Great British Car Rally 2013

Best of British Steel in the Library

Having so many British cars in the Bay of Plenty this weekend was a change from what constitutes a ‘normal’ vehicle to drive these days: smallish, automatic, and of Asian origin. But maybe it was for the best? I often saw my neighbours British cars of the 70s and 80s with their bonnets up, their owners looking puzzled. To complete the scenario there would often be a random bit of plastic/metal/vinyl, which had freshly fallen off the Vauxhall Viva that week. My mate’s Austin Allegro looked cool when we observed he had lowered the suspension, but we found out subsequently it wasn’t by choice…

Back to the matter at hand – books on British cars! The library has a wide and varied selection of car books, many of them dealing with said era.

First cab off the rank is 501 Must Drive Cars, by Fid Backhouse. Of course the book is ultimately subjective in scope, the authors being in a position to choose what to include. However, most of the obvious choices are here: Mini, Citroen DS, VW Beetle, and Ford Mustang. British entries are thick on the ground, with each decade of motoring dealt with chronologically, from the 1920s Austin Seven, to the Vauxhall Monaro of the 2000s – in reality a Commodore, an Ocker bull in a British china shop.

That venerable British institution ‘Classic & Sports Car’ has a fervent and faithful readership - so why not put a book out under their famous moniker and call it A-Z of Cars of the 1980s? Author Martin Lewis listened and the result is this 158 page ‘meat-and-three-vege’ contender for the most comprehensive illustrated reference work on the subject. What could you add to beat that descriptor? Colour photographs would have helped. Nevertheless, despite the photos being black and white, it is an interesting listing of all the world’s cars - including British - during the decade of legwarmers and blue eye shadow (and that was just the guys).

Anglo-American Cars From the 1930s to the 1970s by Norm Mort deals with that curious mash-up of British steel and American muscle. The cars demonstrating this particular marriage of marques are amongst the most evocative models made: the Jensen CV8, Gordon-Keeble, Bristol and Sunbeam Tiger. Phwoar! All of the mentioned models received the US engine transplant treatment which made their reputations memorable. Heavily illustrated with colour photographs, this will be a trip down Memory Lane for previous and current owners alike.

So, whether it was the throaty purple Triumph Stag convertible driven by the handlebar-moustached neighbour, or your grandmother’s baby Austin A30 getting a push up the local incline, your favourite memories of British cars remain forever fresh amongst the stacks of the Tauranga Libraries. See you in the ‘greasy aisles’ soon!

Paul Cuming, Collections Librarian, Tauranga City Library