The Driving Machine: A Design History of the Car - Hardcover

by Witold Rybczynski (Author)

In this lively and entertaining work, Witold Rybczynski--hailed as "one of the best writers on design working today" by Publishers Weekly--tells the story of the most distinctive cars in history and the artists, engineers, dreamers, and gearheads who created them. Delving into more than 170 years of ingenuity in design, technology, and engineering, he takes us from Carl Benz's three-wheel motorcar in 1855 to the present-day shift to electric cars. Along the way, he looks at the emergence of mass production with Henry Ford's Model T; the Golden Age of American car design and the rise of car culture; postwar European subcompacts typified by the Mini Cooper; and the long tradition of the streamlined and elegant sports car.

Rybczynski explores how cars have been reflections of national character (the charming Italian Fiat Cinquecento), icons of a subculture (the VW bus for American hippies), and even emblems of an era (the practical Chrysler minivan). He explains key developments in automotive technology, including the electric starter, rack-and-pinion steering, and disc brakes, bringing to light how the modern automobile is the result of more than a century of trial and error. And he weaves in charming accounts of the many cars he's owned and driven, starting with his first--the iconic Volkswagen Beetle.

The Driving Machine is a breezy and fascinating history of design, illustrated with the author's delightful drawings.

Back Jacket

Praise for Witold Rybczynski's previous design histories

"Witold Rybczynski is the poet laureate of what you haven't noticed that's probably right in front of you."
-- Robert Sullivan

NOW I SIT ME DOWN: From Klismos to Plastic Chair

"A book to savor."
-- Henry Petroski, Wall Street Journal

"Another delightful volume to an already impressive shelf of books notable for formidable learning worn lightly and an infectious fascination with the way we craft the built environment."
-- Wendy Smith, Boston Globe

ONE GOOD TURN: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw

"A good short read in the classic Rybczynski mode--an ordinary thing, explained extraordinarily."
-- Paul Challen, Toronto Star

"What Witold Rybczynski sees is that everything that requires mechanical precision, and that includes the instrumentation of modern science, rises out of the perfection of the simple screw and the complex machinery required to manufacture these indispensable items."
-- M. R. Montgomery, New York Times Book Review