General Automotive Reviews

Matras did a very nice job of composing this book on the much-loved mazda rx-7.

...for RX-7 enthusiasts. Provides a great history of and timeline of its progress. High quality. Well written by a John Matras who appears to be passionate about his RX-7s. Buy it!

Matras has a way with words and a great knowledge of cars. The Mazda RX-7 thanks you, John!

All in all a good book, but Jim Tyler's writing style is relatively poor and his organization is worse. For example, he claims he'll only lightly cover restoration, because there are plenty of larger, more in-depth books for that purpose, then proceeds to spend half the book explaining restoration.

But what he lacks in polish and writing skill he makes up with in enthusiasm. And the "Surviving breakdowns" section is great. The back cover even says "don't leave home without this book". I don't.

This book is exactly what every new MGB owner needs. It describes the history of Morris Garages and gives a lot of advice on maintaining and restoring your car.

This guide is an overview of the day-to-day things that an average MGB owner needs to be aware of to properly maintain their vehicle. It includes milage checks, and common mishaps of problems and their fixes. An outstanding guide at a great price for all MGB owners.

Each updated version of this book is more insightful and more complete. This edition has expanded information about Mexico plates that has not appeared in the older versions! If you're interested in license plates, this is the book for you!

This is a great book for collectors of license plates or just folks interested in the beautiful and diverse license plates available in each state.

Great for kids to study on long road trips or even to sit on a coffee table. Great illustrations show you exactly what the plates look like.

I bought this book for years, And I will continue to buy it , It has alot of info for plate nuts like Me, This year I buy about five of them for fellow collectors overhere in The Netherlands, Keep up the good work, Hans Borger.

I really enjoy this book and come back to it for an enjoyable evening read. The book is organized by engine size (and separate chapter for Turbos of all years). The color photos are great. Published in England (printed in Hong Kong) with many photos of rh drive as well as lh drive cars. Does not include as many cosmetic details/differences as Mark Haab's book, but the well-written text covers the major functional changes and then a summary at the end of each chapters lists options, colors, chassis number ids, and the production data for each year and model.

This is one of the best books about classic Porsche 911s available. It provides detailed information and pictures of the specs (incl. interior & exterior trim, engine, available colors, option-lists and many more) of all 911 series. You want to know, which model exactly you are looking at, next time you see a classic 911? Read this book and you'll know.

This book presents a good overview (facts, models, pictures) of the Porsche 911 since its creation until mid 90's. It does include some vehicle numbers and performance data. But it is not a technical manual. I think its a good start from potential 911 restorers, to get acquainted with the 911.

Horler's Original Sprite and Midget has to be the most thorough, in-depth look at these great little sports cars. I read and enjoyed the book before I owned my Sprite. Now that I am restoring one, the book is even more valuable to me.

If you are looking for a book that tells the history and folklore of the Sprite, this may not be your book. (Though Horler's brief history is very well written.)

This book covers virtually everything you will want to know about how your Sprite or Midget was made. Painstakingly researched and endlessly detailed. I refer to my copy constantly.

The complete original series on postwar classic cars are all excellent sources of information. The complete original sprite and midget is full of pictures of correct, original cars. The book also lists of production color and interior options as well as production changes by VIN and engine number.

Please note the book is not a maintanence manual or marque history, but great for production/originality infomation for the restorer or hobbyist fan of these cars.

I had no knowledge of how a suspension works or its parts until I read this book. Descriptions were pretty detailed and I understood them, so should you. Shocks, struts, springs, anti-sway bars, and even driving techniques. Gives you a page to help you tune your own car and examples of how you should go about this. Gave me everything I needed except a skidpad. The only downside is the fact it's a little outdated. Time to make an updated one.

Practical and Understandable. Don Alexander has some kind of gift for making all of this stuff make sense. He explains what each suspension component does and how changing it will affect the car. The information is applicable to designing your own suspension from the ground up as well as modifying the car you have. He includes examples of cars he has tuned with good before-and-after comparisons. Common misconceptions are dispelled with logic and evidence, giving you exactly the information you need to make important decisions about your car.

