the book is about old cars, the first cars were built in the later 1800s. Karl Benz first vehicle took the road in 1885. before that there had been a lot of people trying to build a self-propelled vehicle. the book shows and tells you about the older models, plus driving outfits, roads, and other things dealing with motoring.
The best way to describe this 96-page 8 ½ x 10 inch volume and its author is to quote from the inside front flap of the dust cover: "In many countries the cult of old cars has developed into a major interest. There are three reasons for this: that cars are important evidence in the story of mechanical invention; that many of them are objects of considerable beauty and charm; and that enthusiasts have taken the troubles to refurbish survivals and display them attractively and informatively to the public. Among the latter, Michael Sedgwick, curator of Lord Montagu's famous Motor Museum, must be counted among the world's leading authorities. In this book he describes and illustrates a truly international range of early cars, from America, England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Austria. Many of the 144 illustrations (in color and black & white) are of cars in the Museum now restored to running order, and many others are taken from the unique library of motoring photographs assembled there."
The book is broken down into 4 chapters and an introduction as follows (a list of the photographs and illustrations is in the Comments below):
INTRODUCTION - The cult of the old car - Old car clubs and museums - The sport's the thing - pages 4 to 7;
Chapter One - THE PIONEER DAYS, 1769-1904 - The invention of the motor car - Steam coaches - Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz - Early experiments - The headaches of the pioneer automobiles - the internal combustion engine's rivals: steam and electricity - The De Dion-Bouton and the Mercedes - The Oldsmobile - Design and fittings - The six-cylinder engine - page 8 to 32;
Chapter Two - THE GOLDEN AGE, 1905-1914 - The Edwardian car and the Edwardian style of driving - Selective transmission, four-wheeled brakes, tidier engines - A light two-seater for a lady - Electric lighting and the self-starter - The `six" - The quest for a successor to the popper-valve - The immortal `Silver Ghost' - Henry Ford's Model-T - The cyclecar - Sports cars - Cars go to war - pages 33 to 55;
Chapter Three PURE TRANSPORT, 1919-1930 - Splendid luxury and sporting vehicles - and mass productions - Progress and fads - Improvement in engine design - Multi-cylinderism and the straight-eight - The general adoption of four-wheeled brakes - Improved instruments - The sportsman's coupé, the assembled car and the baby car - Post-war boom in luxury cars - Vintage sports cars - The end of motoring as pure pleasure - pages 56 to 77;
Chapter Four MOTORING COMPETITIONS - Early events part race, part rally and part reliability trial - The start of international racing - the Gordon Bennett Cup - National racing colours - The Paris-Madrid race in 1903 - The development of light-car racing - Grand Prix racing, formule libre and the Bugatti straight-eight - Brooklands, Le Mans, the Mille Miglia, the Tourist Trophy - The separate path of American motor-racing - The land speed record - Long- distance reliability trials - the Monte Carlo Rally.
