Automotive category: 1940 books

The very first issue of the - still current - magazine, The Autocar was on 2 November 1895. It gave three pages of coverage to The Horseless Carriage Exhibition organised by Sir David Salomons, the Mayor of Tunbridge Wells. Driving a horseless carriage on the highway was still illegal without a man...

Britain's mighty atom, the Mini Cooper, has a huge reputation out of all proportion to its size. The Mini was created by the fertile mind of Alec Issigonis and modified by John Cooper to become known as the Mini Cooper in 1961. Giant killing in motorsport, particularly in the Monte Carlo Rally, built...

A unique look at the development of the Mini—the tiny car that was voted the second most influential car of the century The latest in the highly illustrative Story series offers the fun and fascinating complete story of the Mini, from its 1950s origins to its enduring appeal. This light-hearted...

In 1968, British Leyland brought together many of Britain's motor manufacturers, with the intention of creating a robust unified group that could equal the strength of the big European conglomerates. But this was not to be. There have been many books about the politics and the business activities...

The inside story of the BMC/BL Competition Department from 1955 to 1979 under the various management styles of Marcus Chambers, Stuart Turner, Peter Browning, Basil Wales, Richard Seth-Smith, Bill Price and John Davenport. From a works mechanic’s point of view, Brian Moylan tells how competition cars...

The stylist of the Austin Allegro, Harris Mann, said of the car that 'It took a lot of stick, but it wasn't that bad a car ... The trouble was that every one off the line was different in some way, thanks to quality control.' As a result, few have bothered to explore the little Austin's background;...

The postwar Morris Minor, designed by Alec Issigonis, was one of the most popular British cars. 2018 marks 70 years since the first Minors rolled off the production lines at Cowley in Oxfordshire. In this celebratory publication Ray Newell looks in detail at the development of the wide range of models...

Produced from 1959 until 2000, the classic Mini is loved by millions of owners, previous owners and enthusiasts. The Mini's creator, Alec Issigonis, was given a free hand to make a proper small car and his innovative design not only redefined the family car, but also started a revolution as a performance...

The brainchild of Alec Issigonis, the first Minis rolled off the production line in 1959. By the time it finished production in 2000 it had sold over 5 million cars in many variations including sports models that won many rally races over the years. The Little Book of Mini provides a concise history of the car.

This new book is the definitive study, for the author has gone back to factory records and to the people who worked on the car in the 'fifties, to find out how it was conceived, manufactured and marketed. Here is the real story of the MGA's engineering, body styling and every aspect of the car's development...

This is the inside story of the workings of the MG Design and Development Office from 1956 until MG's closure in 1980. It 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...

Patrick Dyer's ninth book in the 'at work' series marks a return to Scania to study the 3-series trucks produced between 1988 and 1996, with the emphasis on the 113 and 143 models. In much the same way as these trucks evolved from the previous 2-series and LB (1-series) so too does the book, taking...

In 1906, brothers Benjamin and William Jowett designed and built their first car. Within four years, in 1910, they had started production of the Jowett, an ultra-economy light car in their home town of Bradford. In 2010, Jowett owners came together in Yorkshire to mark the centenary of the marque....

Encompassing the full development of the Triumph 2000, from the early Vanguard model to the Mark 2 models, this book covers the revolutionary aspects of Triumph engineering, including the small-capacity six-cylinder engine and independent suspension, as well as the iconic Michelotti design and quality...