This year, you resolved to read more. Here are three car-centric books that may interest you.
1. In Search of the Holden Piazza (2006) by Chris Warr and Joe Kremzer. This Australian book was tough to find, but it’s now available on Kindle (thanks to capitalism and nerd-dom). Two intrepid young men buy an old Holden Piazza (a.k.a. Isuzu Impulse) and proceed to drive through all of Australia to track down every remaining Piazza in existence. There’s plenty of research on the marketing failure that was the Piazza in Oz, travel hijinks, and an armchair psychologist’s look into why people own obscure cars.
2. Road Fever (1992) by Tim Cahill. Because Cahill is a famed and lauded travel writer, this book is the most well-written of the three. This quick read documents Cahill (and a partner’s) record-setting 23-1/2 day drive from the tip of South America to Alaska’s Pruhdoe Bay in a GMC Sierra.
3. My Mercedes Is Not For Sale (2008) by Jeroen Van Bergeijk. Have you ever wondered why some West African countries are full of clapped out Mercs? Well, a Dutchman looks into this phenomenon when he buys a 1988 Baby Benz (190E diesel) near his home and drives it across the Sahara to West Africa. Adventures, of course, ensue. Do you have any travel books you would recommend? Images source: Jim Yu. The lead photo is of Highway 50 in Nevada.
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