Legendary Cars Cars That Made History from the Early Days to the 21st Century

by Edsall, Larry

• ISBN13: 9788854400818
• ISBN10: 8854400815
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-09-07
• Publisher: White Star Publishers

Summary

"Veteran and vintage automobiles take us on a journey down the roads of history to the birth, infancy, and development of today's indispensable, stylish and efficient automobile. In the early days, automobiles were little more than carriages propelled by sputtering internal combustion engines rather than drawn by horses (frequently needed to pull broken-down automobiles to the nearest workshop)." "Back then the mechanical parts and the passengers were protected by what to us today look like cookie tins (usually black), though these later took on rounded, even sculptural forms. After the automobile made the transition from the cookie tin to the recognizable modern automobile, the journey speeds up and concentrates on the most important models produced in terms of social, aesthetic and technological advances, which usually occurred in combination. At the end of this text-and-illustrations journey, there is a peek into the future to see what types of vehicles will be sitting outside our homes in the years to come." "From dream cars to road cars, this book brings together pictures and descriptions of the most stirring blends of technology, art, beauty and adventure. It is a photographic journey through the history of the world's most beautiful automobiles."--BOOK JACKET.

Author Biography

Larry Edsall has worked for 12 years for AutoWeek Magazine, the most prestigious American newsweekly dedicated to car design and manufacturing. During his career, he has covered the most important motoring events and tested a wide range of vehicles.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. 14
A Quick Drive Through Early Automotive History	p. 16
A Fresh Wind: Aerodynamics rounds off those boxy bodies	p. 32
Fiat 508 Balilla	p. 36
Tatra 77	p. 40
Citroen Traction Avant	p. 44
Mercedes-Benz 540K	p. 48
Chrysler Airflow	p. 50
Cord 810	p. 54
Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic	p. 58
BMW 328	p. 60
Alfa Romeo 8C 2900	p. 66
Fiat Topolino	p. 70
Talbot Lago	p. 74
Lincoln Continental	p. 78
Accelerating Slowly: The car companies retool	p. 82
Cisitalia 202	p. 86
Citroen 2CV	p. 90
Jaguar XK120	p. 94
1949 Ford	p. 98
Volkswagen Beetle	p. 102
Porsche 356	p. 108
MG TD	p. 112
Lancia Aurelia B20GT	p. 114
Bentley R-Type Continental	p. 118
Chevrolet Corvette	p. 122
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL	p. 124
Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint and Spyder	p. 128
Style and Speed: The pace increases	p. 132
Citroen DS	p. 136
Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud	p. 140
MGA	p. 144
Austin Healey 100	p. 148
Ford Thunderbird	p. 150
Ferrari 250 GT	p. 152
Triumph TR3A	p. 156
Mini	p. 158
Jaguar Mk II	p. 162
Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz	p. 166
Jaguar XK-E (E-type)	p. 170
Shelby AC Cobra	p. 174
Aston Martin DB5	p. 176
Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray	p. 180
Flexing Their Muscles: Horsepower rules	p. 184
Ford Mustang	p. 188
Porsche 911	p. 192
Pontiac GTO	p. 196
Lamborghini Miura	p. 198
Alfa Romeo Duetto	p. 200
Ferrari Dino 206 GT	p. 202
Ferrari 365 Daytona	p. 206
Maserati Ghibli	p. 210
De Tomaso Pantera	p. 214
Lamborghini Countach	p. 216
Rough Road Ahead: The gasoline and other crises	p. 218
BMW M1	p. 222
Audi Quattro	p. 226
De Lorean DMC12	p. 228
Ferrari Testarossa	p. 230
The Making of the Modern Car: And the modern car company	p. 232
Ferrari F40	p. 236
Bugatti EB110	p. 238
Dodge Viper RT/10	p. 240
Jaguar XJ 220	p. 244
McLaren F1	p. 246
Full Speed Ahead: These are the good old days	p. 250
BMW Z3	p. 254
Volkswagen New Beetle	p. 256
Ferrari 360 Modena	p. 260
Nissan 350Z	p. 264
Mercedes-Benz SRL McLaren	p. 266
Enzo Ferrari	p. 272
Chevrolet Corvette	p. 278
Porsche Carrera GT	p. 280
Bibliography, Acknowledgments and Index	p. 284
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