Mr. Alexander provides a complete and concise overview of vehicle handling. Technical theory is explaned in a easy to read manner. Through the use of project cars he is able to provide examples that would be applicable to anyone. A troubleshooting guide is also provided to correct observed problems. A first rate book.

I bought this book because my first car was a 1966 MGB roadster which my mother bought new, and which she gave to me in 1980. That car is long gone, but I've recently bought another 1966 MGB to restore. I thought this book would be a good reference. Since I am primarily interested in the MGB roadster, I'll confine most of my comments to that model. There are 17 photographs of MGB roadsters in the book (i.e., that number does not include GT, MGC, or V8 variations). Of these, four are from ads or brochures leaving 13 photos of currently running cars. But these photos only represent three cars: a 1968 (2 photos), a 1970 (5 photos), and a 1980 Limited Edition (6 photos). This is hardly representative of a model that was built for 18 years!

Two dashboards are shown. One is shown next to the 1970 car, and the other next to the 1980. However both photos are of the 1980 LE. Clearly the intent was to show that starting in 1968 the cars' dashboards were padded. For whatever reason though, the author or editor has the wrong photo for the 1970 car. Before 1968, MGBs had nice crinkle-finished metal dashboards. These are not shown in the book, and in my opinion they are the best-looking dashboards of the model.

There were several changes over the years. We do get to see the early grille that was used from 1962 to 1969. And we see the 1970-1972 grille and the 1975-on rubber bumper. But the 1973-1974 grille is absent. Also not shown are the early-style (1962 to mid-1965) door handles and the various types of hood frames.

The text was a decent overview of the MGB line, but the photos did not provide enough diversity to provide useful details unless you happen to be specifically interested in the 1968 -- and especially the 1970 -- year models.

This small book also covers the rest of the marque, from its beginnings to the new (and not-available-in-the-U.S.) MGF. I found the text and photos to be informative as a general overview and enough to satisfy my curiosity about other MGs than the 'B. Would I recommend this book? I would answer a qualified "Yes." For a casual reader, or someone with a passing interest in MGs, the book is fine. For those who are looking for a complete history that shows changes within the entire run of each model, this book will not be adequate. Still, just about any book that gives more than a couple of pages to this fantastic classic sports car is worth having.

Although Mr. Heilig doesn't get much into what to look for when purchasing an MG,( I would have liked more information on what problems or benefits to look for on certain years and models) he does give a clearly written history of the MG, and for those who are considering buying one, this is as good as any place to start. I brought my first MGB over a month ago, and found a picture of my same year and color on page 61. That most of the pictures are in color was a great incentive to purchase the book, and it was affordable too.

This is a great book and a must have for anyone interested in British Sports Cars and especially MGs. It has great information , as well as great photographs.

Thumbnail version: 'Mustang Does It' is an OK choice if you want a book with large pages and lots of pretty pictures. Unfortunately, the original photos & text are seriously flawed in terms of their informational value. And even if you're merely looking for Mustang-themed entertainment, there are much better books available at lower cost.

I know, I know...this 1978 title was one of the first to celebrate the historic success of Ford's original 'pony car'. Who thought anyone would publish a 320pg. 'coffee table' book about cars that were then not even 15 years old? On this basis alone, anything less than breathless and enthusiastic praise must seem almost sacriligious to some folks.

So, I'm sorry to say that its not a very good book in general, much less in comparison to other Mustang titles. Yes, they crammed in something like 1300 photos. But the cars are from California, circa 1976, and have typical mods of that period: mag wheels, 'trick' paint-jobs and even sidepipes are everywhere. Many of them aren't even *clean*, for pity's sake.

This wouldn't be so bad had the author pointed out these flaws or downplayed them in his text. But most cars are presented with few comments to indicate they are anything but pristine examples. I've concluded it was merely a case of not knowing the facts; similar problems occur throughout, with even the color charts having several errors & omissions.

