The Anatomy Of The Car - One Hundred Years Of Development From The Benz Tricycle To The 1988 Porsche

A hundred years ago, the motor car was a rather alarming contraption involving three wheels, an engine of questionable temperament and a driver whose principal qualification was an optimistic attitude towards personal survival. By 1988, Porsche had transformed the same basic idea into a sophisticated piece of German engineering capable of travelling at extraordinary speeds while making its owner feel considerably more important than the people waiting at the bus stop. Quite an achievement for a century’s work.

In The Anatomy of the Car – One Hundred Years of Development from the Benz Tricycle to the 1988 Porsche, motoring writer Jeff Daniels takes readers on a fascinating journey through the mechanical evolution of the automobile. Published by Brian Trodd Publishing House in 1990, this substantial exploration of automotive engineering examines how the primitive horseless carriage developed into the extraordinarily complex machine that modern motorists take for granted, usually until something expensive goes wrong.

From the pioneering inventions of Karl Benz to the increasingly sophisticated engineering of the late twentieth century, Daniels explores the innovations that transformed motoring. Engines became more powerful, transmissions more refined, suspension systems more effective and brakes considerably more reassuring. Meanwhile, the average motorist gradually lost the ability to repair anything without consulting a specialist equipped with an impressive collection of tools and an equally impressive hourly rate.

The book celebrates the ingenuity of generations of designers and engineers who wrestled with the problems of propulsion, handling, reliability and performance. What began as an eccentric mechanical experiment became one of the defining technologies of modern civilisation, bringing unprecedented freedom of movement, vast industrial fortunes and the uniquely British pleasure of spending forty minutes stationary on the M25.

For enthusiasts interested in what actually happens beneath the bonnet, rather than merely admiring polished bodywork, this is an appealing examination of the machinery that made motoring possible. It recalls an era when automotive progress could be measured in pistons, gears and engineering breakthroughs rather than the number of screens fitted to the dashboard.

Condition: Good. This is a previously owned copy with general signs of age and handling, including a slightly curled cover. The curvature is confined to the book’s exterior and should not be confused with an innovative aerodynamic development. It remains a perfectly respectable reading copy, particularly for anyone more interested in the evolution of engineering than the geometrical perfection of paperback covers.

Published by Brian Trodd Publishing House in 1990. ISBN: 9781853611339.

Offered by Crappy Old Books, where we appreciate that the finest examples of automotive history need not arrive in showroom condition. Unlike a neglected classic car, this particular survivor should require neither welding nor a new exhaust system before being enjoyed.

A splendid acquisition for classic car enthusiasts, mechanically curious readers and anyone who has ever opened a car bonnet, stared thoughtfully at the contents and concluded that a hundred years of progress had made things remarkably complicated.

Keep browsing: See more Transport books Other books by Jeff Daniels