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Cars (up to 1960) - Great Britain: Model Overviews

A book on cars? Explore here illustrated books with overviews of the history, types and construction of cars from Great Britain up to 1960.

British Specialist Cars, Specials & Kits 1945-1960 : Definitive A-Z Encylopaedia of Low-Volume British Sports Cars

Following World War 2, private car manufacturers were in ruins and austerity reigned. Invention follows necessity and an era of ingenuity and rebirth blossomed. With car ownership still an unreachable dream for many, the notion of buying your own sports car seemed way out of reach.
Yet a new industry quickly sprang up, building sports cars that enthusiasts craved. This was a time when a chassis and glassfibre body could be bought for the price of a cheap second-hand banger. Home builders could now create their own 'specials', either from scratch or using kits of parts - a major new innovation.

This fascinating and meticulously researched book tells the story of the post-war British specialist car industry and the birth of the kit car movement from 1945 on. As well as familiar names like Lotus, TVR and Ginetta, this book features pioneers like Buckler, RGS and Rochdale, plus dozens of obscure makes and models which have never been seen in a book before.

The full list of marques covered (73 makes and 156 different models) is: AKS, Ashley, Astra, Auto Bodies, Bonglass, Bowden, Brookes, Brooks, Buckler, Buroche, Cambridge, Concord, Convair, Conversion/Naco, CRS, CSC, Dante, Dellow, Delta, Dolphin, EB, Elva, Fairlite, Fairthorpe, Falcon, Fibrous, Frisky, Galt-Glass, Gilbern, Ginetta, GSM, Halifax, Hamblin, Hepworth, Heron, HG, Kenmar/Shirley, Leonard, Littabourne, LMB, Lockwood, Lotus, Marcos, Markham-Peasey, Martin, Microplas, Nickri, Nobel, Nordec, Opperman, Peel, Rejo, RGS, Rochdale, Speedex, Speedy, Super, Terrier, Tornado, Townend, Turner, TVR, TWM, Universal, Versil, Victory, Vixen, VW, Watford, Watling and Weslite. Numerous one-offs and specials are also illustrated.

Information

Author:Chris Rees
Details:152 pages, 24.5 x 22 x 1.4 cm / 9.7 x 8.7 x 0.55 in, hardback
Illustrations:profusely illustrated
Publisher:Quiller Print (GB, 2019)
ISBN:9780992665128
British Specialist Cars, Specials & Kits 1945-1960 : Definitive A-Z Encylopaedia of Low-Volume British Sports Cars

British Specialist Cars, Specials & Kits 1945-1960 : Definitive A-Z Encylopaedia of Low-Volume British Sports Cars

Language: English

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A-Z of Cars of the 1930s (Classic and Sports Car Magazine)

This outstanding reference book provides encyclopaedic coverage of every make and model of British, European and American car sold in Britain during the 1930s. Some 1000 models are dealt with in individual entries giving production and specification information and a description. Every model is illustrated.

Firmly established as the most comprehensive illustrated reference works available on the subject, the books in the Classic and Sports Car A-Z series provide unique individual coverage and analysis of every make and model of car sold in Britain, with:
- Photographs of all models
- Production dates and numbers
- Specifications and body types
- Descriptions and recognition features
- Historical notes on all makes.

Information

Author:Michael Sedgwick, Mark Gillies
Details:216 pages, 26 x 19 x 1.7 cm / 10.25 x 7.5 x 0.67 in, paperback
Illustrations:1000 b&w photos
Publisher:Herridge & Sons Ltd (GB, 2010)
ISBN:9781906133252
A-Z of Cars of the 1930s (Classic and Sports Car Magazine)

A-Z of Cars of the 1930s (Classic and Sports Car Magazine)

Language: English

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Art Deco and British Car Design : The Airline Cars of the 1930s

This is a book about automotive styling, in particular the streamlined styling that defined what are now known as Airline cars. During the mid-1930s the majority of British car manufacturers and coachbuilders experimented with streamlined styling.
This fashion was the result of Art Deco, an international movement that influenced design and marketing in many different industries, and produced some of the most unique and visually exhilarating cars ever produced in Britain.

Part One of the book explains and illustrates the Art Deco styling elements that link these streamlined car designs, and describes their development, their commonality, and their unique aeronautical names.
The stories of the individual cars, their designers, and their development, are told in Part Two. Here, Barrie Down has collected examples of all the significant British streamlined production cars made between 1933 and 1936, many of them still represented by beautifully restored survivors.

The book is well illustrated with over 200 contemporary pictures and colour photographs of existing cars, many of which have never before been published. This book is an instructive and visual feast for all car lovers.

Information

Author:Barrie Down
Details:144 pages, 26.5 x 26.5 x 2 cm / 10.4 x 10.4 x 0.79 in, paperback
Illustrations:215 b&w and colour photos
Publisher:Veloce Publishing Ltd (GB, 2019)
ISBN:9781787116221
Art Deco and British Car Design : The Airline Cars of the 1930s

Art Deco and British Car Design : The Airline Cars of the 1930s

Language: English

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Anglo-American Cars - From the 1930s to the 1970s

This book covers British cars powered by American engines and American cars fitted with British power plants, all built from the 1930s to 1970s. Many of the American-powered British makes offered for sale were often built with everything from trials and rallies to road racing in mind.

For enthusiasts, the American V8 in a British chassis provided fast, reliable touring at a fraction of the cost. In contrast, the American cars fitted with British power plants were often designed with economy in mind.

Brochures, period literature, road test info of the day, factory press kits and over sixty colour photos of restored examples provide detailed shots of the engines and styling that set these Anglo-American cars apart. Decade by decade information allows for direct comparison.

Information

Author:Norm Mort
Details:96 pages, 19 x 21 x 0.9 cm / 7.5 x 8.25 x 0.35 in, paperback
Illustrations:100 b&w and colour photos
Publisher:Veloce Publishing Ltd (GB, 2009)
Series:Those were the days
ISBN:9781845842338
Anglo-American Cars - From the 1930s to the 1970s

Anglo-American Cars - From the 1930s to the 1970s

Language: English

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A-Z of Cars 1945-1970 (Classic and Sports Car Magazine)

From Abarth to Zaporozhets, this is the illustrated encyclopaedia of every make of British and European car sold in Britain from the end of the Second World War to 1970. More than 1000 models were on sale in Britain in the period, and every one of them is described and illustrated, while brief histories of their makes provide background.

Firmly established as the most comprehensive illustrated reference works available on the subject, the books in the Classic and Sports Car A-Z series provide unique individual coverage and analysis of every make and model of car sold in Britain, with:
- Photographs of all models
- Production dates and numbers
- Specifications and body types
- Descriptions and recognition features
- Historical notes on all makes.

Information

Author:Michael Sedgwick, Mark Gillies
Details:232 pages, 26 x 19 x 1.7 cm / 10.25 x 7.5 x 0.67 in, paperback
Illustrations:1000 b&w photos
Publisher:Herridge & Sons Ltd (GB, 2010)
ISBN:9781906133269
A-Z of Cars 1945-1970 (Classic and Sports Car Magazine)

A-Z of Cars 1945-1970 (Classic and Sports Car Magazine)

Language: English

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Related titles:

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Last update: 2024-12-19