Fifty Cars That Changed the World

Design Museum Fifty

by Andrew Nahum

Fifty Cars That Changed the World focuses on the modern era's most important mode of the automobile.
From the 1908 Ford Model T, through mid-century masterpieces like the 1957 Lotus Elite, to the 1998 Smart Car, the fifty entries explore each car's iconic status in design history.

Genres: History, Cars, Nonfiction, Technology

110 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Andrew Nahum is Principal Curator of Technology and Engineering at the Science Museum, London. He recently led the curatorial team which created the acclaimed special exhibition Inside the Spitfire, and previously directed the creation of the major new synoptic gallery at the Museum on the history of technology and science entitled Making the Modern World.

He has written extensively on the history of technology, aviation and transport for both scholarly and popular journals. His books include a study of Alec Issigonis the designer of the Mini and the Morris Minor cars in Issigonis and the Mini and Frank Whittle in Frank Whittle: Invention of the Jet and he is currently completing a technological and economic study of the British aircraft industry in the years following the Second World War.

Reviews

[Howard Dickins · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a quick read, but fulfills the brief well. We could all argue about whether the 50 cars mentioned are the right ones, and I'm sure I'd include a few different ones. But I learnt some new things, so all-in-all it's good. The cars are mostly European, with a smattering of American and Japanese cars; but that probably does reflect the style of the Italian design houses, German engineering and pioneering/oddball French cars.

[Anna L · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know how influential the highlighted cars were or were not, I am not familiar enough with the topic, but it was an interesting overview. Worth a look.

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I live in Detroit and it's auto show time. I'm not a car guy but, when I saw this book, I knew I wanted to read it. I think it's appropriate auto show reading. The sad thing was that, out of fifty cars, I had only heard of a handful.