The Driving Machine: A Design History of the Car

by Witold Rybczynski

The renowned design writer on the 150-year history of car design—and the greatest artists, engineers, dreamers, and gearheads behind it.

Since their invention in the nineteenth century, cars have been reflections of national character (the charming Italian Fiat Cinquecento), icons of a subculture (the VW bus for American hippies), and even emblems of an era (the practical Chrysler minivan). In this lively and entertaining work, renowned design writer Witold Rybczynski delves into some of our most distinctive cars and the people who created them. Charting evolutions in form and function, he takes us from Carl Benz’s three-wheel motorcar in 1855 to the Golden Age of American car design and the rise of car culture to the present-day shift to electric cars. Along the way, he explains key developments in automotive technology, including the electric starter, rack-and-pinion-steering, and disc brakes. Illustrated with his own delightful drawings, Rybczynski also weaves in charming accounts of the many cars he’s owned and driven, starting with his first—the iconic Volkswagen Beetle.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook

256 pages, Hardcover

Published October 8, 2024

About the author

Witold Rybczynski was born in Edinburgh, of Polish parentage, raised in London, and attended Jesuit schools in England and Canada. He studied architecture at McGill University in Montreal, where he also taught for twenty years. He is currently the Martin and Margy Meyerson Professor of Urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also co-edits the Wharton Real Estate Review. Rybczynski has designed and built houses as a registered architect, as well as doing practical experiments in low-cost housing, which took him to Mexico, Nigeria, India, the Philippines, and China.

(From www.witoldrybczynski.com)

Reviews

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars for The Driving Machine: A Design History of the Car (audiobook) by Witold Rybczynski read by Lyle Blaker.

It was interesting to hear another view of how car design has evolved. The author seems to have a fondness for European cars and included many popular designs. And of course many American cars were highlighted too. The author did a fine job of describing the cars and their design characteristics and I’ve seen most of the cars that were described but there were a few cars that I just couldn’t remember what they looked like and I was wishing that I could see a picture. I guess that’s a problem with audiobooks. I really wouldn’t recommend this audiobook for anyone who isn’t already familiar with automotive design.

[David Crumm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too 'Breezy' for Me

I had high hopes for this book when Norton asked me if I wanted a pre-publication copy to review. After all, I've been a journalist for half a century in the Motor City. I'm not a huge car fan myself but I have reported on countless auto-related stories all of my adult life, so—for me—this seemed like a fun read. I could enjoy this author's "fresh takes" on stories I've enjoyed about the auto industry and, I hoped, I could expand my knowledge to include influences from global auto designers as well.

In fact, the pitch that appears on the fly cover of this book and on the Amazon page for it, promises "the story of the most distinctive cars in history and the artists, engineers, dreamers, and gearheads who created them."

Right away, I felt cheated and by the time I was deep into the book, this text felt like a bunch of bite-sized nuggets strung together for a guidebook to an auto show. Somewhere along the line, the author apparently diverged from the publisher in the goal of telling the stories of the people who created these machines. Instead, this author is such a "gearhead" himself that he's far more interested in simply cataloging a lot of machines and models than he is in telling any human stories.

I am giving this 2, and not just 1 star, because the author does know his stuff, when it comes to the manufacturers and models he covers, and I am impressed that Rybczynski balances his focus between Europe and North America. I'm not giving him 3 stars, though, because he doesn't have a truly global focus here. There's almost nothing about the fascinating quirks of auto design behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War (something I reported on myself) or on emerging forms of auto design in the many fascinating corners of Asia, including China's latest push for electric cars. Want to check? Just flip to the index yourself and you won't find a single mention of Czechoslovakia, Romania, Yugoslavia, Korea or China—just to list a few countries with intriguing auto stories that are AWOL in this supposedly global story.

When it comes to spinning fascinating American tales? Once again, this isn't the book to buy if you want those stories told in any kind of gripping fashion. The famous stories about cars like the Tucker or the original Mustang are each given about 2 pages. If you're interested in a book like this, you probably already know more than what's on those couple of pages about the Tucker or the Mustang. I know I do.

