Motoring Through the 20th Century

Motoring Through the 20th Century

~~~NEW~~~

Unearthing the treasures of the world's photographic archives

An outstanding illustrated history of motoring featuring more than 3000 revealing archive photographs

A major collaboration between Auto Heritage and many of the world's leading motor manufacturers and other archive specialists

This comprehensive work provides a highly revealing insight into a bygone motoring era

These six outstanding A4 size reference books feature the full range of motoring life from the 1930s to the 1990s, including new car launches, motor shows, major races, rallies, leading motoring personalities, plus new developments in automotive design, safety and technology

More than 3000 revealing photos included
The books are filled with hundreds of period professional black and white and colour photographs, along with highly detailed and informative captions. They will provide a vivid reminder of the era for anyone who was around at the time or will be highly educational for younger enthusiasts who are interested in this golden age of motoring history

High-quality archive photos expertly restored to their original condition
The photographs which are featured were all professionally produced by the leading motoring
photographers of the day and have been acquired from major car manufacturers, other motoring related companies and organisations, as well as leading photographic agencies and archive libraries, with many of the photos having not been seen for decades

Includes some of the most important and memorable motoring photographs of the entire 20th Century

Click here to view sample pages

Purchase the complete set together and save £50

Motoring Through the 20th Century: 1930s

MTA30

108 pages ~ 350+ illustrations

The new motor cars of the 1920s were vastly more modern in appearance and performance than the basic automobiles which began appearing on the streets at the start of the century. Henry Ford and his Model T had shown manufacturers how a car could be made much more quickly and at a much lower cost and this resulted in the number of cars on the road across the world increasing rapidly. This was an era of rapid expansion and companies such as Austin, Morris, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Vauxhall and others all began to produce increasing numbers of cars for motorists of all tastes and budgets. Motor racing too had also developed since the end of WW1. Brooklands was the major venue in Britain, while the Le Mans 24 hours race, Monaco Grand Prix and Mille Miglia all had their first races in the decade and would continue for many years into the future. Many of the great events and developments are beautifully presented in this excellent volume. View sample page

Motoring Through the 20th Century: 1940s

MTA40

100 pages ~ 330+ illustrations

The war years saw all the world’s major manufacturers switch to making vast numbers of military vehicles and other armaments, although many of the factories were also severely damaged in aerial bombing raids. Once the war was over, many countries were quick to return to passenger car production as a way to revitalise economies. For the first time, exports were seen as a new major sales opportunity and British companies, in particular, began to send large numbers of cars to Australia, New Zealand, the US and other countries. The new cars produced at the end of the 1940s were also much more streamlined than those of the pre-war era and with better performance and more motorists beginning to get more money in their pocket, more people were keen to travel further. All the decade's major motoring events are featured in this revealing publication which shows every aspect of motoring life both during the war and the years immediately afterwards. View sample page

Motoring through the 20th Century: 1950s

MTA50

148 pages ~ 550+ illustrations

With Western economies finally managing to recover from the damaging effects of WW2, there was a major effort to get people on the move again in their own comfortable automobiles. Major manufacturers in Britain and around the world began producing a range of modern streamlined cars which were quicker and more efficient than those of earlier times. This book features beautiful images of many of the latest models which began appearing in the showrooms, as well as a great selection of photos from the major motor shows, races and rallies of the era, plus new developments in safety and technology. Everything is included from the outstanding achievements of the brilliant Fangio on the race track, to the extraordinary dream cars being created by America’s most innovative designers, ensuring all the decade’s major motoring events are fully featured. The book is a highly revealing record of motoring life during the 1950s. View sample page

Motoring through the 20th Century: 1960s

MTA60

152 pages ~ 630+ illustrations

By the start of the 1960s there were more cars on the road then ever. As congestion was now a growing problem, fast, new, multi-lane motorways were rapidly being constructed to keep people on the move. There were also major changes in the cars being built. The Suez Crisis of the mid 1950s had kick-started the demand to have more fuel efficient vehicles, with BMC’s tiny Mini leading the way. However, for motorists who did have money in their pocket, small British sports cars were proving to be particularly popular. The Austin Healey, MG, Triumph and other leading models were in huge demand. There was similar interest in the more luxurious sports cars from Jaguar, Aston Martin and leading European marques. With car buyers now having a greater choice of models to choose from, this was the motor industry’s greatest decade to date and so many of the developments are featured here in many wonderful period photos. View sample page

Motoring through the 20th Century: 1970s

MTA70

152 pages ~ 620+ illustrations

The 1970s was a decade which had begun in Britain and elsewhere with justified optimism for the future. There was a common view that the major manufacturers would continue to build better, safer and more fuel efficient cars to keep the ever increasing population on the move. But a combination of many factors meant that Britain’s leading manufacturers struggled to keep up with the times. The effect was that by the end of the decade, the number of new cars being built in Britain had fallen dramatically. Such long established names as Austin, Morris, Riley, Humber, Singer, Sunbeam, Wolseley and others had already either disappeared or were surviving thanks to substantial government hand-outs. Ford’s stable of cars, including the Escort, Cortina and Capri, which were aimed very much at the everyday motorist, managed to enjoy considerable success and in the late 1970s they were joined by the new compact Fiesta, which would remain in production well into the 21st Century. Photos of all the latest cars, major races, shows and other important motoring developments and activities are covered in this comprehensive volume as the motoring world constantly evolved. View sample page

Motoring Through the 20th Century: 1980s/1990s

MTA80

148 pages ~ 570+ illustrations

The motor industry had already undergone huge changes since the earliest cars appeared on the streets at the end of the 1890s, but a century later saw some of the biggest changes to date. Although many of Britain's leading car brands from the middle of the Century were no longer around, there were still many fine cars being produced by Jaguar, Rolls-Royce, Rover, Mini, Aston Martin and others, along with the new MG models. There were also many changes on the road. Britain's substantial motorway network was now helping to keep millions of motorists on the move and a much greater effort to make vehicles and streets safer meant the number of serious injuries and fatalities had also notably declined. Elsewhere, companies such as Ford, Fiat, Toyota and others were all still producing many millions of cars which were now more reliable, with on-board computers were now playing a much greater role in controlling every aspect of a car. The comfort levels for drivers and passengers had also greatly improved, ensuring the driving experience was vastly better than what the motoring pioneers had to endure at the beginning of the 20th Century. View sample page

All six Motoring Through the 20th Century books together (Special price)

MTA99

Purchase the full series of Motoring Through the 20th Century books together and save £50

NB. Overseas customers who purchase the full set of books will be asked afterwards to pay an additional shipping charge of between £10 - £30 (depending on location) due to the substantial weight of all the books