Vauxhall: A History [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

~ Robert Cook (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Just over 100 years ago, a small engineering concern in Vauxhall, South London, made its first motor car. Named after the place it was built, the Vauxhall was a revelation. Vauxhall was purchased in the 1920s by General Motors and its most famous models include its Edwardian Prince Henry, the PA Cresta, perhaps the most distinctive of its American-styled cars, as well as the Astra, Cavalier, and its 1970s rally-winning cars such as the Firenza and Chevette. Vauxhall: A History tells the story of the cars and the people that built them.

About the Author

Robert Cook lives in Winslow and has written four books. This is his third with Tempus.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Tempus (July 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752434160
• ISBN-13: 978-0752434162
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,574,232 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Good idea - appalling execution, May 26, 2006

By	Douglas M - See all my reviews

This book is a mess. Robert Cook has used the archives of Vauxhall Motors and in particular the Vauxhall Motorist, a marketing magazine produced by the company for 40 years, to reconstruct the history of the marque. This was a good idea with a few pitfalls. While the Vauxhall Motorist does provide a detailed history of the evolution of the use of the car, particularly in Britain with the advent of the motorways etc and the demise of train travel, it also provides a rose coloured view of the cars which Vauxhall produced simply because it was designed to promote the marque. The result is that we get lots of interesting trivia but a very jaundiced view of the company's products.

The real issue, however, is that the book does not seem to have been properly proof read. Page after page contains grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, changes of tense etc as if notes were simply typed up without re-writing them into proper English. There are many errors in the text too - photos with incorrect captions, mis-information, phrases repeated. This a real botch. The best part of the book is that there are lots of interesting photos.

Maybe Mr Cook could re-issue the book and replace at his cost the draft which this edition represents - the literary version of a recall due to faulty parts in the car industry. Now that would be fitting, wouldn't it?