General Automotive Reviews

Though never having owned an Airstream, I've always been interested in its development and history as the 'Cadillac' of travel trailers. This book was, for the most part, a disappointment. I was primarily interested in the trailers themselves. There are very few illustrations of floor plans over the years, of the development of the interiors and exteriors--after all, today's trailers are quite different from 40 years ago! A great deal of space is dedicated to a few Wally Byam caravans with some large, page-filling photos.

In the end, this can make a nice coffee-table book for Airstream fans. I'd still like to see a more comprehensive research into the trailers themselves and their development.

This book is wonderful. I'm going to have to purchase a new copy for my dad's Christmas present, I've worn this copy out reading it. The photographs are vintage, the text facinating and informative.

Well, although this book does talk a lot about Wally Byam (how can you not when refering to Airstreams), I found it to be very interesting, and a lot of fun. The book is designed beautifully, the pictures are fantastic, and it is a visual feast.

I just bought my own used Airstream, and love it. If you've ever owned an airstream, or if you've just admired them from afar, this book is just too much fun to own. It makes a great coffee table book, or a great gift for the enthusiast.

The brilliant satirist and illustrator who gave us a billion terrific and memorable laughs in the pages of National Lampoon and "Zany Afternoons" is now, it seems, on autopilot. Bruce McCall hasn't lost his edge in the technical department, but this anti-paean to the 1950s reads less like a parody of car advertisements and more like a screed against the Evil Consumption Tendencies Of Straitlaced Anti-Communist Americans And Their Depletion Of Natural Resources, Curse Them! It is not, in a word, funny. On the flip side, if you're not familiar with his brilliant "Zany Afternoons" and don't feel like being gouged by the vultures who are charging $250 + for a good-condition copy, then this is a fair sampling of McCall's stuff. To get a real glimpse into his rapier wit, check out http://www.jamesgoodmangallery.com/mccall/pages/exhibframez.html for a gallery of his pieces shown about four years ago in New York. If the taste and style of the '50s and '60s are not your cup of tea and you want to see some hilarious spoofs, check out James Lileks and "The Gallery of Regrettable Food." But don't waste your money on this latest, weak offering from McCall.

I always looked for Bruce McCall's brilliant work in the National Lampoon and loved the reprinted work in 'Zany Afternoons' (I bought two copies, just in case) and it confirmed that here was an unusual humorist, as good with a paint brush or typewriter.

This latest book though I found a bit disappointing. The material does not really stretch to 128 pages, lots of these (especially the text ones) have far too much white space and the illustrations I found lacking in detail. In 'Zany Afternoons' there are three hilarious parodies of Detroit car brochures, 1934, 1946 and 1958 Bulgemobiles, all have paintings of fantasy cars with backgrounds full of detail, it is this detail that I found missing in so many of the paintings in 'Dream-O-Rama'

Still, the text is very funny and if you are new to Mr McCall's work try and get 'Zany Afternoons' and 'Sit!', he wrote the wonderful words to accompany the dog paintings of Thierry Poncelet.

Bruce McCall's "The Last Dream-O-Rama" is a wickedly clever satire of the 1950's dream car phenomena.

If you've seen McCall's "Bulgemobile" advertisements from the 1970's vintage National Lampoon magazine, you already know he's a gifted artist with a droll sense of humor about automotive excesses. He has a talent for writing that comes close to real advertisements but just pushes it a little bit further such as "Fireblast! Twice the car you'll ever need - and that goes double for the new four-door FunTop!"

In this colorful book, after some pages spoofing dream car shows ("It's un-American to miss the Cavalcade of Chrome"), the bulk of the book has delightful full-page drawings of outrageous concept cars. Each has a half page history on the facing page.

One is the "Silver Sabre Patriomatic Funfighter, 1957" which looks only slightly more like a jet airplane than Pontiac's actual Firebird dream cars. Another is the "Armageddon Mk1, 1958" for the fallout shelter crowd. And there are many, many more with great variety. A few may be too silly for some tastes, but they are all wonderfully drawn.

The book wraps up with "Name Your Own Dream Car - the Detroit Way" and finally "Dream Cars Around the World" with yet more drawings and descriptions.

This book is a satisfying satirical, or perhaps all too true, look into the fifties and a great value even if you're only going to look at the drawings.

