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Speed Read Car Design: The History, Principles and Concepts Behind Modern Car Design
This beautifully designed and illustrated essential guide to car design from Motorbooks' Speed Read series traces the inspirations of the first car designers and tracks the craft, the art, and the science that have propelled successive generations of designers and shaped the contours of the vehicles we see all around us.
Never before has the car-buying public been more aware of how a car's design fits into their everyday lives and what it communicates about the driver behind the wheel. Like all design, car design is complex subject. Every part of a car represents myriad decisions by the design team ruled by engineering, aesthetics, human interface, and emotion. Speed Read Car Design helps the you understand the hows and whys of that design process, offering an engaging review of history , theory , key concepts , and key designers . It’s a book for car enthusiasts, design fans, and anyone with a desire to better understand why our wheeled world looks the way it does.
In sections divided by topic, you'll explore the birth of car design , how it evolved over the last century, successes and failures in innovation, the elements that make up a car's style , the engineering behind the design, the creative process and design fads, and finally the road ahead in car design.
Each section ends with a glossary of related terms , and informational sidebars provide fun facts, historical tidbits, and mini-bios of key people in car design. Sleek illustrations of the cars give clear design examples throughout.
With Motorbooks’ Speed Read series , become an instant expert in a range of fast-moving subjects , from Formula 1 racing to the Tour de France. Accessible language, compartmentalized sections, fact-filled sidebars, glossaries of key terms, and event timelines deliver quick access to insider knowledge. Their brightly colored covers, modern design, pop art–inspired illustrations, and handy size make them perfect on-the-go reads.
Never before has the car-buying public been more aware of how a car's design fits into their everyday lives and what it communicates about the driver behind the wheel. Like all design, car design is complex subject. Every part of a car represents myriad decisions by the design team ruled by engineering, aesthetics, human interface, and emotion. Speed Read Car Design helps the you understand the hows and whys of that design process, offering an engaging review of history , theory , key concepts , and key designers . It’s a book for car enthusiasts, design fans, and anyone with a desire to better understand why our wheeled world looks the way it does.
In sections divided by topic, you'll explore the birth of car design , how it evolved over the last century, successes and failures in innovation, the elements that make up a car's style , the engineering behind the design, the creative process and design fads, and finally the road ahead in car design.
Each section ends with a glossary of related terms , and informational sidebars provide fun facts, historical tidbits, and mini-bios of key people in car design. Sleek illustrations of the cars give clear design examples throughout.
With Motorbooks’ Speed Read series , become an instant expert in a range of fast-moving subjects , from Formula 1 racing to the Tour de France. Accessible language, compartmentalized sections, fact-filled sidebars, glossaries of key terms, and event timelines deliver quick access to insider knowledge. Their brightly colored covers, modern design, pop art–inspired illustrations, and handy size make them perfect on-the-go reads.
160 pages, Paperback
Published December 5, 2017
12 people are currently reading
229 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 14, 2023
I guess I expected a little more. It sure is a speed read with only roughly half of the book containing text. The format is both an advantage and disadvantage: short and quick chapters, but never going deep enough in my opinion. Would have preferred a longer book with more designer bios and more detailed design reviews, skipping the hypothesizing about the future. (Final chapters are very dated.) But nicely illustrated and interesting for any novice searching to learn a bit about car design.
November 14, 2025
Speed Read Car Design. Tony Lewin. One page chapters about car design. Some insights on why there are creases in some cars, seat arrangements, colors, models, wheel opening shapes. Mr. Guigiaro is the most famous designer of all (VW Rabbit and many others.). Many of the references are to European cars I’ve never seen. Citroen DS in the 1950s, and the Mustang were watershed design years. Rolls Royce wheel spinner leave the RR upright all the time. November 5, 2025
April 29, 2022
Autos for Dummies
A quick moving synopsis of all things automotive, from the early 1900's through tomorrow
Highly recommended for the novices and auto wannabees's🚗
A quick moving synopsis of all things automotive, from the early 1900's through tomorrow
Highly recommended for the novices and auto wannabees's🚗
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews