Voitures (années 50 et 60) - Grande Bretagne : livres

Cars We Loved in the 1950s

After the Second World War, cars in Britain were very hard to come by. Most new models had to go for export or were reserved for those drivers who needed them the most, such as doctors. Petrol was still rationed, roads inadequate and modern technology lacking.

With the arrival of the 1950s, things slowly began to change: Morris, Austin and Ford put increasing numbers of British families on the road, new sports cars from MG, Jaguar, Triumph and Austin-Healey promised a thrilling drive, and innovative motors such as the Land Rover and the bubble car emerged. By 1958, new car buying was leading a consumer boom, and Britain's manufacturers still had the market to themselves. Giles Chapman investigates the fascinating motoring history of the 1950s.

Cars We Loved in the 1960s

If you owned a car in 1960s Britain, then you'll love this blast back in time to when driving was still fun, highway speed limits were unheard-of (well, until 1965 anyway), and buying a new car was a thrilling family event.
It was a golden period for iconic classic cars - the Mini Cooper, Jaguar E-type, AC Cobra and MGB - but also a time when British manufacturers really got their act together with stylish family models. Who can forget great little runabouts with evocative names like Anglia, Herald, Imp, Viva, Cortina and Hunter?
Meanwhile, Rovers, Triumphs and Jags were delighting executives as they cruised along near-empty motorways.

It was too good to last, of course, with regulations looming and fancy foreign cars creeping on to Britain's driveways by the end of the decade. In this richly illustrated book, Giles Chapman recalls all the key cars of the era that you probably owned - or at least coveted - and brings the swinging '60s back to life.

abc British Motor Cars 1950s

This is a delightful compilation of facsimile 'abc' road titles which provides a startling reminder of how dramatically car design and road culture has changed. In the 1950s and early 1960s Ian Allan Publishing produced a number of 'abc' books on motor cars of the era which today provide a nostalgic window into an age when motoring first came into reach of the majority of the population and British car manufacturers still dominated.
Three of these volumes from the 1950s are being reproduced in this facsimile abc of British Motor Cars 1950s:
- abc British Cars 1958
- abc Sports Cars 1957
- abc British Roads (first published June 1956).

All the British car manufacturers of 1957 are included with details of the individual car makes that each offered at the time, from the humble Ford Popular built at Dagenham and available to the purchaser for £413, to the sporty new Triumph TR3, the plastic-bodied Jensen Interceptor, the Vauxhall Wyvern, the Humber Super Snipe, the Singer Gazelle and many others.
This interesting compilation provides a nostalgic glimpse of motoring in Britain in the 1950s and will bring back memories of childhood days for many readers.

British Family Cars of the 1950s and '60s

With the end of the Second World War it was not long before increasing wealth, cheaper cars, and social pressures made a family car the aspiration of thousands. Ford, Hillman, Standard, Morris and Vauxhall became household names, and the streets of Britain's suburbs began to fill with modern-looking saloon cars, designed to transport mother, father and 2.4 children with ease, if not speed.

This highly-illustrated book looks at the British cars that were available to the post-war family, and also some of the foreign makes that had an important place in the market, and which had a great influence on the British-made cars that followed.

British Luxury Cars of the 1950s and '60s

During the 1950s and 1960s, the elite clientele, ranging from government officials to industrial leaders, predominantly chose British luxury cars. This era witnessed the prominence of stately, dignified vehicles, characterized by opulent leather interiors and exquisite wood trim. Regrettably, this once-thriving market has faded into obscurity, taking the prominent British car manufacturers with it.

The book delves into the over-3-litre class of cars, showcasing the pinnacle of British luxury motoring with iconic names such as Alvis, Daimler, and Lagonda, alongside distinguished models from Austin, Rover, and Jaguar.
Examining the distinctive features of these classics, the narrative also explores the reasons behind their decline in the 1970s. Enriched with captivating photography, this book serves as a fond tribute to the British luxury car - a regal sedan that succumbed to the challenges posed by foreign imports.

Family Cars of the 1960s

The 1960s saw car ownership take off in Britain, as the newly opened motorways created new opportunities for travel - on family holidays, to visit relatives, or for work.
The kinds of cars the British drove also changed. Small economy cars in particular helped to swell the numbers on the roads, while safety concerns started to have a greater influence on design. Larger cars for the wealthy few were joined by a new breed of 'executive' saloons and family runabouts.

Although they may seem crude by modern standards they were perfectly in keeping with their times. This was a period when Britain still thought it produced the best cars in the world - and was struggling to accept that its golden age was over.
Many old-established British makes disappeared in this decade, challenged by a gradually increasing number of imports. But the 1960s was a decade in which many families came to own and cherish a car for the first time, with the greater convenience and freedom it gave.

The cars of Austin, Ford, Standard, Hillman and Morris dominated the driveways of family homes in the 1960s, and provided many families with their first experience of four-wheeled motoring.
This book tells the story of those beloved cars. It is part of the Britain's Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain's past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with family cars of the 1960s in all their variety.