So, for me, this book was a big dud. I whizzed through it in one evening and felt like I had just flipped through a stack of literature handed to journalists at a car show. Another way this book is being promoted by the publisher is as "breezy" and—boy oh boy—is that true! In fact, it's far too breezy for me.

Looking at my own library shelf, I think most readers who might be tempted to get this book would have a lot more fun with a book like 100 Cars That Changed the World, which has an average rating of 4.7 stars based on nearly 2,000 Amazon ratings. I mention it because I do own a copy of that book and enjoy it. That book is packed with lots of gorgeous color photos rather than the lame black and white sketches in this book. Plus, if you want to dive deeper into auto history, there are lots of great individual books about auto-industry giants that are fun to read—if you really are looking for a good book about the people who created these machines.

And that was, after all, the starting point of the pitch for this book.

Too bad the author doesn't seem to have been that interested in people.

[Parker]

Fun book in which I foraged for little tidbits. Esp liked hearing about the Volvo 444 and early Saab models. Interesting nuggets include how suburbanization drove the individual car ownership model, and how the combo of globalization and computer modeling/design optimization software lead to design homogenization.

[Anne Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this as my father's Christmas present, so of course I had to read it and leave him notes. The author is clearly not a "car guy"; he stated early on he'd owned 15 cars in his lifetime, which he for some reason thought was a lot. I put a "LOL" note for my dad on that line."

Otherwise, it was well researched and the author's own drawings of the vehicles were a great addition. For any car-history enthusiast, it's a light and fast read (I read it in one day).

I'm sure I'll amend my review after my dad finishes reading it and points out all the things he got wrong (E.g. the author discusses the Chrysler Airflow -- which my father has one -- but fails to mention the predecessor - the DeSoto Airflow -- which he is currently restoring).

[Matthew Crooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book that I reckon the author did the best with what he could. To me, it didn’t feel entirely coherent going through the course of the book. It felt like there were jumps forward and then jumps back in time. Bringing in different countries at different times.

My best guess at why it was so tough to get this right, is that the story of cars isn’t a coherent one. The USA motorized way before other countries. Germany mainly motorized due to Hitler’s push and the creation of the autobahns (great simplification). Japan motorized in the 60s. So the way I see it, is on two timelines:
1. The history of each country’s motorization story and the cars that met the moment.
2. High-performance cars.

When I look back on this book and look at things through the 2 timeline lens, it makes a whole lot more sense.

[Wesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Rating: 4 Panhard Dyna Xs

Interesting book with drawings by the author. I also liked the quotes at the beginning of each chapter.

[Jeff French · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit to being a car nut, my interest in cars probably contributes a lot to my enjoyment of this book: it is one of the most enjoyable books I've read. It's not great literature, and there are some editing problems, but it is a wonderful source of memories and new facts concerning the development of the automobile. Rybczynski follows the same patter he used for The Story of Architecture, a primarily chronological record of the evolution of cars' design and technological innovation, with some exceptions to stay with a theme until it is completed. He starts with the very first vehicles considered cars and continues through the re-introduction of electric vehicles in recent decades. There are sketches of many of the cars discussed to help readers remember forgotten models as well as to compare styling changes. The book should be fun for anyone who grew up fascinated by cars.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, rapid fire tour through the evolution of car design which is a whimsical combination of auto memoir, brief biography of designers, and story of engineering advances. Our encounters with each car and time period are so brief they start to run together. The most engaging parts are when the author shares vignettes about trips he has taken and cars he has owned.

[Beverly Hallfrisch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book. The sketches are adorable.
I appreciated the balance of "global" vehicles (this easily could have focused on American manufacturers or European high end) and the representation of vehicles. It was broad without being unfocused. This is also not a long book so it didn't get into everything nor did it get deep into a topic. It was like a leisurely Sunday drive.

[Steve S · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is both an architect and a professor of urbanism. That said his writing style is for the masses. He does a wonderful job describing the enormous advancements in both technology and design. He combines history with his personal experience seamlessly. The artist sketches are appreciated and gives the reader vivid images of the cars discussed.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Norton for the advanced copy. Brilliant, essential, readable history of automobile design for the general reader. Nice interjection of personal anecdotes and insights. A great addition to public and academic libraries and a good retail title too.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many autobiographical elements for my liking. High speed race through the history of car manufacture, speeding up as we get closer to modern times. It's a journey without a plan, a leisure drive. Short and written in a very engaging manner making up somewhat for the other shortcomings.

