which book is best book??

[bolognasal spray]

Eh up guys - my daughter (just 11) is into her autoshite now, and knows modern makes and models by sight. She doesn't know much about spec (engine sizes and the like), but is getting there. I get all into carbs vs. EFI and FWD vs. RWD etc. transverse mounted blah blah blah and she even listens to that! 

 

What I want is a decent book for an xmas present but amazon isn't that helpful - the "Look inside" function often covers the first five pages of credits, acknowledgements and bumf, and very few of the actual meat and veg of the book itself. Morons.

 

So I need some decent recommendations please.

 

Ideally, I'd like a book that has a decent focus on British stuff, from the '70s onwards - but also European models. Into the 1980s and 1990s too. It's quite hard to find a good publication with that kind of sweep.

 

Perhaps it would be better for me to think of buying several books because no one tome can cover quite what I want it to.

 

I'm a bit stumped. The book(s) should obviously have great colour photos, probably not much text, and feel like decent quality - so hardback and be of relatively generous size.

 

Thanks in advance. ; - )

[DVee8]

This is quite a good little book

 

 

 

 

 

A quick look on ebay

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cars-We-Loved-in-the-1980s-by-Giles-Chapman-Paperback-2014/283201443258?epid=213266201&hash=item41f01f15ba:g:zs4AAOSw8MZbvFPb:rk:1:pf:0

 

[sierraman]

The AA book of the car. An old tome but it explains things quite simply. I’ve a copy of something called The Relectant Motor Mechanic’ somewhere you can have for the cost of posting it. Again it’s old hat but it’s very ‘layman’s terms’.

[forddeliveryboy]

I've found my children tend to like what I do, provided they're able to understand enough to make it worthwhile. Oh, and the bigger the better with pictures in books. Lots of tiny print can be off-putting if there's loads of it and nothing bigger, but chances are sharing reading something with her dad who adds his own knowledge would make many good books turn into something brilliant.

[Lacquer Peel]

Observer's book of cars, they did them til at the least the early 90s and they informed me tremendously.

[pilninggas]

Those remainder shops on every highstreet - 'The Works' - always seem to have a selection of books of supercars, superbikes, classics etc. Usually with decent basic info, specs and glossy pics. often pretty cheap too.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I was trying to think where I got my info from at 11 and Observers books were definitely a major source of knowledge. I had a couple of my Dad's from the late 50's and had a new one each year.

Apart from that it was magazine ads, Sunday supplements and Country Life , I'd cut the full page car adverts out and keep them in a folder. Of course there were also the brochures I'd Hoover up from every garage in any town I found myself in.

I remember going on a school trip to Carmarthen to the theatre and convincing my English teacher to let me go into the Chrysler dealer to get brochures, whilst my 12 year old classmates all jeered and shouted out of the window of the school Commer.

Anyway at 11 I had a much more detailed knowledge of car specs than now. The 11 year old me wouldn't have bought a Passat with no cruise control or thought Jag XFs were hatchbacks, right up until I was looking at one to buy!

[Craig the Princess]

Does Top Gear magazine still have a massive section on all the new cars and their specs?

It has been about 15 years since I bought a copy.

 

The observer books we very good, Amazon have some second hand ones

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Observers-Book-Automobiles-1980-Pocket/dp/0723216096/ref=pd_aw_sbs_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0723216096&pd_rd_r=fae42f5b-ecee-11e8-9a5b-8f300c1cb78b&pd_rd_w=kSU6G&pd_rd_wg=5PNLZ&pf_rd_i=mobile-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_p=d9539b3c-75e6-4bff-a48d-94806c2c2f83&pf_rd_r=RBXV6688X2AEHH8VBTDM&pf_rd_s=mobile-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=RBXV6688X2AEHH8VBTDM

[eddyramrod]

Another vote for Observer's Books here.  There's a fresh selection of cars for each year, with basic information, so buy a bunch of them to cover any timeframe you fancy.  Only issue really is, the format is quite small, and all the ones I've seen are b&w.

[lesapandre]

As a kid...and as an adult I found these Olyslager books published by Warne fascinating. They are in b/w and comprise in period photos of selected cars from each year and genre with some pretty interesting and pithy comments. I don't know if they are still in print but worth tracking down. There will be 'vintage' copies on offer at www.abebooks.com. Maybe not for this Christmas but they are real books to keep a lifetime and a nice set to collect over time.

[lesapandre]

...

[sierraman]

Observer's book of cars, they did them til at the least the early 90s and they informed me tremendously.

I could quote the 1992 edition verbatim. Loads of early povert spec diesel chops in there even a Sao Penza.

[Christine]

Top Trumps  

 

Around '74,    a Porsche Turbo did 0-60 in 5.5 sec... some things just stick in your mind for ever ..

[MorrisItalSLX]

This book is on my Christmas list.