I am a big pontiac fan, i own a 1966 GTO conv. with a 455, turbo 400, 4.56 gears, runs mid elevens and i drive it on the street. my wife has a 1976 formula 400 also. so i am big on performance and nastalgia also. the book was good dont get me wrong, butnot what i thought it would be! jim wangers is a pontiac and GTO legend to us poncho guys,i thought the entire book would be about pontiacs and their great performance of the sixties, instead i read a lot of negitive things about ponchos.even the pictures like the one of the swiss cheese catalina racing the ford, he said he lost that race, come on jim, your not supposed to say that, let us guys have a little glory please! and telling of losing street races. and half the book was about jim with jobs with chevy,ford and keiser. sorry jim i didnt buy this book to read about 1977 mustang cobra twos or advertising about pacer wagons! give me a break! you really dropped the ball on this one! maybe some day another old pontiac racer will come out with a book and talk about some good times and real performance of pontiacs!!!!!!!!!!!!

This book takes you back and gives you a private look at the planning and development of the car that started the whole Muscle Car Craze. From figuring out how to get this car built around GM's policies on horsepower to weight ratio, to fighting off the compitition in 1969 with the introduction of "The Judge"! How they developed the Royal Pontiac cars, and how they had to fight every step of the way with the EPA, and other government agencies! Lots of photos, and history here!

A fascinating read. I could not put this book down. A well-written insider perspective on the automobile industry and American car culture. In a nutshell, Mr. Wangers is a car marketing maven. The question is, did car culture influence Mr. Wangers or did Mr. Wangers influence car culture? Did Mr. Wangers influence mass American culture? This book "asks" many questions and raises interesting points. What are the constraints in designing, marketing and engineering an automobile? What role should the govenment take? On the one hand, Mr. Wangers is lightly critical of the federal government regarding emissions and safety issues. On the other hand, he views govt. regulation as a challenge that fosters creativity and engineering prowess. Certainly, the government saved the car industry by forcing it to develop emissions and safety devices. This is a well rounded book for the Sociologist, the historian, and anybody who might enjoy a great read on the automibile industry. Nicely illustrated. There was one glaring omission: Did Wangers maintain his relationship with John DeLorean during his Cocaine distribution trial?

I bought the book to do a paper on nitrous oxide racing in motorcycles. The nitrous chapter was very small and seemed to refer to one company too much. The other two chapters were much better. Why did the author not cover nitrous and turbos or superchargers?

I followed Joe Haile's advice but the vendors he recommended to me took my money and after many years of holding (and misusing) my motorcycle and money they did not deliver the goods and services they promised. I had to sue the listed vendors Luftmeister, RB Racing, Matt Capri, & Bob Behn for fraud and it cost me thousands of dollars and my motorcycle does not run right after many years of their supposed help. I bought this book and called Joe Haile many times and his advice cost me thousands of dollars of pain.

Hi. note that im from argentina and my english is not to good but im really happy whits this book, its tecnical but easy to understand, with a lot of practical examples. You could really start to enjoy what suprcharger, turbocharger and nitrous oxide works.. Thanks, Pablo Ibargoyen, Paraguay 555, 8000 Bahia Blanca, Argentina, ibargoyj@infovia.com.ar

This book might be good if you want to use a sewing machine to painstakingly create your own auto upholstery from scratch, but it never even mentions the plethera of available upholstery kits out there today. Most auto restorers use these kits because they are much easier, cheaper and a closer match to the originals. If you want to learn to sew this is your book, if you want to know more about replacing your classic muscle car's interior without purchasing a sewing machine, this is a waste of your money.

If you have done auto upholstery before this book reviews the simple things that you have most likely learned to bypass. Don makes it perfectly clear that to shortcut is a big mistake. Take the time and do it right. Good book for the beginner and the journeyman. Thank you for the reminders.

Automotive upholstery (trimming) is challenging and rewarding. This is by far the most organized and valuable guide I have seen. It starts with the basic tools and operations necessary to build or repair upholstery. It then moves on in a task oriented path of building complexity and difficulty.

The reference section is helpful and the illustrations are excellent. For beginning trimmers, it is an excellent guide.

If you are building one of the above engines for the first time this is a must have book that teaches you the basic tricks you need. Another reviewer unfairly blamed the book for not covering the new 4.6L engines. It only says on the cover exactly what engines are covered, duh! So, ignore his comments and buy Too Tall Ganahl's book with confidence. The only thing I would have liked to have seen are a casting number list, otherwise an outstanding book.

If you own an FE block engine (390-428 cid), this book is useful. I have found it difficult to find anything on my '65 model 390 and it tells you everything you want to know. The techniques and part #s might be outdated (as one guy says), but the history of the FE and all other "modern" pushrod blue ovals is not. I thought it was worth the 15 bones I paid.

