How to get your motoring fix at home: Books

Okay, so this isn’t technically about cars, but a significant chunk of Hannah Fry’s brilliantly accessible book is given over to autonomous vehicles. Delving into the theory, the technology and, most fascinatingly, the psychology of driverless cars, this carefully researched account reveals that we’re further away from letting the machines take over than some areas of the industry would have you think.

Car Guys vs Bean Counters by Bob Lutz

Maximum Bob was always a journalist’s dream, ready to shoot from the hip and mouth off at anyone and anything. What’s more, he was (usually) forgiven for some of his less well-judged commentary on account of whatever he said coming from the heart, as well as the perspective of a car guy. Lutz’s written works are prolific, so there are a few to choose from, but this tale built on how he helped turn around General Motors by focusing on decent profit rather than big margins is a belter.

The Unfair Advantage by Mark Donohue

Mark Donohue’s life story is told through the prism of all the cars he raced in formulae from Trans-Am to Indy, Can-Am to F1. The clarity of the man’s brain is mind-boggling, while the phlegmatic descriptions of the cars he drove make them appear somehow even more magical. It’s a book about a superb engineer, incredible driver and fine human being, tinged with the sadness of knowing he would lose his life so soon after it was completed.

Bangernomics Bible by James Ruppert

Come worship at the high priest’s altar with the one and only, truly original paean to buying a second-hand car that won’t break the bank and which you’ll fall in love with. James Ruppert himself describes it as “futureproof and universe-friendly”, by which we think he means that everything you read in it will be as true tomorrow as it is today. So popular was this genre-definer that not even Ruppert has any copies left today – but he will sell you a “thoroughly modern PDF” for a scarcely believable £1.97 via his Bangernomics website.

How to Build a Car by Adrian Newey

How you would begin to design something so incredibly complex as a car is mystifying to most of us, and even more so when it comes to the pinnacle of motorsport. Who better to hear about it from, then, than F1’s most successful designer ever? Part autobiography part handbook, and spanning from March 881 to Red Bull RB8, How to Build a Car lifts the curtain on factory goings-on, analyses key elements of car design and describes engineering innovations in understandable terms, aided by clear technical drawings.

Haynes manuals

Come clean now: how long has the Haynes manual for your slightly problematic, ageing motor been sitting on the bookshelf untouched? Now’s the time to dust off the cobwebs and get to serious grips with fixes for your car. Once you’ve run out of inspiration there, Haynes now offers advice on an array of subjects, ranging from ‘Vegan Man’ (yes, really) to the International Space Station. You know you’re tempted. RB

High Performance by Peter Grimsdale

When I was a lad on a website called 4Car, Peter Grimsdale was the nice man at Channel 4 who supported the site greatly. What I didn’t know then is what a great storyteller he is. High Performance is a ripping yarn of Britain’s motoring exploits in the glory years. Recommended.

Cars: Accelerating the Modern World by Brendan Cormier

Those of you who have visited the V&A’s Cars: Accelerating the Modern World will know how utterly captivating the exhibition is. Here’s the next best thing: this coffee-table book curates the highlights of the show, ranging from the rise of Fordism to the early days of racing at Brooklands in the 1920s to the Firebird 1 concept car of 1953, intended to look like a jet fighter. Finally, it brings us to the modern day, considering the place of electric and autonomous vehicles in society.

Driving with the Devil by Neal Thompson