Road and motor vehicles: general interest Books

Book SynopsisRare and previously unpublished images celebrating preserved steam rollers from different makers that can be seen in Britain.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis lavishly produced book provides unique photographic insight into the design and engineering of 15 landmark Ferrari road-car engines, documenting the `inside view’ of the engines – each one a mechanical work of art. Photographer and journalist Francesco Reggiani has been granted a `back-stage pass’ at various engineering specialists working on the restoration and servicing of Cavallino Rampante engines, taking photographs to document the restoration of some of the most beautiful Ferraris built by the Maranello factory. During these assignments, he became fascinated by the aesthetic appeal and engineering of the engines – the pulsating hearts of the cars which they power – as he photographed them both dismantled and assembled. Beginning with the first-generation Ferrari V12 engine fitted to the 195 Inter in 1949, and progressing through V6s, normally aspirated and turbocharged V8s and flat-12s to the latest 6.3-litre V12 fitted to the four-wheel-drive FF, the engines are documented in detail, with photographs of the components, assembled engines, and the cars in which they are fitted. A history and technical overview is provided for each engine and car featured, along with engine specifications, taking the reader on a journey through the history of Ferrari’s engineering progress and technical innovation. Essential reading for car enthusiasts, particularly fans of the Ferrari marque, those interested in engineering, and anybody who appreciates the mechanical artistry of Ferrari’s superbly engineered engines

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis fascinating story charts the career of Max Hoffman, the US car dealer who represented Jaguar, Porsche, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Fiat, Lancia, BMW, and many other European car brands during the decades following WWII. He pushed for distinguished now-classics like the Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing, Porsche Speedster, BMW 507, and Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider. Hoffman built a reputation as an effective middleman, but as the car companies he represented became more successful under his watch, the less they needed their go-between. When it was inevitably time to say goodbye to Maxie, he showed his teeth with everything from lawsuits against his suppliers, to threatening executives with a mob hit. However, Hoffman also had a very good reason to be defensive. He understood the American market, and he pushed manufacturers specifically for cars that would strike a chord and make everybody involved richer. Sometimes the hero, sometimes the villain, but more often than not, Max Hoffman was the unseen puppet master behind some of today’s best classics.Table of Contents1. Early life, start in cars, and WWII 2. An expensive address (this describes his first showroom in Manhattan and the marques he sold, including Aston Martin, Dalahaye, and Jowett. 3.Jaguar. 4.Volkswagen 5. Mercedes 6. Porsche 7. The Italians (Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo) 8. BMW 9. Frank Lloyd Wright and other architecture 10. How significant Hoffman’s cars are today and a lasting legacy

Read more less

Book SynopsisAs the nation that conceived the first tank more than a hundred years ago, Britain has a long and fascinating series of tank designs to its credit. Despite a period of apathy from the relevant authorities about the value of tanks, which led to its grateful reliance on American-made models during the Second World War, Britain bounced back to become an important innovator once again - notably with the development of the still-secret Chobham armour for the 1980s. In addition to the outstanding successes of British tank design, there were many unsuccessful designs along the way. The sheer quantity of proposals, prototypes and production models is bewildering to all but the non-specialist, and yet fascinating to those who persevere in their search for information. The Complete Catalogue of British Tanks therefore aims to make the essential information available in readily digestible form, as well as to suggest further sources of information for those who wish to take their interest a stage further. Completed with useful Appendices about the variety of engines used in British tanks, and about the multiple main weapons that have been employed, this book will be a rapid-reference standby for anyone with an interest in the story of these armoured fighting vehicles.