 

 

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com.au%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F253953411233

[barrett]

These are worthy and useful refence books, and of course previous volumes cover older stuff

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-Z-Cars-of-the-1990S-by-Graham-Robson-author/332893884950?epid=226494165&hash=item4d82059216:g:2P8AAOSwhdZacp5v

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-Z-Cars-of-the-1990S-by-Graham-Robson-author/332893884950?epid=226494165&hash=item4d82059216:g:2P8AAOSwhdZacp5v

 

But if you really want to fire the imagination you could do a lot worse than picking up a cheap copy of an older Georgano. There are few other books that quite put across just how myriad, varied and bizarre the world of cars really is

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Complete-Encyclopedia-Of-Motorcars-1885-To-Present-By-G-N-Georgano/273566899972?hash=item3fb1db9f04:g:gncAAOSwwZxb31Ar

[comfysofa]

I haven't seen a copy of this since i was in School in the 90's, if i remember rightly they stripped a 5 door Renault 5 Campus for this book, and also had some cool pics of the original clay model for the Fiat Panda, a kids book so may be a bit *too* simplistic maybe?...

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-Richard-Sutton-Hardback-1990-Eyewitness-Guides-64-Pages/192734369196?epid=86995772&hash=item2cdfdd15ac:g:1FAAAOSw7rdagC5X:rk:10:pf:0

[Kringle]

Maybe more for yourself, or as a reference book but can I suggest Hilliers fundamentals of motor vehicle technology? It's heavy on the wording but starts simple with clear language and progresses in detail in each section.

As the book continues it moves to various parts of a car, brakes (drum, disc), fueling (injection and carb), suspension (leaf and spring) etc. Commence many photos!

[sierraman]

If you’ve the space, nothing beats having a banger and taking it apart to learn stuff. You could read a hundred books on cars but it’s no substitute for taking one apart yourself.

 

Cheap Xmas present would be a test failed old Fiesta and some basic tools. Take it to bits together, a bit of a project.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

I was going to say Dune by Frank Herbert then read the first post...

 

Curses!

[Dan_ZTT]

Maybe more for yourself, or as a reference book but can I suggest Hilliers fundamentals of motor vehicle technology? It's heavy on the wording but starts simple with clear language and progresses in detail in each section.

As the book continues it moves to various parts of a car, brakes (drum, disc), fueling (injection and carb), suspension (leaf and spring) etc. Commence many photos!

DSC_0066.JPG DSC_0067.JPG DSC_0068.JPG DSC_0069.JPG DSC_0070.JPG DSC_0071.JPG DSC_0072.JPG DSC_0073.JPG DSC_0074.JPG

Looks great that, just gone on my christmas list...

[red5]

Hilliers. Book 2 and 3 available as well. 3rd and 4th edition have decent line drawings and old tech.

[dollywobbler]

Seconded on A-Z of Cars. I had the 1945-70 book as a teenager and practically memorised it by 16. Shame there was no GCSE on it.

[Snipes]

This was in the recommended list with that Cars We Loved in the 80s;

 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Trials-and-Errors-9780750961608/253561783004

[Jim Bell]

If she's got a Smartphone, download her the Top Drives game. It's basically Top Trumps but with upgrades. Loads of interesting old chod and modern stuff on there. The virtual "cards" have info and stats on the back and it might teach her a bit about the virtues of fwd/rwd/4wd/acceleration/handling)braking etc as you have to decide the best vehicle to beat the opponent. You also get to watch the virtual races so you bellow encouragement at the screen.

 

And it's free.

 

And recommend by me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[wuvvum]

I could quote the 1992 edition verbatim. Loads of early povert spec diesel chops in there even a Sao Penza.

Is that the period when the editor was obsessed with out of sight parking for windscreen wipers?

[Guest Hooli]

This was in the recommended list with that Cars We Loved in the 80s;

 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Trials-and-Errors-9780750961608/253561783004

 

Looks like a Buccaneer?

[carlo]

I managed to keep my daughter interested in cars until she was about eight, then I'm afraid Barbie dolls and My little Pony took over.

 

I was particularly proud though that at the age of five she could name any car badge on the road.

[twosmoke300]

Came on here to suggest Hilliers but beaten to it .

Still look up stuff in mine now just as a reminder .

[Blue850]

How about the A-Z of Cars series. There's 6 of them from the 1920s to the 1990s. B/W photos but cover just about every car sold on UK market

[davocano]

Top Trumps  

 

See also Ace Trumps and Waddingtons Trumps (the latter of which I seem to remember were smaller cards and also a bit rubbish).

 

EDIT: Waddingtons Trumps might have been Star Trumps? Curse you, Google Search for making me want to go up into the freezing cold loft in search of this old shit!

 

 

I might do it tomorrow when I've calmed down a bit.