My Van, My Castle by Jackie D. Norman

$34.99 NZD

Category: Automotive & Transport

Jackie Norman met her soul mate, sold her suburban home and swapped it for life on the road travelling round NZ in a campervan, despite never having any experience of the lifestyle before. Her aim was to swap a stressful life servicing a crippling mortgage with a more carefree lifestyle, stripped back t o essentials, living in the moment and exploring New Zealand. With no schedule and no real goals and after nearly two years on the road Jackie and her husband Gareth have learnt a lot about the highs and lows of a nomadic life. She writes with humour and insight about their adventures on the road and the lessons they've learnt along the way with anecdotes, tips, suggestions and favourite spots they've been on their travels from the tip of the North Island to Bluff in the South. We learn about the day-to-day reality and challenges of life on the road, top campsites, special spots, how to cope with mozzies and the dreaded condensation, and what the traveller community is really like. ...Show more

Ford in New Zealand Volume II

$59.99 NZD

Category: Automotive & Transport

Speed Kings: Australians' Quest to Win the World's Greatest Motor Race by John Smailes

$36.99 NZD

Category: Automotive & Transport

The fascinating, definitive story of Australia and New Zealand's quest to win the world's greatest motor race. Winning the Indianapolis 500, the greatest spectacle in motorsport, has been a quest for Australians and New Zealanders since the first race in 1911. Seventeen have tried and two have succeede d: Scott Dixon in 2008 and Will Power in 2018. Rupert Jeffkins, Australia's original speed king, entered the first Indy 500 and on his second attempt in 1912 came within five kilometres of victory. He and Italian Ralph De Palma created legend when they pushed their car to the finish line after it blew up while leading. Speed Kings tells Jeffkins' full story for the first time.The lure of the Brickyard, paved with 3.2 million bricks, has drawn champions from both sides of the Tasman. Sir Jack Brabham, his son Geoffrey and grandson Matthew have each tried to win. So have the 'big three' of New Zealand motor racing: Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme and Chris Amon. Now Scott McLaughlin looks set to become the next driver from down under to chase American motor racing's greatest prize.Indy doesn't offer up victory lightly. Blinding speed - nudging 380 km/h and averaging 280 km/h over 500 miles - makes the Brickyard one of the most precarious racetracks in the world. Forty-two drivers have died attempting the 500. Speed Kings tells the story of the Australian and New Zealand drivers, team owners, engineers, even commentators who've made the Brickyard their quest.   ...Show more

Life with Cars: New Zealanders' Motoring Memories 1950s-1980s by Stephen Barnett

$49.99 NZD

Category: Automotive & Transport

Life with Cars is a like a national family photo album, albeit one with its focus on cars. It brims with evocative imagery of cars and automotive adventures from the 1950s to the 1980s, with the words of the contributors as told to the author. Their stories reflect New Zealanders' creation and uptake of car culture — telling of breakdowns in the middle of nowhere, holidays at the beach, evading the law, Sunday drives and of course posing on, beside or in the much-loved four-wheeled family members. Underpinning these stories are relationships — primarily between owners and their cars, but also between parents and children, partners in life, and young people and their peers — all during a time when cars had character, there was less congestion on the roads and petrol was cheap. These stories will resonate with a wide audience, from those who owned cars then to those that love their cars as much today. ...Show more

The Passion for Utes - An Australian Obsession by Joel Wakely

$59.99 NZD

Category: Automotive & Transport

To complement his fully illustrated history of utes in Australia, Joel Wakely has gathered together dozens of fascinating stories about many of the models that various Australian manufacturers (and indeed some overseas ones too) have produced since the early 20th century. Joel tells the whole story of u tes in Australia, from the first home-constructed vehicles in the 1910s and 20s, to Fords first true ute in the 1930s, the first all-Australian (Holden) ute in the early 1950s, and the highlights of several more decades of ute development. With contributions from dozens of ute enthusiasts about their myriad cars plus hundreds of photographs, many never seen in print before, this is a ute book like no other, a book from the heart that goes deep into the passion that utes engender. ...Show more

Aston Martin - The Story of a British Icon by Ben Collins

$37.99 NZD

Category: Automotive & Transport | Series: Planet Omar Ser.

