanAmericana (1952-54), his early visits to the Le Mans 24-Hour race (which he would ultimately win no fewer than three times with Ferrari) and his subsequent drives in the great 1000Kms and World Championship sports car races on circuits as diverse as Reims-Gueux, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Monza, the Nürburgring, Montlhéry and Daytona, plus of course Sebring and Le Mans.
The Bookshop Edition also covers Phil Hill’s many appearances as a Ferrari Formula 1 works team driver, culminating in his Drivers’ World Championship title in 1961. Completing the story are his many appearance in numerous non-World Championship events, including fabulous photographs from his two capacity-class World Land-Speed Record drives for MG at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1957 and 1959.
This first complete biography of Harriet Quimby is visually charming for all ages and a handy reference for entertainment, photography, travel, and aviation historians. With over 150 vintage newspaper clips and dozens of never before published photographs, it’s a must for every fan of early aviation.
Carrie Vanderbilt’s pictures of her best friend, Harriet Quimby, remained in storage for over 85 years. These photographs and dozens of other never-before published images are artfully presented with vintage newspaper clippings and Quimby family documents, as if Quimby had pasted them into her own scrapbook. Reprinted for the first time are Harriet Quimby’s seven silent film treatments for American Biograph.
Quimby was disarmingly unique. Ignoring criticism, and creating her own sense of style, she owned several cars, learned how to repair them, and encouraged other women to do the same. She smoked cigarettes, lived alone, and lied about her age. Cleverly calculating her professional career, she represented all that was independent and modern, yet she distanced herself from feminist causes.
Harriet Quimby’s life touched the fringes of the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, the Ragtime Ear, and the new Age of Aviation. Moving from Michigan to California and finally to New York City during 1903, she was prepared to take it by storm. She had no alternate plan.
New York loved her. America admired her. The world was her oyster until tragedy struck. Before her death at age 37, her potential for continued fame, fortune, and contributions to U.S. history was limitless.
Scientific American eulogized that her death, ” while fitting for an athlete, should never have been the lot of such a fragile flower of sunny California.”.
This scrapbook represents more than the life of one woman. It is our cultural heritage.
Drag racing is a very regulated sport. In the history of the NHRA, IHRA, and other sanctioning bodies, many classes existed in an effort to make sure the cars racing against each other are as equal as possible. It is a noble, if not futile, pursuit. You have two cars facing off that have very similar statistics in terms of weight, transmission type, fuel type, estimated horsepower, and all other sorts of measurables. The byproduct is that often the races that were “fair” were not the races that the fans wanted to see.
During the golden age of drag racing, fans didn’t care as much about class racing as much as they wanted to see scores settled, rivalries battled, and interesting match-ups. There were the manufacturer rivalries, Ford versus Chevy, Chevy versus Mopar, Mopar versus Ford, as well as numerous driver rivalries. Match races were also a great way to feature wildly popular cars that no longer had a class in which to compete, yet the fans still wanted to see them. So popular and intense were these races that many track promoters didn’t bother to promote class racing at all. Instead, they used the match races as headliners, similar to the marquee at your local arena or a billboard in Las Vegas, all resulting in putting more fans in the stands. And the drivers loved it too. Although the prize money for national events was fairly average for the day, the extra appearance fees and prize money to lure the most popular match racers to events increased the driver’s take exponentially. Many of the most popular pro drivers quit class racing altogether just to go match racing.
Veteran drag race author Doug Boyce tells the tale of the history of match racing through the cars, the drivers, the events, the classes, the rivalries, and everything else that was fun about match racing during the golden era. It’s all here, complemented by wonderful vintage photography provided by fans and professionals in attendance. If you are a fan of any class of drag racing, from any era, Match Race Mayhem is a fun addition to your racing library.
Of all the great cars to bear the Ferrari name, none are as loved, widely respected, or as lusted after as the classic V12 road cars built between 1948 and 1989.
In Coachwork on Ferrari V12 Road Cars 1948-89, coachbuilders like Bertone, Farina, Ghia, Scaglietti, Pinin Farina, Touring and Vignale are profiled from A-Z, with their history, designers, and design philosophy reviewed. You’ll also see color photography of their outstanding cars.
Simon Clay, leading British car photographer, and Dr. James Taylor, automotive historian, work together to present an authoritative review of the often faultless, sometimes audacious, styling of what are now the most treasured and expensive classic cars in the world.
The long-departed Steve McQueen is still the coolest man on two wheels.
Even thirty years after his death, Steve McQueen remains a cultural icon. His image continues to appear in advertising and pop culture and his fan base spans from car lovers to racing enthusiasts to motorcycle obsessives. In his movies, McQueen’s character always had an envy-inducing motorcycle or car, but in his personal life, motorcycles were always McQueen’s first true love. McQueen’s Motorcycles focuses on the bikes that the King of Cool raced and collected.
