Book description
Good old Dad and his good old Dad's car. As solid and dependable as
the man himself, if a little less balding, Dad's car was almost a
member of the family, whisking you to exciting days out, or just to
visit boring relatives in distant parts of the country to the chant of
'are we nearly there yet?' Like the man behind the wheel, Dad's car
made you feel safe and secure, because it was as reassuring and
sensible as he was. Maybe in an idle moment Dad dreamt of driving
something rakish and fast, just like in idle moments he dreamt that
your Mum was Twiggy, but the demands of family life meant soft tops,
hard suspension and anything even remotely sporty were off the cards.
Even anything less than four doors would have been wildly hedonistic.
But although the family car may not have been the very essence of rock
'n' roll, Dad was proud of it.
Spanning the 1950s to the '80s, this is a celebration of the heyday
of the Dad car. From much loved family workhorses like the Ford
Cortina and Vauxhall Viva to the rakish excitement and playground
kudos of the Rover 3500 and Citroen CX, all the great Dad cars are
here. Reflecting a time before people carriers and lifestyle off
roaders, when the nearest thing to an airbag was hiding behind your
fat brother, this is a celebration of simple, honest cars that were as
flawed and as loveable as your Dad himself.
Giles Chapman's motoring writing has included The
Independent, Daily Telegraph, Sunday Times,
Evening Standard, Condé Nast Traveller, Auto
Express, T
op Gear magazine, Classic & Sports Car, and
Octane. He is author of nine books, including Moving
Objects, Car Badges (2005) and TV Cars (2006). He
was voted Jeep Consumer Writer Of The Year, 2006.
Richard Porter is script editor for BBC's Top Gear, a
columnist for Evo magazine and contributing editor for Top
Gear magazine. He is author of BBC Books' Crap Cars (2004).
