This is a book about automotive styling, in particular the streamlined styling that defined what are now known as Airline cars. During the mid-1930s the majority of British car manufacturers and coachbuilders experimented with streamlined styling. This fashion was the result of Art Deco, an international movement that influenced design and marketing in many different industries, and produced some of the most unique and visually exhilarating cars ever produced in Britain. Part One of the book explains and illustrates the Art Deco styling elements that link these streamlined car designs, and describes their development, their commonality, and their unique aeronautical names. The stories of the individual cars, their designers, and their development, are told in Part Two. Here, Barrie Down has collected examples of all the significant British streamlined production cars made between 1933 and 1936, many of them still represented by beautifully restored survivors. The book is well illustrated with over 200 contemporary pictures and colour photographs of existing cars, many of which have never before been published. This book is an instructive and visual feast for all car lovers.
Art Deco and British Car Design - The Airline Cars of the...
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"We think of the French as producing the most strikingly streamlined cars of the 1930s, in lyric teardrop bodies hammered out with doses of Italian style and German science. But this book reminds us that streamline design was the rage among car buffs everywhere in the '30s, even in upright, country-house, Evelyn Waugh Britain. Mr. Down reminds us that at the same time streamline cars were going on the market, ocean liners and trains were being streamlined, the better to compete with the nascent airline industry. His book also reminds us that the automobile industry of the time in Britain had yet to embrace mass production. Cars were sold to the few, and the sellers were coachbuilders as much as chassis or engine makers. To compete, each British car company had to offer a version of the season's fashionable cut, and so each one presented an airline or streamline body or two. The resulting cars are rare, with wonderful names like the Triumph Gloria Flow-Free and the Riley Kestrel. Many of these companies would not survive. But there are also glimpses of the future. We meet the young William Lyons, who impressed a man named William Walmsley. Together, their Swallow Sidecar company moved from teardrop add-ons for motorcycles to aero bodies for popular auto chassis. Swallow became Jaguar, of course, and two decades later produced more serious streamlining, driven by aerodynamics and racing." - New York Times "This vibrant work features a good mix of period and modern photos. Fans of streamlining will enjoy this fresh perspective on pre-war British car styling." - Classic & Sports Car "It's a fascinating read, which also feature photos of the cars that have survived to this day (many of which haven't been published until now)." - Classic Car Buyer
"Here's a delightful book that could fill a gap both on your bookshelf. In the first part, author Barrie Down explains the Art Deco movement and how it combined with streamlining in the 1930s to produce some of the century's
"Here's a delightful book that could fill a gap both on your bookshelf. In the first part, author Barrie Down explains the Art Deco movement and how it combined with streamlining in the 1930s to produce some of the century's
About the Author
Barrie Down has had a fascination with cars from as early as he can remember, and his childhood drawings were almost exclusively cars, cars, and more cars. Those he owned as an impecunious bachelor were from the 1920s and '30s, from which he gained a healthy respect for the design and quality of vintage and thoroughbred cars. After emigrating to Canada in 1964, he spent over 20 years in the industrial design field, concerned primarily with transportation design. From his art historian wife, he learned to link design and social history, and discovered that the design of the cars he loved were strongly influenced by Art Deco.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Leon Mengden
Format:Hardcover
This is such a thoroughly researched and well-written book it almost leaves one breathless that such a quality still exists. I can only wish for the publisher, Veloce, known for making motor books for the discerning reader, that the effort will pay out for them; while highest praise is due for the author, too, of course. For me it was the motoring book `read of the year' - maybe of many years to come. let's see what comes next to beat this!
Absolutely fantastic to behold and to read - extremely recommended; throws light on an aspect of British car design never covered before - and now in such depth. Certainly not only for car buffs but for anybody interested in 20th century design. If you feel only remotely attracted to this book, take the plunge and buy it - you won't be disappointed. But remember it is still a CAR BOOK.
Absolutely fantastic to behold and to read - extremely recommended; throws light on an aspect of British car design never covered before - and now in such depth. Certainly not only for car buffs but for anybody interested in 20th century design. If you feel only remotely attracted to this book, take the plunge and buy it - you won't be disappointed. But remember it is still a CAR BOOK.
By Neil Wootten
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a very readable and well illustrated look at the effect that Art Deco had on British car styling in the thirties. The narrative flows nicely, but the stars of the show are the photos and brochure extracts of the cars themselves - beautiful!
By T. Shaw
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is a must for pre war car enthusiasts. It concentrates on the streamlining period of car design and how this was influenced by the Art Deco period.The book highlights the work of a number of designers and compares their products. It also explains how the mass produced car manufacturers were able to introduce airline models in to their range without being too expensive. The second part of the book then explores in more detail the manufacturers who made a real effort with their designs.This is a gem for old car lovers.
By ChrisVis
Format:Hardcover
This work should awaken the interest in this lamentably overlooked chapter in motoring history. Hopefully it will contribute to saving the few remaing examples from "tourerisation". As an Alvis devotee I am disappointed in the poor coverage given to the marque both in the lack of good quality images of the range offered and some small textual inaccuracies.
However not wishing to be too selfish it is a very good and enjoyable book, with much new information to learn, and has probably answered the long asked question of the anticeedance of the unique 1939 Alvis Short chassis 4.3 Carlton carriage companies Triumph Dolomite lookalike!
However not wishing to be too selfish it is a very good and enjoyable book, with much new information to learn, and has probably answered the long asked question of the anticeedance of the unique 1939 Alvis Short chassis 4.3 Carlton carriage companies Triumph Dolomite lookalike!
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