From the first Harley McQueen bought when he was an acting student in New York to the Triumph “desert sleds” and Huskys he desert raced all over California, Mexico, and Nevada, McQueen was never without a stable of two wheelers. His need for speed propelled him from Hollywood into a number of top off-road motorcycle races, including the Baja 1000, Mint 400, Elsinore Grand Prix, and even as a member of the 1964 ISDT team in Europe. Determined to be ahead of the pack, McQueen maintained his body like it was a machine itself. He trained vigorously, weight lifting, running, and studying martial arts. Later in his life, as he backed away from Hollywood, his interests turned to antique bikes and he accumulated an extensive collection, including Harley-Davidson, Indian, Triumph, Brough Superior, Cyclone, BSA, and Ace motorcycles.
Today, McQueen still has the Midas touch; anything that was in the man’s possession is a hot commodity. McQueen’s classic motorcycles sell for top dollar at auctions, always at a multiple of what the same bike is worth without the McQueen pedigree. McQueen’s Motorcycles reveals these highly sought-after machines in gorgeous photography and full historical context.
A celebration of our love affair with the car, from the humble Citroen 2CV to the sleek Mercedes 300 SL Roadster, with owners’ stories and vehicle notes
Forty two vehicles from around the world are featured in this gem for vintage car and retro design enthusiasts, including the small but perfectly formed Fiat 500, the Bavarian Goggomobil, Willys WW2 Jeep, the Plymouth Belvedere with its extraordinary trademark wings, the popular and trustworthy Morris Minor, and the Mini, the design success of the 1960s. Cars are frequently an expression of their owners’ personalities, and the wealth of examples and owners’ stories included here are testament to this. The book also includes details of extraordinary journeys, some short and some long, that some of these cars have made—London to Mexico and 2,000-mile round trips to Italy, along with heartwarming stories of how a car has become a priceless part of the family. The photography focuses on the design specifics which have earned these cars the label “classic,” while the owners’ stories and accompanying vehicle notes, which explain the influence of car design on the wider design community, offer interesting insights as well as inspiration to the design conscious. It is guaranteed to leave the reader contemplating the joys of embarking on a road trip in any one of the iconic cars featured.
No car has had such a profound impact on the motoring scene as the original Mini. Designed in response to petrol shortages in the late 1950s, it was introduced in 1959 in both Austin and Morris guises, with either basic or De Luxe trim levels. Success came swiftly, and before long its makers at BMC were introducing van, pick-up and estate versions, high-performance Mini Coopers, and higher equipment levels on the Mini Super. Right through the 1960s, the success story continued, and the original formula proved so right that the updated Mk II models of 1967 were instantly recognisable as versions of the original and much-loved car. These early Minis are as much admired and sought-after today as ever, offering their own unique blend of nimble driving pleasure with readily affordable running costs. They are also increasingly the subject of detailed, part-number-perfect restorations, and this book is designed to help all those who aim to restore one of these early British-built Minis to their correct specification. Within these pages, respected classic car historian James Taylor gives each major model of Mini its own section. These sections provide full details of specifications and examine individual areas of each model in depth. They are backed up by colour photography of outstanding examples that illustrate the way these cars looked when they were new. Body panels, external trim and badging, paint colours, interior trim, dashboard, instruments and controls, under-bonnet components, engine and transmission, lights — all this and more is comprehensively covered for both Mk I and Mk II Minis. For rapid reference to vital information, this formula has proved to be the most useful one for restorers. With more than 300 specially commissioned colour photographs, Factory-Original Mini will delight and enthral the restorer and the more casual Mini enthusiast alike.
Great collector cars are still out there–just waiting to be found!
Sadly, there is very little reality in reality TV. That wouldn’t be so bad except for the fact that these shows are the only TV shows for the barn-find collector car aficionado.
Barn Find Road Trip is the antidote to all the manufactured collector “reality” shows. It’s a real-world, barn-find banzai run in which auto archaeologist Tom Cotter, his car collector pal Brian Barr, and photographer Michael Alan Ross embarked on a 14-day collector-car-seeking adventure with no predetermined destinations. It’s barn-find freestyle! Roaming the Southeast, they documented their day-to-day car search in photos and through stories and interviews. This trip is absolutely real and the same kind of junket any gearhead with the skills, knowledge, and time can undertake.
Cotter and company hit the road in Cotter’s 1939 Ford Woody, the kind of car that opened doors and started the conversations that revealed where interesting cars were squirreled away. The result? The discovery of over 1,000 collector cars and some of the most amazing barn-find stories Cotter has yet unearthed, all accompanied by Ross’ evocative photography. If you love stories of automotive adventure, this is the book for you!
Explore the complete history of Jaguar–maker of cars that practically purr with life–through James Mann’s stunning photography.
