Auto books worth a look

By LARRY PRINTZ -- The Virginian-Pilot

(Updated Friday, July 18, 2008, 11:18 AM)

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Headed to the beach this summer? OK, maybe you'll only get as far as the backyard hammock. Still, there are a number of new automotive books hitting bookstores. Here's a look at which ones make the grade, and those that don't.

- "Ford Model T: The Car That Put the World on Wheels" by Lindsay Brooke; Motorbooks, 208 pages ($40)

It's hard to imagine the impact the Model T had 100 years after its debut. But this book's title is no idle boast: Henry Ford put America, and the world, in the driver's seat. If the 20th century was the automobile century, then this is the car that made it so.

Consider this fact: By 1923, Henry Ford's company had produced 57 percent of all cars manufactured in the United States, most of them a single model, the Model T.

While we take affordable automobiles for granted, it wasn't always so. The Model T entered a world where most people walked to work or rode public transit.

Henry Ford and his simple, sturdy Model T changed that, by offering products geared, not toward wealthy consumers but to the middle class. Ford fought conventional wisdom and was richly rewarded.

While the Model T's story has been documented countless times, this book captures every facet of the car's history, from gestation to manufacture, ownership and racing.

The archival photos add to the richness of the narrative, which is light, entertaining and filled with enough detail to be informative, not dull.

While the book doesn't add anything new to the historical record, it's an invaluable addition to any automotive library. If you already own Model T history books, you'll find this book much less essential.

- "Porsche High-Performance Driving Handbook, Second Edition" by Vic Elford; Motorbooks, 176 pages ($29.95)

Written by the first driver to win the Monte Carlo Rally in a Porsche, this book is a must for those who drive Porsches, whether on the track or on the street. For drivers of other marques, there's much to appreciate as Elford delves into the basics of driving and how various systems affect driving considerations.

Still, most of this book is biased toward Porsche and its various models. Elford has updated the book to reflect Porsche's ever-growing product line. He helpfully adds advice on how to drive models such as the Cayman and Boxster, along with new systems such as Tiptronic and Direct-Shift transmissions. Other insights include how ride control systems and new tire compounds have transformed the Porsche driving experience.

The book is easy to read and understand with driving diagrams that help explain basic driving technique along with historic photos of Elford's years with Porsche's racing team.

The simple, down-to-earth manner of this book makes it a good primer for those who know nothing about performance driving. More experienced drivers will find a refresher course at best.

- "The Turnaround Kid" by Steve Miller; Collins, 252 pages ($25.95)

Steve Miller, most recently the CEO of troubled automotive supplier Delphi, released this tome in April about his efforts to revive troubled companies.

Having worked at Ford, Miller was part of the team that saved Chrysler in the early 1980s. He left the company in 1992. He places most of the blame on his departure on Lee Iacocca rather than his own aggressive ambitions to become the next CEO.

Miller would use his turnaround experience to rescue several companies, all of which are documented here, albeit in fleeting detail.

What you think of this book and his efforts depends on your place in corporate America.

If you're at the top of the ladder, you'll find Miller's book to be heartfelt and revealing. If you're a member of the rank and file, particularly one whose job, company or pension benefits were eliminated by Miller, you'll find little comfort in his reassurance that he was looking out for everyone's interest.

And the Delphi saga has yet to be fully resolved, despite what he writes in the book. It smacks as self-serving, rather than heartfelt and totally honest.

In the end, "The Turnaround Kid" is interesting, straightforward look into the thought process that surrounds saving a troubled company or industry. At times gripping, at others instructive, it holds lessons for businesses struggling with similar issues.

- "The Legendary Custom Cars and Hot Rods of Gene Winfield" by David Grant; Motorbooks, 176 pages ($40)

With early hot rods and custom cars now being shown at high-end car shows such as the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, it figures that the early days of hot-rodding would come under the microscope for some fresh historical analysis.

While some pioneer custom-car builders are household names among car buffs - such as George Barris, Dean Jeffries and Harry Westergard - others are highly regarded but not as well-known.

Such is the case with Gene Winfield.

This prolific custom builder started building cars in Modesto, Calif., and developed a business that would lead to his creating movie and TV vehicles for "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." and "Get Smart."

Like many careers, Winfield's has had its share of ups and downs, and it makes for interesting reading.

Unfortunately, author David Grant once worked for Winfield, so the amateurish prose has the feeling of a fan who has hit the big time.

The book abounds with cliches, fawning testimonials and obsessive details.

But the story mysteriously ends in 1978, with no explanation.

The abrupt ending is unsatisfying. Graceful art direction and period photos can't disguise the fact that this reads like an extended magazine article.

While mildly interesting for hot rod fans, others will find this book tedious at best.

- "Studebaker: The Complete History" by Patrick Foster; Motorbooks, 192 pages ($40)

This book's timing, coming on the eve of General Motors' centennial anniversary, is interesting. In 1952, Studebaker celebrated 100 years in business, even though its best days were behind it. But at the time, no one could have imagined that the storied name would be history in 15 years.

Studebaker made its name building the covered wagons that carried America westward. By the time the automobile appeared, Studebaker was the largest vehicle manufacturer in the nation.

This book has the same problems that plague many Studebaker histories: too much time spent on its final 20 years while giving shallow treatment to the rest of the story. It takes just 39 pages to get through 82 years of Studebaker history - hardly enough given this company's importance in the 19th century.

With so much experience, why didn't the company ever rise above its second-tier status as an automaker?

Author Patrick Foster has two main theories. He suggests that Studebaker's hesitation to enter the car business early on doomed it to also-ran status as sales grew. He also blames Studebaker's habit of being overly generous with stock dividends with preventing the company from developing the models it needed to compete. He says that although investors loved the practice, it harmed the business. But beyond the shallowest of calculations, he fails to support his point.

Foster punctures several long-held myths regarding Studebaker's merger with Packard, but the lack of depth, not to mention footnotes, gives the book the feel of an extended-length magazine article. That feeling is reinforced by characterizations that smack of opinion, not research.

Perhaps the book's best part is the chapter on what might have been, with photos of models under consideration at the time of the company's exit from auto production.

For the neophyte, this book tells the story of a great car company. Die-hard Studebaker fans will be disappointed.