365 Cars You Must Drive

Interesting concept but fails in several place; 1) this book is physically small, that coupled with the font and layout make certain sections extremely difficult to read (and I have 20/18 vision). 2) Surprisingly, many vehicles are included because of how ridiculous or horrible they are. Pacer ? Gremlin ? Edsel ? Rose Bowl Parade car ? I can live my entire life very happily without ever driving those cars. And then there are some true milestone cars that are conspicuously absent, such as the Lotus Elite (1959-62).

Where are all the gearheads? The ones with Castrol in their veins? I can't be the only one left out here, can I? Or maybe I'm just the first one to take the time to write about the wonderful memories brought to mind by this fascinating, fabulous--and slightly incomplete--book! Oh, of course. That's it - they're all out there, somewhere, driving these remarkable machines! Being half a dozen or so years younger than Dan Gurney, my memory bank includes his remarkable career, along with other such names of the marvelous 50s, 60s and 70s in motor cars of various kinds. Names like Carroll Shelby, or Stirling Moss or Denise McCluggage, for that matter. (She was my first hero!) The `sporty car' people were and are my favorites, to this day. This is truly a neat book - I was amazed at how many of these vehicles I've actually driven! But they left out some of my faves: the Bug-eyed Sprite, for instance! How could they? My then 3-month-old daughter cut her first tooth while riding in one with her father and I, as we were competing in a rally. Or the late 1950s model Morris Minor--the one with the removable gearshift lever. (When the c-clip that held it in place would wear a bit, one could actually remove the lever while driving. Gave a whole new meaning to the `Don't like this gear? Here, find one you like' as you hand the lever to your startled passenger! My Dad used to hand the steering wheel of our 1937 Buick to my astonished Grandmother! She took the hint!) I will admit that the Yugo may not have been the best thing going, but my grown-up daughter saved my life one night by folding me into her battered little example and taking me to the emergency room when my own trusty car wouldn't start. The Yugo was a truly disposable car, however, as she proved, several times over! At that price, why not? For the other side of that coin, take a look at the 57 Chevy Nomad wagon, for instance, or the early imported BMWs (mid-to-late 60s) or the 66 Caddy convertible (what a gorgeous boat THAT was! bright red with white leather interior, oooh! or the early Rivieras!) or even a Model A. What wonderful wheels! Speaking of, how about that Freightliner? We had an Autocar. Groovy. And what fun it would indeed be, to be able to spend 24 hours with any one of them. Nowadays, that is. You can relive those glorious days by spending several happy-making hours (or weeks) with this scrumptious, colorful book. You won't ever forget the cars or those hours! Aaahh. The memories! Do try not to drool too much over the photos, though.