Cars: Accelerating The Modern World

Description

A world without cars would be unrecognizable. They have altered the shape of our cities, transformed our nations and landscapes, revolutionized the way we make and buy things, and profoundly influenced our relationship with speed itself. Presenting the car as the driving force that accelerated the twentieth century, this book considers topics such as the Ford Model T and the legacy of mass production; the GM LaSalle and the birth of style and obsolescence; the original Volkswagen and the expression of national identity; the GM Firebird and the desire for frictionless movement. It takes an in-depth look at the history of the automobile and its impact, to better understand where we might want to go in the future.

Brendan Cormier is Senior Curator in the Design, Architecture and Digital Department at the V&A. Elizabeth Bisley is a design curator and writer.

'those of you who have visited the V&A's Cars...will know how utterly captivating the exhibition is. Here's the next best thing...' -- Autocar, Wednesday 1st April 2020 'an accompanying 200-page book you'd be crazy not to buy...' -- Steve Cropley, Autocar, Wednesday 8th January 2020; 'The show at the V&A might have shut early, a victim of the lockdown, but the most fascinating elements are all in here.' Edwin Heathcote, Financial Times Summer Books of 2020, June 27th 2020