365 Cars You Must Drive 
Product Description: - What began as a solution for transportation has evolved into a desire for speed, luxury, personal expression, and freedom. For many, the thrill of the drive has eclipsed the pure utility of the automobile. And the pursuit of that thrill is the driving force behind 365 Cars You Must Drive. From the Ford Model T to the Porsche Carrera GT, there are certain cars that any self-respecting auto enthusiast just has to know--and experience from the driver s seat.
With homage to the greatest cars and good-natured mockery of the strangest, authors Matt Stone, Executive Editor of Motor Trend, and John Matras detail which cars to drive and why, how to get behind the wheel, where to drive them, and who to invite along for the ride. Each entry contains a colorful spec box noting the car s claim to fame, a Did You Know? factoid, the author s clever suggestions for The Perfect Passenger and the Soundtrack coming out of the speakers, Behind the Wheel notes, and a Perfect Drive for the marque or model covered. Engine details, production information, the price when it debuted and the collectible price now - all of it adds up to at-a-glance fun reading to go with informative essays on each car, archival and full-color photos, and more. With a foreword by Dan Gurney.
Customer Ratings: - 365 Cars you must drive ?. Interesting concept but fails in several place, 1) this book is physically small, that coupled with the font and layout make certain sections extremely difficult to read (and I have 20/18 vision). 2) Surprisingly, many vehicles are included because of how ridiculous or horrible they are. Pacer ? Gremlin ? Edsel ? Rose Bowl Parade car ? I can live my entire life very happily without ever driving those cars. And then there are some true milestone cars that are conspicuously absent, such as the Lotus Elite (1959-62).
- marvelous motoring memories --. Where are all the gearheads? The ones with Castrol in their veins? I can t be the only one left out here, can I? Or maybe I m just the first one to take the time to write about the wonderful memories brought to mind by this fascinating, fabulous--and slightly incomplete--book! Oh, of course. That s it - they re all out there, somewhere, driving these remarkable machines!
Being half a dozen or so years younger than Dan Gurney, my memory bank includes his remarkable career, along with other such names of the marvelous 50s, 60s and 70s in motor cars of various kinds. Names like Carroll Shelby, or Stirling Moss or Denise McCluggage, for that matter. (She was my first hero!) The `sporty car people were and are my favorites, to this day.
This is truly a neat book - I was amazed at how many of these vehicles I ve actually driven! But they left out some of my faves: the Bug-eyed Sprite, for instance! How could they? My then 3-month-old daughter cut her first tooth while riding in one with her father and I, as we were competing in a rally. Or the late 1950s model Morris Minor--the one with the removable gearshift lever. (When the c-clip that held it in place would wear a bit, one could actually remove the lever while driving. Gave a whole new meaning to the `Don t like this gear? Here, find one you like as you hand the lever to your startled passenger! My Dad used to hand the steering wheel of our 1937 Buick to my astonished Grandmother! She took the hint!)
I will admit that the Yugo may not have been the best thing going, but my grown-up daughter saved my life one night by folding me into her battered little example and taking me to the emergency room when my own trusty car wouldn t start. The Yugo was a truly disposable car, however, as she proved, several times over! At that price, why not?
For the other side of that coin, take a look at the 57 Chevy Nomad wagon, for instance, or the early imported BMWs (mid-to-late 60s) or the 66 Caddy convertible (what a gorgeous boat THAT was! bright red with white leather interior, oooh! or the early Rivieras!) or even a Model A. What wonderful wheels! Speaking of, how about that Freightliner? We had an Autocar. Groovy. And what fun it would indeed be, to be able to spend 24 hours with any one of them. Nowadays, that is. You can relive those glorious days by spending several happy-making hours (or weeks) with this scrumptious, colorful book. You won t ever forget the cars or those hours! Aaahh. The memories! Do try not to drool too much over the photos, though.
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365 Cars You Must Drive (ID: 076032414X)