I suppose some of you might think me unfair. After all, its been 25 years and the art of Mustang restoration hasn't been standing pat. I've been involved with Mustang for most of that time, myself, learning all the while as I went from amateur dabbler to professional vendor & consultant. Have I learned so much that I now view the 1970s with a jaundiced eye?

Well, sure - haven't most of us? But 'Mustang Does It' is very much a product of its time. Or maybe 'frozen in time' is a better phrase. This re-issue of the original edition desperately wants some editing to make it more relevant for today's buyers. As-is, it is a time-capsule of flawed research...like an heirloom gem that turns out to be glass.

I was happy to see "Mustand Does It" by Ray Miller back in print. I was fortunate to have gotten a copy 20 years ago, and it is STILL the most comprehensive Mustang book that I have seen. There is not much more to say other than it is the best source for settling arguements such as "It is too a real 64 1/2!". There are many detail photos of the unique features of each year's production models. No details are overlooked.

Get this one while you can! If you love Mustangs, you gotta have it!

Very informative. Gives detailed year-by-year descriptions of 1964 1/2 to 1973 model years, including specialty cars such as the GT, T-5, Shelby, Boss, etc. Gives each model year specifications such as engine size (including bore and stroke,compression ratio, horse power, fuel requirements), vehicle dimensions (including length, width and height for all three body styles) exterior color codes, vehicle weight for all three body styles, and much more. Very heavily illustrated with both B/W and color photos. An incredible resource for anyone interested in early Mustangs.

A detailed history of one the best cars made in america and my personal all-time favorite The pictures are almost too good to be true

The book is mainly photographs, many published in other books and magazines. However, that does not mean that this is a bad book. It is, in fact, the only reasonable way to get photographs of rare and unique models like Hearses, Buses, and custom bodied cars. Each model year has a 1-2 page description of changes and highlights of the model year. For the most part, these are weak. Buy the book for the photographs!

As with all of the Crestline series, this book has a solid summary of the history of the car. But, those photos, buy it for the photos. In fact, buy all of the crestline care series books for they are all great!

If you are a collector of truck spec sheets you will
appreciate this book.The first revuer gives a pretty
accurate idea of the contents of this book.The author
Warren Johnson has done a remarkable job in collecting
such a complete history on the peterbilt product range.
While not dissapointed with "The Evolution of Class"
I felt it was a bit on the clinical side.Most of the
book is made up of specification sheets,which while
interesting,start to look a little repeditive when

placed in sucession.The most interesting parts of
the book I found was the more detailed interior photos
and file photos of early cab tilting procedures and
some of the more hybrid designs.Readers of early
American truck magazines such as "Overdrive" will
no doubt recall the Peterbilt "Class" adverts.
The author Warren Johnson makes no appology for
avoiding the inclusion of personal reviews
and testimonials but personally I felt it might have
given this book a bit more life,as perhaps would a
few more archive photos of early trucks and some
coverage of the glossy advertising brochures many
collectors try to obtain from dealerships.

Peterbilt: The Evolution of Class is an excellent history about the "trucks with the Red Oval". As an intense truck enthusiast and long-term Pete fan, I feel that this book is a joy to read no matter how many times I pick it up. Neither a "coffee table book" nor a photo essay, this volume is loaded with facts and figures about Petes from 1939 to the present. Author Warren Johnson skillfully blends text with a collection of vintage literature and spec sheets (both old and new)to chronicle this legendary truck. The production total at the back of the book are a wonderful touch. I wish there were a few more interior shots, but overall I heartily recommend this item. If you like Petes and other big rigs, you MUST add this book to your collection.

An excellent monograph. Instead of just color photos of "show trucks", Johnson uses mostly factory litreature. Ever price these early catalogs,specification sheets etc. on eBay, or at a swap meet?? Outta sight! This contains a brief but very real portrait of Peterbilt,especially the early days,and many never before scene photos,especially of the off highway models. A very well done work, and the quality of the photos,binding, and printing is worthy to carry the Peterbilt name!