For Love Of The Automobile

In his cultural analysis of the motor car in Germany, Wolfgang Sachs starts from the assumption that the automobile is more than a means of transportation and that its history cannot be understood merely as a triumphant march of technological innovation. Instead, Sachs examines the history of the automobile from the late 1880s until today for evidence on the nature of dreams and desires embedded in modern culture. Written in a lively style and illustrated by a wealth of cartoons, advertisements, newspaper stories, and propaganda, this book explores the nature of Germany's love affair with the automobile. A "history of our desires" for speed, wealth, violence, glamour, progress, and power—as refracted through images of the automobile—it is at once fascinating and provocative. Sachs recounts the development of the automobile industry and the impact on German society of the marketing and promotion of the motor car. As cars became more affordable and more common after World War II, advertisers fanned the competition for status, refining their techniques as ownership became ever more widespread. Sachs concludes by demonstrating that the triumphal procession of private motorization has in fact become an intrusion. The grand dreams once attached to the automobile have aged. Sachs appeals for the cultivation of new dreams born of the futility of the old ones, dreams of "a society liberated from progress," in which location, distance, and speed are reconceived in more appropriately humane dimensions.

A career cop and life-long car lover tells stories of some of his favorite cars.

The ultimate guide to liberating ourselves from our addiction to cars.

The Way We Drove begins in 1983, when Toronto patent attorney Frederick Barnard Fetherstonhaugh took some nervous dignitaries for a ride in his new electric automobile, on a small circular track in front of the grandstand in the Toronto Industrial Exhibition. Five years later, John Moodie of Hamilton drove his new Winton automobile over forty miles through mud and dirt to Toronto and created one of the Queen City's first auto-related traffic jams, around Yonge and Melinda, as eager spectators pressed forward to view the strange contraption. Toronto's love affair with the automobile had begun. The story of this love affair, told here through photographs, commentary, and anecdotes, spans over half a century--from that day at the 'Ex' in 1893 to the space-age tailfins of the 1950s. Nearly all the cars that chugged, rattled, and roared through the streets of Toronto during those first sixty-odd years are now gone. Only a few have managed to survive, and these are now in museums or lovingly pampered by private collectors. Fortunately, thousands of Toronto's old cars happened to be in front of cameras when their shutters were open.

The Life of the Automobile is the first comprehensive world history of the car. The automobile has arguably shaped the modern era more profoundly than any other human invention, and author Steven Parissien examines the impact, development, and significance of the automobile over its turbulent and colorful 130-year history. Readers learn the grand and turbulent history of the motor car, from its earliest appearance in the 1880s—as little more than a powered quadricycle—and the innovations of the early pioneer carmakers. The author examines the advances of the interwar era, the Golden Age of the 1950s, and the iconic years of the 1960s to the decades of doubt and uncertainty following the oil crisis of 1973, the global mergers of the 1990s, the bailouts of the early twenty-first century, and the emergence of the electric car. This is not just a story of horsepower and performance but a tale of extraordinary people: of intuitive carmakers such as Karl Benz, Sir Henry Royce, Giovanni Agnelli (Fiat), André Citroën, and Louis Renault; of exceptionally gifted designers such as the eccentric, Ohio-born Chris Bangle (BMW); and of visionary industrialists such as Henry Ford, Ferdinand Porsche (the Volkswagen Beetle), and Gene Bordinat (the Ford Mustang), among numerous other game changers. Above all, this comprehensive history demonstrates how the epic story of the car mirrors the history of the modern era, from the brave hopes and soaring ambitions of the early twentieth century to the cynicism and ecological concerns of a century later. Bringing to life the flamboyant entrepreneurs, shrewd businessmen, and gifted engineers that worked behind the scenes to bring us horsepower and performance, The Life of the Automobile is a globe-spanning account of the auto industry that is sure to rev the engines of entrepreneurs and gearheads alike.

From the first motor cars and classic cars to today's supercars and Formula 1, this is the ultimate book about the history of the car. Packed with stunning photography, and featuring more than 2,000 cars, Car shows you how cars have evolved around the world over the the last 130 years, and their impact on society as objects of curiosity, symbols of status and luxury, and items of necessity. Extensive catalogues showcase the most important marques and models, organized in categories such as sports cars, convertibles, and city compacts. The book also features virtual photographic tours of some of the most iconic cars from each era such as the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, Ford Model T, Lamborghini Countach, and Ferrari F40, while cross-sections of key engines explore the driving force behind them. Lavishly illustrated feature spreads detail the stories of the men, machines, and magic that helped create the car world's most famous marques and made brands such as Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin, and Cadillac household names. If you love cars, then you'll love Car. It is simply a must-have title for all car enthusiasts.