Veteran Motor Cars — Michael E. Ware (1983, First Edition)

2nd hand book, very good condition, see images

Discover the Dawn of Motoring History with Veteran Motor Cars by Michael E. Ware

Step into the primitive and fascinating infancy of the automotive age with Veteran Motor Cars by Michael E. Ware, the former long-standing Curator of the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu. Published in 1983 by Shire Publications as a standout volume in their highly collectible Shire Album series (Volume #112), this rare, first-edition paperback delivers a concise, expert introduction to the earliest mechanical vehicles to grace the roads of Britain.

Veteran motor cars—traditionally defined as those manufactured prior to the end of World War I—represented a bold departure from horse-drawn transit. Ware expertly traces this incredible evolutionary jump, demonstrating how early pioneers literally adapted the frames and bodywork of wooden carriages to accommodate unrefined petrol engines. Readers will discover the journey of the automobile as it transitioned from an unreliable, loud hobby reserved strictly for wealthy eccentrics in the 1880s and 1890s into a viable, comfortable, and increasingly sophisticated mode of mass transport by 1914.

Spanning 32 high-quality pages, this collector's item is packed with rare archival photographs, historical commentary, and detailed breakdowns of engineering milestones. It captures the spirit of early open-road adventure, mechanical vulnerability, and sudden innovation that permanently reshaped modern society.

Why Collectors Love This Book

An indispensable addition for brass-era automotive historians, classic car restorers, scale modelers, and passionate collectors of vintage transport literature, this first-edition copy of Veteran Motor Cars beautifully preserves the legacy of humanity's very first steps on wheels.

Book Details

Author: Michael E. Ware · Publisher: Shire Publications · Year: 1983 · Edition: First Edition · Format: Paperback · Pages: 32 · Dimensions: 21.0 cm × 15.0 cm × 0.3 cm · Weight: 0.08 kg · Language: English