TO BOLDLY GO: TWENTY-SIX VEHICLE DESIGNS THAT DARED TO BE DIFFERENT

Graham Hull Published 2017 by Veloce, which supplied the review copy ISBN 978-1-78711-002-1 Reviewed by: Mark Holman

Graham Hull has ‘ form’ in the car design world, and has also written some good books — for instance, on Rolls-royce and Bentley styling. Here, he gives us a refreshing and enjoyable book. He makes no attempt to select the 26 ‘ best’ cars — there are no Model Ts, Citroën DSS, or E-types here; instead, the book focuses on cars that the author considers to be worthy of recognition for various reasons.

The Mini is about the only ‘ iconic’ car here; there aren’t a lot of other mainstream designs. The Citroën 2CV features, but as a ute and in its Dyane form. The Panhard 24CT features, as does the Lamborghini Bravo. There are a surprising number of ‘tricycles’, including Morgans, Messerschmitts, the Bond Minicar and Bug, and the Raleigh Safety Seven.

Racing sidecars are included, via the incredibly successful BMWS, as well as Owen Greenwood’s Mini. Other competition cars are the sixwheeled Tyrrell P34 Formula 1 car, and the amazing Deltawing that raced at Le Mans and in the US.

Some one-offs also make the grade, from British Leyland and Vauxhall. I was impressed, too, with the Brubaker Box that was an amazingly stylish MPV in the mid 1970s.

In addition to explaining why the vehicles chosen are significant, either to himself or because of what they represent, author Hull proves to be an excellent illustrator, as all of the chapters in this 160-page book use his drawings rather than photos; they bring a fascinating book even more to life.