The tradition of the two-door luxury car began early in the history of the Rolls-Royce and Bentley marques. In the 1950s, its most famous realisation was the Bentley Continental, but that name was not revived when the new generation of monocoque models arrived in the mid-1960s. Instead, there were near-identical Rolls-Royce and Bentley variants of a stunningly attractive two-door design that came as either a saloon or a drophead coupe.From 1971, the range gained a clearer identity of its own as the Corniche, with a larger and more powerful 6.75-litre V8 engine. The Corniche remained in production for nearly a quarter of a century, during which time it quite literally stood alone as a symbol of wealth and as the epitome of luxury motoring.The drophead models were always the stronger sellers, and Rolls-Royce drew up plans for a new two-door luxury car to replace the Corniche saloons. In practice, the 1975 Camargue would establish its own market, and the closed Corniche stayed in production until 1980. The Camargue was both glamorous and rare, but it had a quite unmistakable presence and gained its own fame as the worlds most expensive production car.This book tells the full story of these iconic ranges, and will be essential reading for owners and admirers of the immortal Corniche and the controversial Camargue.
With a heritage that harks back to the early Twenties, Jaguar is one of UKs oldest automobile marques still in business. As well being famous for several iconic sports cars such as the XK120, E-type and XK8 along with its many successes in international motorsport, it also has a reputation for producing elegant, luxurious and powerful saloons. These have included the Mk VII, Mk 2 and Mk X, plus eight generations of XJ, all of which set a new standard for their performance, ride and comfort.Launched in 1986, the fourth XJ model internally known by Jaguar as the XJ40 not only had a new and more modern design than its more traditional predecessors but also featured an innovative, and at the time class-leading, specification that included a clever onboard diagnostic system. However, never a car without issues the XJ40s gestation alone took well over a decade its many reliability issues would have a long lasting impact on both its reputation as well as Jaguar itself.
At well over 1.2 million cars and counting, the Mazda MX-5 holds the Guinness World Record as the bestselling two-seater sports car ever produced. With a compelling mixture of timeless good looks, simple mechanicals, legendary reliability and Mazdas commitment to developing and honing an idea first conceived back in the 1970s, the MX-5 not only single-handedly revived the ailing sports car segment on its debut, but is one of few cars still flying the flag today. The motoring landscape has changed dramatically since its conception, but one thing is certain: you can still rely on an MX-5 for a good time.This fully revised edition of Mazda MX-5 charts the MX-5s story from the first seeds of its conception right up to the concept cars and special editions of the modern day, covering:tDesign, development and production over more than three decades and four generations.tThe engine and drivetrain technology that gave the MX-5 its sharp handling and performance.tStories of the engineers and designers behind the MX-5s successes, showing how simple, intelligent engineering ensured such a bespoke product was able to compete in a world obsessed by volume and margins.tThe MX-5s extensive racing story.tA detailed buyers guide for all four generations, compiled with the help of specialists, as well as details of the myriad special editions sold globally.tDetailed specifications for all major models.Illustrated in full colour, Mazda MX-5 is a concise, detailed guide to this groundbreaking and innovative sports car.
Between 1982 and 1992, the World Sportscar Championship embraced the FIAs Group C regulations, spawning a generation of long-distance racing sports prototypes representing manufacturer teams such as Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Mazda, Peugeot, Nissan and Toyota, as well as a host of specialists such as Spice and Tiga. Driven by top-line drivers, these cars competed in one of the most exciting epochs in the annals of endurance racing. This book focuses on the cars, drivers and races of the era.