I read the book, many times. One must remember all things start in some type of begining, as this book does. No matter if you are working on a 1954 Ford or a late model 5.0 all things in the bottom end are the pretty much the same. For those that worry about aluminum heads, well, why are GT-40's from Ford cast iron?
I have been racing since 1967 and I find the book informative to say the least. Besides I do not need aluminum heads when I get better performance from cast iron and do not have to worry about an aluminum head blowing out in a water jacket with it skimpy .053 thick division.
Want to build a Ford buy the book! or listen to some and dump a bunch of bucks and end up getting the book anyway.

Heavy in history, light on useful technical details. This book does little to fill in the details of Y-Block information. Missing are things like engine casting codes. Also missing is something usually included in these types of engine-specific books; performance tuning tips. This book is a must-have but only because nothing else is available.

I just finished a complete teardown and rebuild of my 292 Y-block engine. This book was at my side through the entire process. The author does a good job of explaining *most* of what's going on.

However... Upon completion of my project, I discovered an egregious error in the book that caused me to make a costly mistake. The illustration showing the timing mark alignment showed the marks aligned facing the wrong side of the engine! The marks need to be 12 chain links apart facing the LEFT (oil filter) side of the engine. The original factory manual explains this, but Eickman does not. His book shows them incorrectly facing the right-hand side and makes no mention of which side is correct. Because of that error, I had to tear the front of the engine apart after it was assembled, and align the marks using the factory shop manual's illustration.

Some of the book's other illustrations are out of sequence, but they don't pose a problem like the timing mark illustration did. The author's overall attention to detail seems to diminish toward the end of the book. In addition, the book makes no mention of the 1963-64 Y-block engines used in Ford trucks.

If you are going to rebuild a Y-block engine, I'd say you should definitely buy this book - but verify the details against factory procedures whenever possible.

For those interested in the Ford Y block this text is very helpful, depending upon your level of knowledge (or expertise). It is a combination of the motor history and some technical information regarding engine parts and casting codes.
I find this book interesting and helpful for two reasons. First,this book seems to be in a class of its own. Perhaps that is because many people are not familiar with this engine series relative to the 302, 351, 427, etc. Second, I do not know of any other books compiling general information comparable to this one. You could gather the information in the book from several different types of shop manuals, etc. but it would be difficult.
If you are an experienced Y block person, you may already know much of the information, but even after a long time with these motors, I still found some new information. Of course, for price you really can't go wrong.

As you will find out if you read this book, Iacocca was not a car guy - he was a businessman, a "mogul" in the business of cars.

This book provides a counterpoint to the Iacocca books, from a different viewpoint: from within the engineering and production "trenches".

No only does Yates chronicle the development of the third generation minivan; he chronicles with it the transformation of the Chrysler Corporation.

Adequately written, very insightful. Incredible access to what transpired at Chrysler during this time.

Recommended. Especially for minivan owners or prospective buyers.

We've owned four Caravan / Voyagers, so I had a distinct curiosity about the book's subject. The book was interesting when describing the design issues involved with "the vehicle that saved Chrysler/Plymouth/Dodge". The book gives a good feel for the business end of the big bucks car industry, trying to guess what world economy and whim of the American buyer will sell cars five years down the road.
Brock Yates' writing style lends itself better to one page editorial writing or brief commentary within specifications laden car articles. He KNOWS the subject but has a boring style. Overall, though the subject to me was worth finishing the book.
John Row

As the owner of a 2000 Dodge Caravan I feel it is a special treat to learn the story of my car's design and creation, from conception to labor and delivery. The book is well written, and the story is told in such a way that it riveted my attention from beginning to end. Mr. Yates is highly qualified having spent an entire career as an automotive journalist, and in my opinion it shows. In cases where I was familiar with the facts being discussed, his story agrees with the facts I was familiar with. This book is top notch in my opinion - 5 stars.

An excellent book for learning about fiberglass/composites. Before reading this book, I had little knowledge about composties, but a desire to learn. The information is presented in a way that anyone can understand it. Aird educates the reader about different fiber types and weaves, resins and resin systems, gel coat, trade tools, safety, and basic lay-up. He also includes information on molds, plugs, and strength/stress -- though I feel these sections make having some hands-on knowledge of composites an asset, which I lack. It is an excellent book that can take you from knowing nothing, to a point where you can talk intelligently about composites with someone in the FRP field. As other reviews have pointed out, this is not a step by step manual; but is probably a prerequisite to actually understanding one. In conclusion: I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning about fiberglass and composite systems.

I had an interest in getting into Fiberglassing, so i bought this book. As most of the other people who reviewed this book said, it's not a step by step manual, but it offers a very good overview. Good enough that i ended up buying a second copy for a friend. If you have an interest, i would recommend this book. It's worth the price.

This is an excellent overview of materials and current practices.

You might want to consider getting the book MARINE COMPOSITES (www.marinecomposites.com) on your site to compliment Mr. Aird's good book.