Read more less

Book SynopsisCrisis, Resilience and Survival charts the evolution of the global automotive industry, revealing the pressures and challenges facing firms in this huge but turbulent realm of business. Long-term overcapacity and swings of the economic cycle mean that many car companies are in financially perilous positions. Yet failures of auto companies are rare, and many have bounced back from the brink. Using the concept of the ''survival envelope'', Holweg and Oliver argue that the ability to design, develop, manufacture and distribute vehicles competitively is not the only factor in ensuring success. Using detailed analyses of two failures (Rover and Saab) and two near-misses (Chrysler and Nissan) they explore how scale, market reach and supportive stakeholder relations can make the difference between success and failure in this global industry. This book will appeal to anyone working in, or studying the auto industry, as well as those interested in corporate success and failure.Trade Review'This book is essential reading for followers of the industry, including journalists and investment analysts. Using their decades of deep experience in analysing the business, the authors take an unusually sophisticated approach to their topic. They have crafted a book which avoids the usual temptation to oversimplify the complexities of an industry that is huge in scale, truly global and still growing, and offer powerful new insights to explain and even predict corporate resilience in the sector. A compelling yet very approachable book.' Richard Parry-Jones CBE, former Chief Technology Officer, Ford Motor Company, and Chair, UK Automotive Council, 2009–2015'The automotive industry is undergoing the most impactful changes of the past hundred years; hybrid, electric and fuel cell vehicles provide alternatives to the internal combustion engine, autonomous driving features are commercially available, and connected cars will communicate with one another. This book provides a framework for understanding the dynamics of the automotive industry and what factors cause companies to succeed or fail. It is factual and comprehensive; a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the future dynamics of this complex industry.' Daniel Roos, Japan Steel Industry Professor of Engineering Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Founding Director, International Motor Vehicle Program'Too often students of the auto industry resort to anecdote and subjective opinion in attempting to explain why some car firms succeed and others fail. Holweg and Oliver break this pattern by devising an integrated model of firm survival and failure which is comprehensive, logical, and - most importantly - objective. Readers can leverage this framework as they make their own predictions as to which OEMs will sink or swim in the coming years.' Glenn Mercer, independent auto industry analyst, and former Partner, McKinsey and Company's Automotive Practice'This insightful book provides double value - first by providing a primer on the structural conditions and firm capabilities necessary for survival in the global auto industry, and second by examining case studies of both failure and resilience against that backdrop. Holweg and Oliver's 'survival envelope' framework and 'resilience index' benchmark provide predictive power for assessing the future crises that will surely afflict this 'industry of industries'. For as the authors cogently state, the core question revealed by their analysis is not 'why are there so many crises at auto firms' but rather 'given the conditions under which they operate, why don't more auto firms fail?'' John Paul MacDuffie, Director, Program on Vehicle and Mobility Innovation (PVMI), Mack Institute for Innovation Management, Wharton School, University of PennsylvaniaTable of ContentsAcknowledgments; 1. Why a book on corporate resilience?; 2. The evolution of a global industry; 3. Competing in a global industry; 4. Concepts: stakeholders, operations and context; 5. Rover: inside a failing car company; 6. The failure of Saab automobile; 7. Near misses: Nissan and Chrysler; 8. The future shape of the industry; Appendix; Endnotes; Bibliography; Secondary data sources; Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which Cornish Road Transport has changed and developed over the last century.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe issue of alcohol-impaired driving has received broad attention over the years, but drug-impaired driving also contributes to fatalities and injuries from traffic crashes. However, knowledge about the drug-impaired- driving problem is less advanced than for alcohol-impaired driving. This book discusses what is known about the extent of drug-impaired driving in the United States; challenges that exist for federal, state, and local agencies in addressing drug-impaired driving; and actions federal and state agencies have taken to address drug-impaired driving and what gaps exist in the federal response. This book also summarizes a series of studies undertaken by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to acquire the information needed to address the general problem of drug-impaired driving.

Read more less

Book SynopsisEast Kent - Services of the Golden Jubilee Era takes the reader on a journey along the routes of all the stage-carriage services operated by East Kent in 1968, just after the Company celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 1966/7 and immediately prior to the National Bus Company (NBC) taking full control. Supported by over two hundred and fifty photographs, most not published before, of nearly every bus route as well as most London express services and all the operational garages, this book reveals the contrasting nature of East Kent's services from rural byways to the seasonal, but very busy routes serving the still-popular resorts around the Kent coast. It includes a comprehensive fleet list and details a specimen allocation of cars to each service on a typical day in 1968; local route maps of all major town services as well as a sectionalised reproduction of the original East Kent network map of 1968 and, finally, a summary of the Centenary celebrations of 2016.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe years between the two World Wars was an extraordinary period for the French luxury car trade and during this time, Carrosserie Gaston Grümmer was one of the leading coachbuilding houses in Paris. Thanks to this recently discovered and previously unpublished archive, Gaston’s son, Philippe Grümmer, in association with one of the best French automotive historians, Laurent Friry, takes us back to this glorious time. Descended from a long line of coachbuilders, Gaston Grümmer was the son of Antoine-Joseph whose company, J. Grümmer formerly V. Morel, produced first, from 1845, exceptional horse-drawn carriages and from the 1890s, automobile bodies. Trained in the family business before World War I, Gaston Grümmer, spent the war as a soldier, first on horseback, then in the trenches and finally in the air as a pilot. At the end of hostilities, he brilliantly re-launched the family business transforming it into the Société Anonyme des Etablissements Grümmer. As the company moved towards the production of series bodywork for various manufacturers, Gaston decided to break away to build custom cars and in 1924 he created his own company, Carrosserie Gaston Grümmer. For the next ten years he achieved great success on both aesthetic and technical levels, winning many awards. Volume I describes Gaston Grümmer’s early life and the activities of his company up to and including 1933, illustrated with many period photographs, catalogues and press reports. Volume II covers the two last years of the company’s existence, 1934-1935, and describes Gaston Grümmer’s finest achievements in design – the Hirondelle and the Aéroprofil – for which he won many honours. It is followed by an exhaustive appendix detailing the company’s archive of chassis listings of car bodies, the drawing register, a section on the few known remaining cars with Grümmer bodies, and a list of awards received that results in a reference book on coachwork of the 1920s and 1930s that is essential for any student of the period.

