Graham Robson

In the 1960s the Cortina was an entirely new type of British car – light yet strong, cheap to buy, and yet roomy. It established a new class of car - the 'Cortina Class' - and Ford's rivals had to rush to compete. Not only was the Cortina the first, it was the best, too; a fascinating, ever-evolving project, around which Ford-Europe's planning always revolved. This book gives all the facts, figures, images and legends of the Cortina story. With over 180 colour and black and white photos this is the fascinating story of an incredibly successful car.

This book describes the birth, development, and rallying career of the original Ford Escort, one of Europe‘s Landmark Rally Cars in the early 1970s, providing a compact and authoritative history of where, how and why it became so important to the sport. The Escort MkI delivered everything its predecessor, the Lotus-Cortina, had promised. Versatile, accessible and competitive at all levels, it dominated international rallying throughout the 1970s, and became hugely popular with teams and spectators alike.

When Fiat entered rallying in 1970, its ultimate aim was to become World Rally Champion – and the 131 Abarth of 1976-1980 provided the machinery to make that possible. Within the Fiat-Lancia empire, the 131 Abarth not only replaced the 124 Abarth Spider sports car, but was also favoured ahead of the charismatic Lancia Stratos. By 1970s standards, the 131 Abarth was the most extreme, and effective, of all homologation specials. Compared with the 131 family car on which it was originally based, it had different engine, transmission and suspension layouts, was backed by big budgets and by a team of superstar drivers, and was meant to win all round the world. Not only did it start winning World rallies within months of being launched, but in 1977, 1978 and 1980 the 'works' team also won the World Championship for Makes, and set every standard by which Rally Giants were to be judged. The 131 Abarth was backed by a peerless team of engineers, so was there ever any doubt that successors like the Lancia Rally 037 and the Delta Integrale would eventually come from the same stable?

The Audi Quattro is a Rally Giant because it was the first to combine four-wheel-drive and a turbocharged engine – not the most sophisticated, but it was the first, and very successful. It was also the first to run with more than 300bhp. As it was re-homologated/transformed from Group 4 into Group B in 1983, it was also the first successful Group B car. The Quattro dominated rallying from the start of 1981 until late 1984 (when the Peugeot 205 T16 took over). Quattros won no fewer than 23 World rallies from 1981 to 1985, won the Makes Championship in 1982 and 1984, and drivers Hannu Mikkola (1983) and Stig Blomqvist (1984) also won the World Drivers' series in Quattros. The Quattro led the World and European rally scene in the first half of the 1980s.

The Ford Escort RS1800 (Escort MkII) is considered a Rally Giant because it was consistently the fastest, most successful and most versatile car in the second half of the 1970s. Developed from the MkI, it was a conventional front engine/rear drive machine, which rallied with 2-litre engines of up to 270bhp. Rally successes were legendary – British (RAC), Safari, Acropolis, Finland (1000 Lakes), Sweden, Portugal, Canada, and many more. The cars won 17 World Rallies between 1975 and 1981, as well as the World Makes Championship in 1979. They were always close to victory, and always competitive. Escort drivers like Bjorn Waldegard (1979) and Ari Vatanen (1981) won the World Drivers' Championships. Over the years hundreds – and this is no exaggeration – of RS1800s were built for motorsport, and were the ideal car for almost any condition in the world because they were very powerful, but simple and rugged. The RS1800 was also the layout template copied by other manufacturers for cars like the Talbot Sunbeam-Lotus, the Vauxhall Chevette HSR and the Nissan GTs of the late 1970s/early 1980s, which were really all Escort 'clones.' Ford claims, and it may be right, that RS1800s have won more rallies, at World, International and National level than any other car in the world.

In the 1950s and 1960s, British sports car ruled the road, and their charge was led by Triumphs. From the TR2, its first modern sports car, Triumph went on to produce a host of classic sports designs such as the Spitfire, GT, and Stag, as well as more TR models, ending with the TR7 in the late 1970s. These represented the epitome of the contemporary classic British sports car. Fast, nimble, and gorgeous to behold, Triumphs offered the everyday motorist an exhilarating drive at a price that they could afford. Popular both in the UK and the US, the Triumph range helped define the entire genre, with sports cars today like the Mazda MX-5 having their roots in models like the Stag. Illustrated throughout and written by acclaimed motoring writer and historian Graham Robson, this book guides the reader through the history of this classic British marque from its heyday in the 1960s and 1970s through to its eventual demise in the 1980s.

From AC to Yugo, here is an A-Z of the 630-plus cars offered in Britain through the 1990s. For each make there is a brief historical introduction, followed by individual entries on their models. Each model entry begins with a brief specification giving details of production period, body types, powertrain layout, engine capacities and performance, and then the author provides a description of the model and its features, with comments on its reception in the market and its status today. Every model is illustrated. This new book adds to Herridge & Sons' existing list of A-Zs of Cars ranging from the 1920s to the 1980s. With the beginning of this period now some 25 years behind us, the publication of this reference work recording the cars available in the 1990s fills a gap in motoring literature and will find many buyers.