This book is simply not worth the money. I fully agree with the reviewers who said this book is good for stories ... but useless for teaching you how to drive fast. The practical tips are very few and far between. To be honest, most enthusiasts can give you more useful pointers over a pint of beer than you can get reading this book.

If you want to drive fast: practice in your own car (safely) and get yourself some hands-on teaching. If you want to sit yourself on a couch and hypnotize yourself into thinking you can drive faster, read this book.

The reason I give 2 stars instead of one is because the stories ARE pretty entertaining. And the pictures are better than in Bondurants book ... But come on: that's not why you're thinking about buying this book, is it ?

Perhaps the most unnoticed word by readers in the title is "handbook", yet in fairness the opportunity for more development in "High Performance Driving" is noticable. "Porsche High Performance Driving Handbook" is a good and interesting combination of light biography and driving skill conveyed in user friendly terminology. Porsche owner or not, it is a fine book but not proportioned in content as the title may imply which may leave many feeling a little left out.

If you have any range of experience in the "art" of handling a Porsche on the race track, club circuit scene or an owner who's a serious student of the marquis, I doubt this book is going to teach you anything you don't already know.(although who knows)

For others of us Porsche owners who are relatively unlearned and maybe want to make some improvements in our driving skills, there could be a thing or two that the amazing and versitile Vic Elford can teach us. Think of this book as some notes for beginners straight from the Porsche Owners Driving School.

The credibility of this book is squarely on Vic Elford, if you haven't heard the name before like myself prior to owning this book, you will discover that he is one of the very best in the business. Vic's biography is as interesting as it is impressive. The creators of this book did a good job of balancing whatever technical information is offered with Vic Elford's profile and would have probably received a better reception had the title been different...maybe "Vic Elford & Basic High Performing Driving Tips", but hey, that's mere speculation.

As accomplished as Vic is, I wish that his story came in a separate book in greater detail and more space was devoted to making this book to what the title infers. The techincal content is quite diversified, pragmatic and of good quality but more creativity with visual aids could have helped to cement the concepts into the thinking of the reader. Although the information is excellent, not seeing this teaching in action is an impediment because some of what is taught can be used on the parkway or highway as well as the track.

The editing job is not to be overlooked! it's really top notch. Some may critique the content for not being more techincal, but to be fair, when Vic is being technical he isn't talking down at you either. Kudos for taking subject matter such as this and offering a clear and intelligent explanation for a common person to understand.

Case in point, in Chapter 4 on Cars, Vic talks about "Handling and Pivot Points" in relation to the behavior (what the cars tendencies are in relation to handling)of different Porsche models and the location of engine(rear engine, mid engine, etc.) and the related "pivot" point. Vic offers a simple and effective definition of "pivot" point related to engine location then moves into his dissertation. Again the emphasis is more for the casual driver.

However, moving into an area where a visual aid relative to the subject matter would have made better use of space, a relative photo would have been good. I realize there's an effort to maintain a spirit of interest and diversity by showcasing different models just for the heck of it, but I'll illustrate what I mean about a better use the photo space. Referring back in the "pivot" points area, what an opportunity for photo's of a professional or a untrained driver attacking a corner emphasizing the "pivot" point effects in a 944 (front engine), 914 (mid engine) and a 911 (rear engine) so maybe (or maybe not) it curbs my inkling to spin my Porsche at my local gorcery store parking lot at 2 a.m. to test "pivot" points and the effects of handling (The teenage kids will think it's cool, I doubt the cops will though). Meanwhile, in my book there's a pic of a 968 on the opposite page that isn't relative to anything in the text. Speaking of photo's and this could be from the "digital picture" perspective but these photo's aren't the worlds best. I know some of these pic are older and from a different era of photo taking technology so I'm not trying to be unrealistic, but this is the perfect segway concerning revision.

This book should be revised because there's not many out there like this. (There are many books in a specialized and professional school of performance driving, but I refer to books in this specific niche.) The purpose for the revision would be simply because of newer models, changing technology, advancements in bettering older models with third party products and better photography. This would be a great enterprise for someone to undertake, a Porsche Owners Driving School via correspondence of sorts. Until a revision of this fine book comes along, this will have to do.

Make no mistake that this is a good book. However, for high performance driving technique there are better books. I don't want to sound negative or hammer this book because for what it is, it really is quite good.

Vic is quite knowledgible! He's got all the creditentials and experience in the world so it leaves little wonder that the list of his students reads like a who's who. Boy, what one could learn from someone like Vic one on one!

I don't think I'll ever drive my Porsche as enthusiatically as the author has done, but I really enjoyed the explanations of the 911's abilities. A good book for days when you can't get out in your own car.