How fast did the first motorcars go? Why were cars hard to start in the past? When were seat belts invented? Take a journey through time and discover the amazing history of the car!

From the Chevrolet Bel Air to the Ferrari Testarossa, this stunning book showcases the most iconic and important classic cars from every decade since the 1940s. Few things ignite such reverence as a classic car. With more than 250 iconic models from the 1940s to the early 1990s, photographed from every angle, this title is a glorious celebration of the stars in the classic car firmament. Classic Car brings you the story of more than 20 great marques, including household names Bentley, Mercedes, Ferrari, Cadillac and Aston Martin. Its lavish photography reveals every detail in close-up of models that range from the 1940s giant two-ton Daimler DE36, which ferried royals about in style, through to sleek Ferraris from the 1980s capable of smashing the 200mph barrier. It puts you in the driving seat of such icons as the Chevrolet Corvette, the Ford Thunderbird, and the Mercedes 300SL, and brings you the designers of these amazing machines and the story of their manufacturers. This ultimate guide to classic cars further features: - A comprehensive catalog that draw out the key features of each important model, with detailed profiles and specification. - Feature pages broaden the scope of the book, covering everything from the designers and manufacturers who created them to their evolution over the decades. - Stunningly shot DPS images add an extra layer of color and flavor to the book. - Written by award-winning author and expert on all aspects of motoring, Giles Chapman, Editor-in-Chief of DK's The Car Book, which has sold over 550,000 copies worldwide to date. Updates will include the key models that have grown in popularity since the last edition. Whether you dream of owning one of these super-cool cars, or you are a collector already, Classic Car is set to become a treasured favorite.

This comprehensive reference guide reviews the literature concerning the impact of the automobile on American social, economic, and political history. Covering the complete history of the automobile to date, twelve chapters of bibliographic essays describe the important works in a series of related topics and provide broad thematic contexts. This work includes general histories of the automobile, the industry it spawned and labor-management relations, as well as biographies of famous automotive personalities. Focusing on books concerned with various social aspects, chapters discuss such issues as the car's influence on family life, youth, women, the elderly, minorities, literature, and leisure and recreation. Berger has also included works that investigate the government's role in aiding and regulating the automobile, with sections on roads and highways, safety, and pollution. The guide concludes with an overview of reference works and periodicals in the field and a description of selected research collections. The Automobile in American History and Culture provides a resource with which to examine the entire field and its structure. Popular culture scholars and enthusiasts involved in automotive research will appreciate the extensive scope of this reference. Cross-referenced throughout, it will serve as a valuable research tool.

Tells the whole story of the car from the first hesitant experiments with steam and wind-driven machines right through to the stream-lined super-cars of today.

Only the legendary Packard could command a book of such scope and expense. This monumental work has required ten years of research, documentation and photography. It represents many more decades of collecting Packard automobiles, facts, photographs, technical data and information to record for all time every aspect, every model, every achievement of the Packard motor car and the men who made its name an emblem and international byword for taste and refinement in automotive design and engineering. Over three years were spent in intensive writing, checking, cross-checking, rewriting, coordinating, editing, and winnowing thousands of rare and unpublished historic photographs. This volume represents the scholarly efforts of sixteen contributors and was written by ten highly qualified authorities on Packard lore.Winner of a Cugnot Award.

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.