German cars are synonymous with quality and prestige. A strong claim can be made that automobile transportation was primarily invented in Germany, which today is still home to some of the most important names in the international auto industry. This book retraces the story of some of the most significant German automakers and their models, covering over a hundred years of history, and presenting legendary creations that have left their mark on the auto's evolution and in the hearts of many enthusiasts. German manufacturers have always played an essential role in the automobile sector, at first with names such as Horch, Auto-Union and Maybach, and later with brands like Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz and Porsche, which today are considered among the world's most prestigious for quality, style and performance. This book presents the most important models in German car manufacturing history, from the Benz-Patent-Motorwagen 1 of 1886 through the race cars of the pre-war period, the cars of the economic boom, and the ever-famous Porsche 911 and the brand new bestsellers from Stuttgart, Munich and Ingolstadt.

At the Berlin Auto Show in 1938, Adolf Hitler presented the prototype for a small, oddly shaped, inexpensive family car that all good Aryans could enjoy. Decades later, that automobile—the Volkswagen Beetle—was one of the most beloved in the world. Bernhard Rieger examines culture and technology, politics and economics, and industrial design and advertising genius to reveal how a car commissioned by Hitler and designed by Ferdinand Porsche became an exceptional global commodity on a par with Coca-Cola. Beyond its quality and low cost, the Beetle’s success hinged on its uncanny ability to capture the imaginations of people across nations and cultures. In West Germany, it came to stand for the postwar “economic miracle” and helped propel Europe into the age of mass motorization. In the United States, it was embraced in the suburbs, and then prized by the hippie counterculture as an antidote to suburban conformity. As its popularity waned in the First World, the Beetle crawled across Mexico and Latin America, where it symbolized a sturdy toughness necessary to thrive amid economic instability. Drawing from a wealth of sources in multiple languages, The People’s Car presents an international cast of characters—executives and engineers, journalists and advertisers, assembly line workers and car collectors, and everyday drivers—who made the Beetle into a global icon. The Beetle’s improbable story as a failed prestige project of the Third Reich which became a world-renowned brand illuminates the multiple origins, creative adaptations, and persisting inequalities that characterized twentieth-century globalization.

This volume traces through more than 150 years of Italian automotive history. A history made, above all, by men who have put creativity, hard work, inspiration, ingenuity, and tenacity to use in developing their ideas and in giving form to this revolutionary instrument of human mobility.

The New York Times bestselling author thrillingly recounts how an underdog driving team beat Hitler’s fearsome Silver Arrows in the 1938 Pau Grand Prix. They were the unlikeliest of heroes. Rene Dreyfus, a former top driver on the international racecar circuit, had been banned from the best European teams—and fastest cars—by the mid-1930s because of his Jewish heritage. Charles Weiffenbach, head of the down-on-its-luck automaker Delahaye, was desperately trying to save his company. And Lucy Schell, the adventurous daughter of an American multi-millionaire, yearned to reclaim the glory of her rally-driving days. As Nazi Germany pushed the world toward war, these three misfits banded together to challenge Hitler’s dominance at the apex of motorsport: the Grand Prix. Their quest for redemption culminated in a remarkable race that is still talked about in racing circles to this day—but which, soon after it ended, Hitler attempted to completely erase from history. Bringing to life the Golden Era of Grand Prix racing, Faster chronicles one of the most inspiring, death-defying upsets of all time: a symbolic blow against the Nazis during history’s darkest hour. Winner of the Motor Press Guild Best Book of the Year Award & Dean Batchelor Award for Excellence in Automotive Journalism

This book tells the legendary history of the Bavarian automobile firm.

Imagine yourself behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT2 Twin-Turbo Coupe! Here are the cars most of us just dream about — sleek, fast, fabulous machines that cost a small fortune! Thirty precisely and accurately rendered illustrations portray the legendary luxury cars that race through our imaginations: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Coupe, BMW Z8 Convertible, Maserati Spyder 2-door Convertible/Roadster, Rolls-Royce Phantom 4-door Sedan, Jaguar XJ220, Bugatti EB 110S 2-door Coupe, and other automotive marvels. Detailed captions provide specs and other information (including top speed and acceleration time). And they come in any colors you choose to make them!

There’s an undeniable fascination with motorcycles—their speed, design, riders, and coolness factor, are all part of the magnetism. This exquisite deluxe volume, presented on cotton paper in a beautiful black rubber clamshell box with a cutout metal plate, is the newest addition to Assouline’s Impossible Collection series is a compendium of the 100 most exceptional bikes of the twentieth century—from the rare to the renowned—each one is unique. Some of these brilliant pieces of machinery include the stunning and one-of-a-kind BMW R7, the 1948 Vincent Series Rapide that Rollie Free shattered land speed record on, in nothing but a bathing suit, the iconic 1969 Easy Rider bike that Peter Fonda made famous, and the 1973 Harley-Davidson XR750, Evel Knievel’s bike of choice. Motorcycle aficionados, aesthetes, and enthusiasts alike will treasure this collector’s item.