Shire Album S.
2 primary works
Book 3
When launched in 1962, the Ford Cortina was an entirely new type of British car. Compared with its rivals - and with earlier Fords - it was light yet strong, inexpensive yet roomy, mechanically simple and cheap to maintain. It quickly established a totally new class of car. Once it was seen to be a success, there was a rush to emulate it. More than a million of the original-style cars were made, and after twenty years well over four million had been produced. There were saloons, estate cars, sporty models, and even special machines ready for motor racing - something for everyone, everywhere.
Book 294
Since motoring began, enthusiastic amateur car builders have experimented with collecting and re-assembling components, notably chassis, engines and suspension units, to create highly personalised, sometimes transient and frequently unique vehicles. This book tells the story of some of these hybrid machines, many of which achieved sporting success, and their constructors. Most are long forgotten but a few like Chapman's Lotus for example, have become household names. The cult of the 'special' flourished in Britain, when unitary construction deprived the impecunious builder of easily available chassis.