Description
Author; C.F.Caunter, Softbound,192 Pages, ISBN: B001BMDWF6, Revised 1970 Second Edition - Second-Hand book in excellent unread condition !
Some thousands of individual designs of widely varying sizes, forms and technical details have contributed during the first half of the twentieth century to the evolution and development of the light, simple and economical motor car as it exists today. The full story of this development is therefore both long and complex. The text which follows, which is perhaps the first to deal comprehensively with this subject, presents the more important phases of the evolution of the light car during the first eighty years of its commercial production and general use. Although the story is necessarily curtailed in a book of this size, the endeavour has been to present a broad and connected survey of the whole period.
The light car movement resulted not only from the general development of the motor car, but also from the evolution of the social order which, by 1910, had begun to extend the advantages of the industrial revolution to other levels of society than the well-to-do. It was therefore essentially a popular movement which from that period has helped to change for the better the mental outlook and physical well-being of a large number of people all over the world. It has endowed the individual with a high degree of personal mobility and has helped to place, conveniently and economically, the country within the reach of townsfolk and the town within reach of country folk, as well as meeting a great variety of needs from occasional shopping journeys to Continental touring.
The popularity of the light car, particularly in its minicar form, had the effect in the 1960's of reducing the average size of motor cars in general and demonstrating the redundancy of the large expensive car whose function, except for special occasions, could be adequately and with greater economy performed by the modern medium sized car.
In the historical survey which follows, separate chapters are devoted to the main categories of light car, so that the specialised forms of development may be followed more clearly from their inception, through their technical evolution and commercial production, to their decline and replacement by other more advanced forms. A bibliography of some of the more important reference sources relating to the light car is included.
