The Vintage Years Of Motoring

The story of motoring between the wars

? An attractive illustrated guide to vintage and prewar motoring

Arthur Bourne was at the centre of British motorcycling from 1923-1951. This is his fascinating story. Back in the 1920s, there were more motor cyclists than car drivers, records were being broken every month at the Brooklands race track in Surrey, roads were empty and motorbikes constantly broke down. Arthur Bourne, who used the pseudonym ‘Torrens’ for readers of the best-selling weekly The Motor Cycle, was in the thick of the game. He had the good luck to be Engineer to The Auto-Cycle Union and the-then, not yet 26, editor of a famous motorcycling journal. This is his story of what it was like to ride hundreds of miles round Britain on reliability trials – essential for manufacturers to claim that their bikes were worth buying – and how he provided weekly guidance for thousands of youngsters on two wheels. He writes of Brooklands, and of TT races on the lsle of Man; of his encouragement to young engineers like Edward Turner and Phil Vincent; and of how, in the Second World War, he enabled the airborne forces at Arnhem to be equipped with lightweight motorcycles that could be dropped by parachute or flown in by glider. For anyone interested in motorbikes and the people who rode them, when British manufacturing was at its apogee, this is a unique testimony. Motor cycles were fashionable. The Duke of York, later to be George V1 and his wife Elizabeth, later known as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, were among the enthusiasts. lt was an exciting era, recalled by ‘Torrens’ near the end of his life, in a good journalist’s prose. Behind the Scenes in the Vintage Years is a unique and fascinating record of an unrepeatable era in British motorcycling and engineering history. It contains many black and white pictures which bring this area of the past to life.

Containing over 25,000 entries, this unique volume will be absolutely indispensable for all those with an interest in Britain in the twentieth century. Accessibly arranged by theme, with helpful introductions to each chapter, a huge range of topics is covered. There is a comprehensiveindex.

At the heart of every great car, there lies a great engine. The high-performance muscle car; the high-mileage family car; the high-speed race car: no matter the vintage or voltage, the torque or the task, the car with the power to move Americans—and the world—boasts an engine of remarkable ingenuity, dependability, and power. American Horsepower: 100 Years of Great Car Engines pays tribute to 25 outstanding American-made engines valued for their raw horsepower or their design simplicity, their longevity or their design innovation—or, in rare instances, all of the above. Bringing an auto enthusiast’s touch to the subject, author and photographer Mike Mueller details each engine’s conception, creators, specifications, performance records, and more. His knowledgeable, accessible text, accompanied by historical images, crisp detail shots, and studio-quality photographs, conveys with precision and unfailing interest the driving power of the great American engine.

"50 Years with Car and Driver commemorates the golden anniversary of the most popular car magazine on the planet. But more than that, 50 Years with Car and Driver tells the story of the American automobile and how the editors of the magazine witnessed that history and reported on it, firsthand. A look at how Car and Driver evolved from its beginnings as Sports Cars Illustrated, in the able hands of great automotive journalists such as Ken Purdy and John Christy, and then came into it own as the musclecar era of the Sixties dawned. Writers such as David E. Davis, Jr., Brock Yates and Patrick Bedard helped to craft a literary car magazine that drew as much inspiration from Tom Wolfe's writing as it did from the great cars of the day." "Through the Seventies the magazine's reputation solidified as the technical authority on new cars, and the literary tradition continued with such writers as Don Sherman and author P.J. O'Rourke." "Throughout the Eighties, the magazine prospered even when its writers went off the deep end - literally, getting stranded in Mexico during a Baja comparison test. Car and Driver watched over the virtual rebirth of the American car during that decade, with the renaissance at Ford through the Taurus and the revival of the Corvette, while keeping its lock on the strongest feature writing in the auto magazines with stories like Brock Yates's thirty-years-past observance of the death of James Dean." "The Nineties saw Car and Driver continue its leadership as the world's largest-selling automotive magazine. From the introduction of the Acura NSX and the Mazda Miata to the brand-new Mustangs and Corvettes that have come in just the past years, Car and Driver has been the authority that readers trust when it comes to 0-60 times, road tests and reviews." "Fifty Years with Car and Driver combines classic stories from the magazine, commentary by former staffers including the author, vintage and modern photos of the hottest and most important cars reviewed by the magazines, as well as stories from behind the scenes - with all the attitude, expertise and visual excitement readers have come to expect from the magazine itself."--BOOK JACKET.