[Phil Wujek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad to say that this was not as technical as I had feared! A happy read. My only regret it that the author just brushed over the design of American cars. Very heavy on European and Asian vehicles. Still, I am glad to have read this.

[Hallie Baumgartner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book as I was perusing the shelves of my local library. I never used to care about car design or breeds but now I have just enough interest to notice when a car is Cool. Anyway, fascinating book. Would recommend if you like cars or design or both. Nothing will ever surpass the Camry.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thoroughly researched book with a car sketch, by the author, on almost every page. A lot of great info

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice breezy, readable tour of the evolution of car design looking at innovation and aesthetics

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent form of tracing history through snippets (1-2 pages) on a car, some more obscure than others. Read this if you like cars and history

[Joseph Caprile · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like “driving machines” you will enjoy this.
Good research on many historic car designs rolled into a personal story.

[Rayfes Mondal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mix of history and personal stories. A lot of detail was about cars and brands I didn't care about but I always enjoyed the author's personal stories.

[Ben Cullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a lot of new info, but a fun, breezy read for carheads...

[Angel Valenzuela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book on the history of the Automobile

[Diana Eberhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really engaging, for the writing and my love of cars.

[Haruna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would call myself an avid car enthusiast but that's not entirely accurrate. I'm an avid enthusiast for cars from the 90s (and sometimes the late 80s and early 2000s); specifically I'm an avid enthusiasts for Japanese cars from the 90s (and sometimes Mercedes from that period). Most of my knowledge and enthusiasm regarding cars comes from that subset. I know little about Eruopean cars (the exception being Mercedes) aside from general passing knowledge whether it be the exotics of Aston Martin or the "commoner" sports car of BMW's M division. I know next to nothing about American cars other than they exist and that the Mustang has been around since the 60s. Given this background, this book was enlightening to my incredibly biased Japan-centric perspective.

Despite it's brevity, this book introduced me to various American and European cars I otherwise would have never heard of. Of course I know what a VW Beetle is but what about a Citroen 2CV? The latter was incredibly alien to me but it made a fascinating read. Rybcynsk doesn't introduce the 2CV from a technical perspective (i.e. performance specs, dimensions, etc.) but from a human one. He introduces the reader as to what the 2CV is. The technical description is followed by his personal history with the car, which itself is followed with the history of the development of the car. When it comes to these sections, Rybcynsk's personal stories are perhaps the most interesting although the automotive history isn't too far behind.

The focus of this book is primarily in the history of regular (lack of a better term) cars, whith a heavy emphasis on economy, luxury, and utilitarian cars. Sport cars are not ignored but they are very much a subset in this book. Some may argue otherwise as the definition of what a sports car is certainly contentious.

Perhaps the biggest thing I took away from the book is the complexity of cars. It's obvious that cars from today are incredibly complex yet the same applies to cars from 30 years ago. I drive a 1992 Nissan 240SX and a 1991 Lexus LS400. Contemporary standards label these cars as simple; the 240SX especially so. With the 240SX, one onle gets the basics: a radio with a cassette player, basic climate controls, cloth seats, and power windows. A very simple car. When compared to the economy car designs of post-war Europe and even some of the luxury models from post-war America, the 240 comes across as a luxury coupe than the sports economy car it was designed as. The LS400 is a vehicle for a head of state or royal family by comparison. In all of this, my point is this: I have gained a greater appreciation for the relative complexity of my cars thanks to this book.

If I had a criticism regarding this book, it would be its brevity (and some odd opinions; I can't say I agree with Rybcynsk view on the rather stylish and elegant LS400 as unsightly). This book is short. A brief read which is unable to cover any car too deeply (a tragedy for myself as most Japanese cars had half a page of coverage). Consequently, various other cars are ommitted. This book serves as an introduction to the fledgling enthusiasts or those merely curious about cars beyond a passing glance. It served me in elaborating as to what those strange cars the Europeans constantly fawn over really are and it gave me an appreciation of the American autmobile I previously didn't posses and for that I can say I recommend picking it up.