The Kings Of The Road - Ken W Purdy. (1955), First Edition

The Kings Of The Road By Ken W Purdy.

Publisher: Hutchinson, London, 1955, First Edition, 2nd printing.

Hardback with no jacket. Good condition, some rubbing to edges, inscription to ffep, minor tanning. 216 pages, illustrated.

Here is the story of that royal family of motorcars that flourished both in this country and Europe before the "development" of the monotonously similar, jelly-bodied models of today - cars that were cherished in a time when the American people thought of the automobile as an instrument of sensuous pleasure. It's about cars (designed to run for twenty years) that herald their coming for a mile and break your neck as you try to watch them pass. And it tells, too, of the men who built and drove them. To name only a few of these giants of the road evokes memories of the automobile's Golden Age. Mercer, the Might Mercer, probably the all-time king of American sports cars. Duesenberg, most luxurious automobile ever made in America and a brilliant performer as well. Cord and Auburn, out of the same shop and years ahead of their time in style and engineering. Stanley, most famous of several great American steam cars, for years ruler of the highway. Bugatti, fabulous product of a fabulous engineering genius. Alfa-Romeo, Bugatti's classic contemporary. Rolls-Royce, the Indestructible, and Bentley, Rolls' brilliant young first cousin. Mercedes, tons of luxury and mechanical perfection. MG, phenomenal acceleration, speed and roadability with a minimum of horses. Stutz, Marmon, Hispano-Suiza, Isotta-Fraschini, Locomobile, Morgan - they're all here: their histories, their features, their strengths and weaknesses, their peculiarities, their accomplishments.