carl theaker
924 reviews49 followers
When you go to and participate in a lot of classic car shows, as I do, you may end up getting a book like this as a gift, which I thankfully did haha. The number one comment you hear at cars shows is the wistful ‘I wish I still had my ;’ The complement, at least in a car guy’s head is - one day I’ll buy my dream car. If I win the lottery. Photographer-Author Hranek has put together a few dozen of these dreams in the way of photos and a paragraph or two about the ‘car guys’ that have made their way in life and acquired their dream car, or perhaps the one that they sold long ago. The collection tilts towards European exotics, but there are some cars that were certainly average in their day. A few museums are also profiled. One of those books that’s so nicely made you feel like you have to review it every so often, can’t just leave it on the shelf.
- motoring non-fiction
Elise Larson
Author8 books53 followers
EVERY PAGE IS A NEW ADVENTURE! FIVE CLASSIC STARS. The subtitle says it all: Iconic Cars and Stories from the Men Who Love Them. Matt Hranek took the stunning photographs, but the story of each featured car was written by its actual owner. As such, this book has more than forty authors, each with an in-depth knowledge of his iconic car. I'm a bit out of my comfort zone here, since I am neither a man nor a car enthusiast. Frankly, most cars look alike to me, and I get bored at car shows. But I bought copies of this book for my husband and my brother--the car enthusiasts in my family--and I decided to glance through my husband's copy. Wow! My "glance" turned into a page by page, thoroughly enjoyable and informative reading experience. I didn't get bogged down in technical jargon that "only a guy could understand," because the authors steered clear of that for the most part. Instead, each author focused on describing his personal relationship with cars (usually starting at a young age), how he acquired the featured car, and its unique qualities and characteristics. The cars in this book are truly iconic, ranging from American made (Ford, Chevrolet, Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, etc.), to foreign made (Porsche, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volvo, MG, etc.), to makes I've never heard of (Lada, Salmson, Lancia). Some are old (including a 1908 Ford Model S Roadster--my favorite), and some are newer (the Tesla Model S Prototype--gorgeous!). Each car is unique in its own right and special to its owner, whether it's been restored to pristine condition or left with its well-worn "patina." (Though I have to wonder why Ben Clymer's "prized possession"--a 1960 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato--"looks like a big piece of junk." That's too much "patina" for my taste!). Some reviewers disliked the solid black background in each photograph. Personally, I appreciated the way that technique brings every detail of the car into stark relief, with no distracting images in the background. I found no photographic flaws whatsoever. Like the cars it features, this coffee table book is a high-quality production, with fine attention to every detail. It even comes in a hard, protective sleeve--an unusual added touch. All of the authors are men (of course), and most are quite wealthy, which enables them to collect expensive cars. (I'm not envious, though. I'm more than happy with my beautiful 1996 Cadillac Seville SLS.) I highly recommend this book to all car enthusiasts, and even to non-enthusiasts like me. Enjoy!
Conner
100 reviews
Not as intriguing as “A Man and his Watch” in my opinion. The stories were a little less interesting, but the photos are incredible. My favorite car from the book is Ed Burns’s ‘69 blue Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. There were many notable cars from the book, but those that stood out were Kevin Costner’s Shelby Mustang which he drove in Bull Durham, Jay Leno’s Buick Roadmaster, Lincoln Presidential limousines, and a 2005 Ford GT owned by the grandson of Henry Ford II.
- automobiles history memoir
Soumyajyoti Bhattacharya
30 reviews3 followers
A very good book at what's it's supposed to do. I love cars, especially cars with beautiful design and a bit of history in them. This book had beautiful pictures of said automobiles, and even nicer short stories about what the car means for the person who owns them. Think humans of new york, but for car aficionados purely. I don't think it's 5-stars because in essence it's a coffee table book, but it's a very very good one at that. If you love cars, this is an easy good read.