The Life Of The Automobile: A New History Of The Motor Car

Steven Parissien. Published 2013 by Atlantic Books. Reviewer’s own copy. $55 (Marsden Books, Wellington). This is an enormous topic to tackle, even in a 438 page book!

It’s not written by a ‘recognised’ motoring author but even though Mr Parissien might get his Sunbeam Alpines and Tigers mixed-up, he comes at things from a different and fascinating perspective –treating the personalities, company histories and periods of time with as much attention as the cars they created.

He also doesn’t just tackle the mainstream characters either. As well as the obvious personalities like Messrs Ford, Agnelli and Austin, it’s fascinating to read about what happened to French carmakers during and after WW2, and to read about George Turnbull and his crucial role in turning Hyundai into a mainstream manufacturer.

He picks 1959 as a watershed year for new models, both in the US and UK, but the impact of the car and the industries behind it, run through the book. Company mergers, from the earliest days up to more recent times (BL, VW and others) are covered well. The book has a truly international perspective and ends with a look at future technologies and markets.

An impressive and fascinating piece of work. And you’ll learn plenty of new stuff when you read it.