An extraordinary story of spies, lies and hard-driving genius, by the man who was The Stig Aston Martin's story is one of Survival, Ingenuity and Style. Beloved of engineers, speed freaks and spooks - both real and imagined - the car with the double-o prefix has blazed a trail to become one of the worl d's best-loved machines. Bestselling author, racer and stunt driver Ben Collins explores this magnificent machine from a unique perspective behind the wheel, carving through country lanes in his father's V8 Vantage, driving Aston Martins in four James Bond movies and competing against them in the legendary Le Mans 24-hour race. The company's first, wickedly fast models were forged at a time when Ferrari's premises at Maranello was nothing but a ploughed field - but this book celebrates a century of characters who created a legend: from the visionary pioneers Martin and Bamford to modern-day genius Adrian Newey; from a glamorous web of pre- and post-war spies and racing drivers, to the achingly beautiful David Brown models beloved of Bonds past and present. Aston Martin is the story of a triumph of innovation and design that has burned brightly from the Roaring 20s to the 2020s, a driver's love letter to the cars that never say die. ...Show more

Trains, Planes, Ships & Cars by James Hamilton-Paterson

$69.99 NZD

Category: Automotive & Transport

A lavishly illustrated celebration of the golden age of aircraft, cars, ships and locomotives from 1900 to 1941 by the author of the bestselling Empire of the Clouds. This dazzling book describes the flourishing of transport and travel, and the engineering that made it possible, in the years before the Second World War. It is a homage to the great vehicles and their mechanisms, their cultural impact and the social change they enabled. James Hamilton-Patersonexplores the pinnacle of the steam engine, the advent and glory days of the luxury motorcar and the monster vehicles used in land speed records, the marvellous fast ocean liners and the excitement and beauty of increasingly aerodynamic forms of passenger aircraft. These were the days when for most people long-distance travel was a dream, and the dream-like glamour of these machines has never been surpassed. Hamilton-Paterson has an unrivalled ability to write evocatively about engineering and design in their historical context, and in this book he brings a vanished era to life. ...Show more

Historic New Zealand Racing Cars by Steve Holmes

$39.99 NZD

Category: Automotive & Transport

From the sleek futuristic McLaren M8A to the missile-shaped RA Vanguard, these are New Zealand's Historic Racing Cars in all their full-colour, tire-burning glory! Historic New Zealand Racing Cars reveals the fascinating histories of eighteen cars whose stories are intertwined with our motoring history. Author Steve Holmes delves into the origins of each vehicle - from design, to racing achievements, and their fate thereafter. Each car is highlighted with a wealth of eye-catching photography. Featuring such racing greats as the mighty 1968 McLaren M8A Can-Am, through to the grass-roots domestic Specials. Single seaters, sports cars, and saloons are all profiled, with cars from the 1940s to the 1980s. Cars that were designed and built locally, to others of international origin, combined they represent a golden era of New Zealand motor racing history. ...Show more

Brock at Bathurst by Bev Brock

$44.99 NZD

Category: Automotive & Transport

No driver is as connected to a single track as the legendary Peter Brock is to Bathurst. Half a century ago, a shy and bearded Brock first took on Mount Panorama, the track he was destined to dominate with a record nine wins, earning him the mantle ‘King of the Mountain’. That uncanny relationship bet ween driver and track is the focus of this book, a 360-degree look at every race of Brock’s glorious Bathurst career. Relive Peter Perfect’s reign over the Mountain in the company of Bev Brock, his partner of nearly three decades, as well as mechanics, teammates, rivals and friends who witnessed his genius up close. Featuring over 150 images, including previously unseen photographs from Brock’s private collection, Brock at Bathurst is a nostalgic and exhilarating celebration of an iconic pairing in Australian sport. ...Show more

