Naff Motors – A Book Review

This is quite an amusing little hard–back edition that would make a good present for anyone who is mad about cars. It features what the author refers to as Automotive Lemons, a term he uses to describe 101 cars that we all love to hate, and which the manufactures who built them would rather like to us forget they were ever made.

Available from Amazon at £6.59, and other Internet stockists, as well as high street retail outlets under ISBN No. 978–1–846–05064–2, it predictably features models such as the Austin Allegro, Morris Marina and Triumph TR7.

Some surprises

However, it also contains details of some lesser–known cars, and some that you may not have thought to find within these pages, such as the Jaguar XJ220, for example.

Cars that were not available for sale within the UK are given space, which most UK readers may wish to overlook. After all, who in this country can really relate to the Ford Edsel and Ford Capri from the United States, especially as the US version of the Ford Capri was nothing like the one the older generation grew to love. The Austin Freeway of Australia is another. Despite appearing in this book, some of the cars here are now actually sought–after classics.

The writing is light–hearted and easy to digest

The style of writing is light and entertaining, with the author thankfully not going in to too much technical detail.

There are such anecdotes as, “aimed squarely at the US market, which was then grabbing every British Sports car it could get its hands on, Daimler’s new roadster was launched as the Dart at the 1959 New York Motor Show. Chrysler had already registered the name Dart and demanded that Daimler withdraw its use of the name. It could have performed a bigger service for humanity by demanding that the whole car be withdrawn.”

About the author

Tony Davis is a senior writer for the Sydney Morning Herald and has written about cars for over 20–years. He has also driven some of the fastest, most expensive and most impressive vehicles ever built. In his career, Tony has written extensively about popular culture, history, motoring, television and a myriad of other subjects.

At the time of publishing, Tony lives in northern Sydney with his wife Carolyn and their three sons, William, James and Daniel.

The overall verdict

With 271 pages in an almost pocket sized hard cover book, there really are some automotive gems here and plenty to keep you amused.

Well worth buying a copy, as it is one of those books you will keep picking up over the years, and use to illustrate the automotive conversations that take place in your home. It will have the ability to amuse for many year and will no doubt become a part of each owner’s treasured book collection.

First Published September 2008

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Naff Motors – A Book Review