A Technical History of the Motor Car

This book will appeal to engineers in the automobile and components industries, car buffs and classic car enthusiasts, and the ordinary motorist with an interest in the way the car has developed; in fact anyone who has a passion for cars. Working from original sources wherever possible and interviewing retired eminent engineers who were actively involved in the design and manufacture of motor cars about their work and times, the authors trace the development of the automobile industry and the evolution of each component and system into its present form. Lavishly illustrated, the book is a detailed history of automobile engineering and design including the intricacies of combustion chamber design; suspension, from de Dion's rear axle to Citroen's, hydropneumatic system, the successful innovation of weight-saving unitary bodies replacing separate chassis and body, prototypes which never found their way into production such as sleeve valves and Lanchester's worm gears, and political and economic influences, from horsepower taxes to the reduction in engine emissions.