Formula 1: The Official History by Maurice Hamilton; Formula 1® (Contribution by)

$55.00 NZD

Category: Automotive & Transport

Formula 1: The Official History is a beautifully illustrated history of Formula 1 that traces the Drivers' World Championship, decade by decade, from its first race on 13 May 1950 through all 70 editions. Few sports have changed as dramatically as Formula 1 motor racing, but it essentially remains the s ame, a high-speed race in cars constructed to the highest technical performance level possible. This book charts the championship, highlighting the racing heroes, growth and diversity of each season, title races, arrival and departure of manufacturers, key moments and the major improvements in all aspects of safety. The author has been granted unique access to the organisation, while each chapter contains special features on the greatest drivers and teams, important personnel, famous and infamous incidents and key changes to the rules on design, safety and competitiveness. All in all, Formula 1: The Official History is a fantastic celebration of one of the world's most popular, spectacular and glamorous sports. ...Show more

My Cool Convertible: An Inspirational Guide to Stylish Convertibles by Chris Haddon

$29.99 NZD

Category: Automotive & Transport | Series: My Cool Ser.

This latest title in the highly successful 'my cool' vehicle series covers the world of open top motoring. Cruising in a convertible car with the top down started out as an American summer tradition and for many drivers around the world there is nothing better than driving down a country lane with the r oof down, the wind sweeping your hair and the sun beating on your neck. The book includes a broad mix of 'cool' convertibles, and their owners, from vintage to classic and modern, with eye-catching photography and locations, captured by specialist car photographer Lyndon McNeil. Convertible cars come in all shapes and sizes from compact city cabriolets such as the Talbot Samba to roadsters such as the Lotus Elan Sprint and grand tourers such as the Aston Martin DB6. Every one of them enjoys a sense of open-air freedom and greater involvement in the driving experience. Think sun, wind and speed. In many ways, the convertible car is the ultimate expression of automotive indulgence. A car with a roof is sensible but a car without a roof is sexy, scintillating and, given the chance, most of us would pay through the nose to own one. From the timeless designs of early models (Lagonda, Rolls Royce Phantom II Continental, Frazer Nash BMW and the MG) to the mid century cars (Nash Metropolitan, Land Rover, Bristol and Renault Caravelle) and the retro/modern (Saab 900, Honda S800, Peugeot 304, VW Golf, Mercedes 380SL and Porsche 914), convertibles are among the most popular and desirable of cars. The convertible has gone through extreme highs and lows during more than a century of automotive history, from near ubiquity at the dawn of the car industry to nearly disappearing in the 1970s; and now once again being a highly popular type of car. The cars featured illustrate the highs and the lows of convertible design and show how convertible technology advanced from simple cloth tops (the 1931 Rolls Royce Phantom II Continental is an early example) to the advanced self-folding roofs of today and many other design features. Some of the most stylish marques are included: the most expensive in the book is the Frazer Nash BMW and the rarest the Fiat 1100 Barchetta. Word Count 25,000 ...Show more

My Cool Motorcycle - An Inspirational Guide to Motorcycles and Biking Culture by Chris Haddon

$24.99 NZD

Category: Automotive & Transport | Series: My Cool Ser.

Motorcycle riders today have an increasingly sophisticated and more specialised range of bikes to choose from but interest in classic bikes has also influenced the design of these new machines. Looking back across the 100 years or so of the motorcycle, my cool motorcycle features over 60 stylish bikes o f all shapes and sizes along with a cross-section of passionate owners and their personal stories. Many of these iconic bikes have been customised with unique styling and the high-quality, stylish photography illustrates a plethora of bike detailing covering signage, gauges, dials and bike typography. The book also includes details of extraordinary intercontinental journeys, bike culture, early examples of powered bicycles used in the First World War through sidecars for carrying the family to cutting edge, 21st century design capable of speeds over 150mph, bike collectors, iconic legends of motorcycle racing, and a look at different uses for motorcycles. ...Show more