In 1935, a small company in Coventry, England, built a sporting saloon called the Jaguar SS and set in motion an inexorable process that would lead to Britain’s most beloved line of high-performance automobiles. Originally begun by a couple of motorcycle enthusiasts–William Lyons and William Walmsley–the firm originally called the Swallow Sidecar Company quickly expanded into automobile production, and with its new Jaguar model, it had exactly what the market wanted.
In England’s bleak postwar years, Jaguar became a shining star, beginning with its XK120 (the first production car ever to achieve 120 miles per hour), followed by the XK140 and XK150. Sporting sedans (saloons in British parlance) such as the Mark 2 and Mark X set the bar for luxury four-door transport in the 50s and 60s. Then Jaguar stunned the world with the achingly beautiful E-Type in 1961, a genuine 150-miles-per-hour super sports car. Along the way, the company competed on road courses around the world, going head to head with greats such as Ferrari and Aston Martin.
Though Jaguar lost its way periodically in the modern era, it has bounded back stronger than ever in the 21st century with a lineup including the all-new F-Type sports car.
Jaguar Cars features 50 of Jaguar’s most iconic models, from the original SS Jaguar to today’s F-Type sports cars as well as the C-X75 supercar concept.
ONE SIX RIGHT is an exhilarating documentary film that celebrates the unsung hero of aviation the local airport by tracing the life, history, and struggles of an airport icon: Southern California’s Van Nuys Airport. Featuring thrilling aerial photography and a sweeping original score, the film dispels common misconceptions and opposes criticism of General Aviation airports. Through the love story of one airport, past to present, the film shares the timeless romance of flying with all ages.
“If you grew up reading the classic “”green pages”” in HOT ROD magazine – (or even if you didn’t) — you’re going to love this lavish look inside some of the coolest hot rods around.
In the old days the “”green pages”” information was great, but the photos left something to be desired. Writer/photographer Doug Mitchel has changed all that by teaming the same kind of essential information with his outstanding photography.
In Anatomy of the Hot Rod Doug tells you about everything that goes into building a world-class hot rod, then “”hooks you up”” with the unforgettable visual imagery of “”crate”” 350s, triple-carb flathead V-8s, chromed Haibrand rear ends, beefed-up gearboxes, shiny Jag suspensions and jewel-like Stewart-Warner gauge clusters.
If you’re into owning or building a knock-your-socks-off hot rod of any variety – nostalgic Old Skool, classic “”rat rod”” or High-Tech contemporary, this is the book you need on the shelf in your garage.”
“The Competition Bicycle will inspire cyclists and design lovers alike. The evocative, detail-rich photographs display the history of the bicycle, from racing high-wheelers to modern racing bikes with carbon-fiber disc wheels. Exceptional handcrafted machines ridden by great champions illustrate milestones in the mechanics and craftsmanship of bicycle design.
This volume also features iconic bicycles that played an important role in the history of the sport, from the bicycle that sent Eddy Merckx over the finish line in his last world championship win, to those of tandem teams who tackled the hour record, motor-paced track racers that exceeded 80 mph on the wooden boards, to California’s mountain-bike pioneers.
Historic images complement the stunning new photography that illustrates each machine in exquisite detail while celebrating the evolution of the sport, object, and machine. The Competition Bicycle is sure to be treasured by all who appreciate magnificent masterpieces of vintage and contemporary design.”
En Route with Citroens
This book is a compilation of 8 outstanding road trips produced for various magazines over the last 20 years. The book combines the beautiful motoring photography of Martyn Goddard with the evocative writing of three excellent motoring journalists, Phil Llewellin, Dale Drinnon and Paul Horrell. Mr Llewellin, who wrote most of the stories, was a very well regarded motoring and travel writer and these stories – journeys or adventures really – are all charmingly told and very accurate in the depth of detail. Several are taken from the iconic classic car magazine Super Car Classics. They recount trips in classic cars, mainly wonderful Citroens. But it is not just about cars, the trips are also about people and places and most importantly, food and wine, as discovered in different parts of France.
The majority of the photographs have never been seen before and are a stunning mix of reportage and beautifully crafted car images. Included are trip notes that give some background to the stories.
A great read for anyone who loves cars, travel, adventure or food and wine in any combination.
The BBC Sport World Formula One Records 2013 fully revised and updated to include the conclusion of the fascinating 2011 season and the thrilling first part of 2012, is the latest in Carlton Books’ million-selling World Records series. Focusing exclusively on the world of Formula One, the biggest and most glamorous of all motor sports championships, this volume highlights the great battles for the World Drivers Championship and the Constructors Cup since they began in the 1950s. There are also hundreds of stories and statistics on the legendary drivers, teams and tracks who have helped to make Formula 1 one of the most exciting and popular sports in the world. The stories, features, lists and tables are brought to life by fantastic action photography. All fans of Formula One will love BBC Sport World Formula One Records 2013, and feel confident about winning any argument about this thrilling sport.