Between 1953 and 1980 the Triumph competitions department produced more than 150 'works' competition cars for race and rally. These included TR2, TR3 and TR3A, the TR3S, TRS and Conrero race cars, Herald and Vitesse, TR4, 2000, Spitfire and GT6R, 2.5 PI, Dolomite and Sprint, TR7 and TR7 V8. In addition they prepared Standard Eight, Ten, Pennant, and Phase III Vanguard for competition. Viewed overall, what stands out as the remarkable feature of the work of the department was that they achieved such a degree of success with relatively ordinary production cars, from 803cc saloons upwards. Author Graham Robson was manager of the Standard-Triumph competitions department in the early 1960s and himself supervised the development and management of the works TR4s, Spitfires and 2000s. Here he provides information on each and every one of the works cars of the whole 1953-80 period, with details of their specifications, entries, drivers and careers, accompanied in nearly all cases by archive photographs. In addition there is specially commissioned colour photography of important surviving examples.

The Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts were humble family cars that ended up as highly successful competition cars, both on the rally stage and the race track. Car by car, this book covers all Ford's works cars. Between 1968 and 1981 the Ford Escort was probably the most successful rally car in the world. Rallying became progressively more glamorous, the teams and drivers more famous, and the cars became more colourful, in that period. The Ford-UK factory and its closest associates built no fewer than 113 Mk I cars of all types (1968 to 1974), and 55 Mk 2 cars (1975 to 1981). This new book covers all of these vehicles, car-by-car detailing build details, colour schemes, competition history, technical development. Every individual car is illustrated in its principal liveries using archive pictures and several of the more important cars have been specially photographed in great detail.

Sir William Lyons enjoyed a seemingly unstoppable rise to fame and fortune in the motor industry, and the Jaguar brand that he introduced became world-famous. Yet it did not happen overnight. In the 1920s he was in Blackpool, styling motorcycle sidecars, and in the 1930s in Coventry developing the SS motor car, with the stand-alone Jaguar company not appearing until 1945. The company's success was aided by the amazing new XK engine of 1948, by motor racing success at Le Mans, and by the stunning styling of cars like the XK120, the Mk 2 saloons and the extraordinary E-Type. Graham Robson here explores the history of the Jaguar company and its many classic marques.

Born in 1952, the Austin-Healey 100 soon took the UK and US markets by storm. A beautiful, brutish car, it was what many sporting motorists had been waiting for, and at a relatively affordable price. Following the 100, was the 3000 - a car as successful on the rally stage as it was loved on the open road, and the Sprite - which recreated the market for the cheap 'everyman's' sports car. Graham Robson, an authority on the British motor industry, presents a concise history of Austin-Healey, and the marque's success on road and track. Illustrated throughout, it is an ideal introduction for all lovers of this quintessentially British sports car.

This is a comprehensive study of the career of one type of rally car – the BMC Mini-Cooper/Mini-Cooper S. In the 1960s the Mini became famous as Britain's most successful rally car. It combined superb handling, a tiny body shell, high-performance engines and the excellence of front-wheel-drive in an irresistible package. Not only this, but the works team included famous drivers like Paddy Hopkirk, Timo Makinen and Rauno Aaltonen. The works Minis not only won the Monte Carlo three times – 1964, 1965 and 1967 – along with the European Rally Championship in 1965, but also won events all over the world. Because Minis were British, and well-promoted, they became seen as giant-killers, and were the people's favourite for many years. The car outpaced many of its rivals, and this book examines exactly who they were, and how they came to be defeated by the ‘mighty Mini.' Even today, works Minis appear at every gathering of classic cars, demonstrating their enduring appeal. Packed with over 100 photographs, this book is a fitting and timely tribute to a much-loved Rally Giant.

It was code-named X100 and it was to be Jaguar's latest sports cars, featuring both coupe and convertible coachwork. It was to have an all-new V8 engine and it was to replace the XJS. It would also ultimately have the most powerful forced-induction engine of any production Jaguar road card and it had a lot riding on its success. It was the XK8 - a sleek, purposeful grand tourer in the Jaguar tradition.

Fordin legendaarisen ja erittäin suositun Transit-malliston syntymästä on vuonna 2005 kulunut jo 40 vuotta, ja vaikka tämä pitkä ajanjakso on ollut täynnä onnistumisia ja menestystä, ovat Transitin historiaan liittyneet myös omat hankaluutensa. Pääsääntöisesti Transitin elämä on ollut yhtäjaksoista voittokulkua, ja ainakin näillä näkymin sellaisena se vaikuttaa yhä vain jatkuvankin. Kirjassa käsitellään seikkaperäisesti ja runsaan kuvituksen kera tämän automaailman ikoniksi muodostuneen Ford-malliston vaiherikasta elämää sen syntymävuodesta 1965 alkaen aina juhlavuoteen 2005 saakka, jolloin Transit on siis ollut tuotannossa 40 vuoden ajan, ja Transiteja on valmistunut kaikkiaan lähes viisi miljoonaa autoa.

The Big Healey's took the motoring world by storm in the 1950s and 60s. These powerful and fascinating cars were not only immensely popular as production cars, but also enjoyed considerable success in rallying and racing. They remain one of the best-loved classic sports cars today. Austin Healey Series is the in-depth and riveting story of the marque evolution, from Donald Healey's initial inspiration to the Leyland take-over that saw the end of Austin-Healey. Topics covered include: complete history of the company and development of 100 & 3000 models; full specification tables and finally, detailed accounts of the cars competition fortunes.