The Autoshite Book Club. Shite in Fiction.

[Split_Pin]

I remember reading a book as part of the English syllabus in about first year in secondary school.

 

It involved some kid about 12 years old, living in a world where everybody else had died and he found a Mini to drive around in, looking for food in deserted supermarkets. I remember it was excellent, as my concentration doesn't normally stretch beyond reading a car magazine!

[chaseracer]

Ian Banks books, from memory:

In The Crow Road, Valerie drove a 2CV, Prentice was bequeathed a Bentley S2, other mention of a mk3 Cortina. In the telly series, Aunite Janice drives a Dyane with mis-matched panels.

In Complicity, Cameron Colley drives a 205 GTi, Andy drove a Micra, and the 3 Fiat 126s at Gilmerton were mentioned more than once:

In The Crow Road, was it Prentice who had it away in a laid-up (ahaha...) Lagonda Rapide, the young lovers shaking it off the blocks in the throes of their passion? Also, there's another 2CV in The Steep Approach to Garbadale, driven (I think) by Sophie.

 

In The State of the Art, the Culture agent Diziet Sma is transported from the General Contact Unit Arbitrary in near-Earth orbit to the planet's surface in a Volvo 240 estate, protected by the ship's fields.

[M'coli]

Aye, it was something like that. I need to get a hold of Steep Approach.

[Guest]

I once read a book where the guy had a "big blue Lincoln", it was an adventure about a toxic waste spillage in Miami or LA or something, with Long Island being the last safe place. At some point someone is violated with a broken bottle. Wouldn't mind reading it again, but considering it was a book I found on holiday in about 1997, I doubt I will ever know what it was. It was like Dawn of the Dead, but if it wasn't really that good.

[eddyramrod]

I remember an eco-warrior thriller called (I think) Zodiac, which featured a rather good chase involving a Subaru 4x4 estate and something big and Detroit-ish; there was also a Dodge Omni aka Chrysler Horizon.

[warren t claim]

I remember reading a book as part of the English syllabus in about first year in secondary school.

 

It involved some kid about 12 years old, living in a world where everybody else had died and he found a Mini to drive around in, looking for food in deserted supermarkets. I remember it was excellent, as my concentration doesn't normally stretch beyond reading a car magazine!

 

Empty World by John Christopher? I think the protagonist also used an XJS as well due to it also being an automatic.

[CreepingJesus]

William Gibson's another author fond of bangers as character devices. IIRC, there's a character in one of the stories in 'Burning Chrome' who gets wasted in a beaten up Toyota Corolla, and wakes up in a vision of 50's 'futureshite', i.e., floating shiny chrome cars.

[warren t claim]

THREAD BACK FROM THE DEAD

 

I'm on the look out for some suitably shite reading matter to keep me amused during night shifts.

 

Any new suggestions?

 

Has our own Mr Ramrod finished his novel yet?

[martc]

Dirk Gently and the long dark teatime of the soul.

 

Dirk has an old Jag, which he crashes into the back of the 2CV

The old Jag turned into a Princess in the under-rated TV version. And don't forget Richard MacDuffs accident in his SAAB in the first book (DG's Holistic Detective Agency)

 

Also Ford Prefect.

[Sloth in a bowl]

The Len Deighton Spy books. Berlin Game, Mexico Set and London Match and others. Bernard Sampson's (lead character) wife's sister's husband (I think) is a used car dealer so there is some high quality chod in both West and East Europe.

Granada TV made a series of it in 1988, but I have never seen it. That must be an epic watch.

 

Bomber by the same author is a must read about the UK Bombing campaign over Germany in WW2 as well. A fictional account of one raid that goes all to easily wrong for all involved.

 

 

John Le Carrie's spy novels also have occasional nice chod details in their pages.

 

Francis Durbridge also put cars and car chases in a lot of his stuff. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Durbridge

Paul Tempe and Tim Frazer always drove about in a fine piece of tin.

[chaseracer]

The Len Deighton Spy books. Berlin Game, Mexico Set and London Match and others. Bernard Sampson's (lead character) wife's sister's husband (I think) is a used car dealer so there is some high quality chod in both West and East Europe.

Granada TV made a series of it in 1988, but I have never seen it. That must be an epic watch.

 

'Game, Set & Match'.  It's very good - Ian Holm won a BAFTA.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

It's been more than 25 years since I read Game, Set and Match . Hook, Line and Sinker. And Faith, Hope and Charity. When the Berlin Wall came down I was convinced it was because of Bernard Samson or at least a real version of him.

Don't forget Winter- A tale of a Berlin family 1900 to 1945, this came along halfway through the Samson books and explained lots of background.

 

I only saw a couple of episodes of the TV series and think Bernard drove a 504 estate in one episode and was suspicious of his posh boss (Dicky ??) because he had a new Rover ( a red P6b) although it was supposed to be in the 80's. Ian Holm was perfectly cast though, one of the few times an actor fitted with my image of a book character.

[mercrocker]

Have a look out for "Overdrive" by Leslie Waller.   If you find a spare one let me know - lent it to somebody yonks ago and never saw it again....

Its American-centred, being the tale of a high school kid who loves British sports cars and obviously written by an enthusiast.   Usual thin plot and starry-eyed romance (involving a bird with a Corvair) but a good read for the chod in it. 