Read more less

Book SynopsisMaison V. Morel was founded in 1845 by Victor Jacques Morel (1814-1879) and became one of the most important Parisian coachbuilders during the second half of the 19th century at a time when France dominated the industry, replacing England as leaders in the field. Antoine-Joseph Grümmer (1834-1909) succeeded Jacques Morel in 1879 and the company became known as Société J. Grümmer, formerly Maison Morel. This book introduces the reader to many previously unpublished documents and illustrations of exceptional carriages and cars that were the pride of their owners both in France and overseas and describes their importance in the day-to-day life of Parisian high society. Mention is also made of the many high-quality suppliers who contributed to the manufacture of the carriages including Hermès, Louis Vuitton, and Boyriven.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTo mark the 60th anniversary season of the Castle Combe circuit this book has been published telling the story of the Wiltshire race track from 1950 right through to the end of the 2009 season. The title completely updates the story first told in the book "The First 50 years", which was published in 2000 and sold out several years ago. All the photographs are new and the story of the last 10 years covers the circuit's rise to hosting British Formula 3 and British GT racing. It also cover the subsequent noise issues that brought massive change to this incredibly popular venue, as well as the creation of the Castle Combe Racing Club. The two-wheel action, including non-championship British Superbike events, is also detailed. This new edition also takes in personal views on the circuit from drivers like Ian Flux, Mike Jordan, Ilsa Cox, Brian Fisher and Bob Higgins. The updated story of the last decade takes in the development of the hugely popular local championships.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis"This book, a polished, winding meditation on the theory and fractiousness of motorcycles, celebrates both their eccentric history and the wary pleasures of touring."—The New YorkerTrade Review"As Pierson tells us why she loves riding, many who share her passion will often feel themselves nodding, saying, 'Yeah, she caught it.'" -- Andy Solomon - Chicago Tribune"The Perfect Vehicle uses motorcycles as a lens for examining risk, freedom, and most surprisingly, relationships between men and women. . . . Pierson comes through brilliantly, crafting her sentences with precision and a sure ear." -- Ann Marlowe - Village Voice"This is an exceptionally sensitive and intelligent book." -- Robert Pirsig

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn enlightening peek at the inner workings of a large corporation trying to reinvent itself. . . . It's rare to find an auto book that explains the process of creating a car with so much color and detail.Business Week (a Best Business Book of 1997)

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Ferguson Formula was the key technology that the world's car makers turned to in the 1980's for full-time four-wheel drive. Even the top names in the business - Land Rover, Jeep and Audi came to adopt it. Traction for Sale is the story of the Ferguson Formula four-wheel drive system and its application in all automotive fields.Trade Review"Worth the wait. ... the quantity of previously unknown information is astonishing. ... (reveals) an undeservedly overlooked aspect of motoring history in the second half of the 20th century. A revelation." Sebastien Faures, The Automobile Magazine: "Stuffed with images that complement a thorough but always readable text ... one surprise after another. An outstanding work" Matt Dixon, deputy editor, Octane magazine: "This informative book outlines the firm's sea of clever engineering. There's much racing too.' Gordon Cruickshank, Motor Sport magazine: "Well laid out, easy to read and superbly illustrated ... an important slice of engineering history has been preserved for future generations" Mike Jiggle, Auto Tradition magazine"Table of ContentsIntroduction | Acknowledgements | Part 1 Harry Ferguson Research Ltd: Ch1 Ferguson, Dixon and Rolt - the Key Players: Ch2 Harry Ferguson Research Ltd: Ch3 Defining The People's Car: Ch4 R4, R5 and The Ferguson Principle: Ch5 The Ferguson Formula: CH6: A New Partner and New Technology| Part 2 Ferguson Four-wheel Drive in Motor Sport: Ch7 P99 - The Ferguson-Climax: Ch8 Indianapolis - The Novi Cars: Ch9 Indianapolis - The Turbine Years: Ch10 Four-wheel Drive in Formula One: Ch11 Hill Climbers and Sports Cars | Part 3 The Ferguson Formula World-wide: Ch12 FF Developments - Taking the Technology Forward: Ch13 FF Developments - Into Production with Specialist Vehicles: Ch14 The quattro Effect - Ferguson Formula Goes Into Mass Production: Ch15 Group B - a Revolution in Rallying: Ch16 The Ferguson Formula Becomes Mainstream: Ch17 The 1990s and Beyond - the Ferguson Legacy | Appendix A Harry Ferguson Research and FF Developments' Projects: Appendix B Non-four-wheel drive Harry Ferguson Research Projects: Appendix C FF Developments' Transmission Engineering | Bibliography

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less