[anonymous user]

Mark Timlin novels - Sharman series, think they did it on tv with Clive Owen, in Paint it Black he had an e Type and his Mrs a Chevy Caprice, various cars feature, a borrowed Range Rover getting shot up, stealing a Golf and an Audi, his Mrs being killed in a car crash in a Renault 5, another hotted up Range Rover and lastly a Jag.

 

Gavn Lyall as mentioned earlier, various characters with interesting cars, in Blame the Dead, Rover P6, Escort GT, Morgan Plus 4, pre-war MercedesSSK, Jag XJ12, VW Beetlle and Variant, Cortina GT (with wide radial tyres)

 

James Leasor - the Dr Jason Love crime series the lead drives a Cord 810 (as did James Leasor) his Aristo Autos thriller/mystery series lead character drives a Jag SS100 (as did James Leasor) and is a bit of a shady classic car dealer.

 

 

As mentioned Dick Francis - Dead Cert first book protaganist drove a Lotus Elite, Sid Halley a recurring character had a Mercedes SL, a Scimitar and latterly an Audi. various books have characters driving everything from a Mini Cooper, Triumph Herald, Lotus Europa, XJS, Daihatsu Four Track, Jensen Interceptor, Mercedes and Range Rover.

 

And for some pre-war action the James Herriot vet books with the Hillman with collapsing passenger seat, Austin Sevens with bald tyres and Seigfried's new Rover being crashed by his younger brother, who had recently written off the Hillman

[eddyramrod]

Some good shouts there, Mr Anon!

Might be worth looking out for a John Grisham: Playing For Pizza, which has some comedy scenes with a Fiat (Punto, I think).  Also, many of Elmore Leonard's characters drive nice old Yank chod.

 

As for mine, well I'm afraid you shouldn't be holding your breath.  I'm working on one at the moment in which I've just destroyed a brand-new 1956 Ford Thunderbird...

[andrew e]

It's non-fiction but (despite the mean review) I can reccomend this:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cheating-inside-Things-Nascar-Winston/dp/1893618226

[Richard]

Have a look out for "Overdrive" by Leslie Waller.   If you find a spare one let me know - lent it to somebody yonks ago and never saw it again....

Its American-centred, being the tale of a high school kid who loves British sports cars and obviously written by an enthusiast.   Usual thin plot and starry-eyed romance (involving a bird with a Corvair) but a good read for the chod in it. 

 

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?kn=leslie+waller+overdrive

[John F]

Sloth in a bowl, on 16 Nov 2015 - 1:40 PM, said:

The Len Deighton Spy books. Berlin Game, Mexico Set and London Match and others. Bernard Sampson's (lead character) wife's sister's husband (I think) is a used car dealer so there is some high quality chod in both West and East Europe.

Granada TV made a series of it in 1988, but I have never seen it. That must be an epic watch.

 

Bomber by the same author is a must read about the UK Bombing campaign over Germany in WW2 as well. A fictional account of one raid that goes all to easily wrong for all involved.

 

Len Deighton also wrote a non-fiction book called "Fighter - The True Story of the Battle of Britain", which is excellent.

 

[chaseracer]

Have a look out for "Overdrive" by Leslie Waller.   If you find a spare one let me know - lent it to somebody yonks ago and never saw it again....

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Overdrive-/291376337635?hash=item43d76212e3:i:291376337635

[Richard]

The same copy is cheaper on my link

[chaseracer]

Bloody Amazoooooooon!! 

[Ghosty]

Someone on here once mentioned Horse's Arse by Charlie Owen, I went off and read it and the three sequels. Great fun reads.

[chaseracer]

If you want a good chase yarn, try 1971's Clear The Fast Lane by Douglas Rutherford.  

 

Fast cars, international travel, lantern-jawed heroes in leather driving gloves, dusky maidens, swarthy villains - it's the Autoshite of the adventure thriller genre... 

[Sloth in a bowl]

Trigger Mortis - a new old school Bond story currently on Radio 4 Extra playback at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06myz8g includes unrealistic Nurburgring scene

 

You only have 2 more weeks to catch it though.

[mercrocker]

The same copy is cheaper on my link

 

Its the same seller, same book!   Just the Ebay listing includes  the postage.   Thanks fellas!

[Richard]

I know, but the Abe listing is cheaper even with postage.

[Junkman]

Garry Disher usually portrays the cars relevant for the plot in great detail. He even integrates their shortcomings into the storyline, for example when a Ford Falcon used as a getaway car develops a fuel vapour lock. His figures predominantly own or nick shite and the way he describes it makes me believe that he has inside knowledge.

[martc]

I read some bollocks about the Swiss Army gassing it's own citizens at a secret clinic in the mountains. Can't remember the books name but the hero drove a CX hire car and extolled it's virtues on the ice.

 

The Swiss police drove Audis, type unknown, but it was from the eighties so they would be shite rather than shit.

[Sloth in a bowl]

In one of Dan Browns books (Angels and Demons possibly) the Papal guard/police folk drive about in Alfa 155s. Only time I can think of that car being in a fiction book. I remember it because I was surprised that hadn't bought 156s by then.

[mercrocker]

I know, but the Abe listing is cheaper even with postage.

Damn!  My maths is crap....Never mind I bought it anyway!