The Book Steve Keeps Talking About or TBSKTA
Posted: Fri May 10, 2019 9:50 pm
I thought I would share my review on here. Everything is subjective of course so I wouldn't anticipate everyone will agree. I have the collectors edition of The Cars You Always Promised Yourself. I have just finished reading it at last!
I know there has been some discussion on whether either the book is worth it. I have seen both editions.
I can answer as a Ford and Car enthusiast of too many years to mention a resounding YES! I have no affiliation with Steve or Porter Press so I am not trying to sell it, there is no gain for me.
If you are not the kind of person that shelves books but are the type that once read will pass it on then the collectors edition is not for you. For this reason I would say buy the cheaper version. If you like to keep things for twice or thrice reading or as a keeps sake and to refer back to then of course you can do this with the 'GL' model and the 'Ghia' but the collectors edition (Ghia) is a High quality book, if I have one criticism it is not so easy to read on your lap, it's a heavy book and unless your near the middle it will lopside with ease such is the quality and quantity.
Is it expensive well no, is it comparable well no. The thing is I am a great believer to a degree that you get what you pay for. Take a normal classic magazine, around about six quid and it's adverts followed by some stories of which only one article interests you that is about 3 pages long. This is not the best analogy but it gives you and idea of how many magazines you will need to buy to have anywhere near the same interest as 300 pages and more that this book gives you.
This book is a great chronology of what is for me a period of time that we are slowly losing as you will discover more introspecively through reading this book, it is more of an autopsy then going to see your GP for a diagnosis. The story from the inside is a first really, there is a lot of speculation on why this and that happened, whether through FB, the Internet or Forums like this and most of it is quite frankly flannel. This is a great insight into what really happened, why and when. The decision making, the people involved and the stories of how the shift in times, science and fashion evolves the world around us and is cascaded into the car world sometimes with agonising failure as well as great success. As a capri fan this really is a must because one thing that comes through is how the Capri fought and won up until unfortunately that car that gave it a stay of execution through is adject failure really prevented any chance of there ever being a MK4 as there was no money left for investment, look at Escort MK5, eventually though it did kill off Capri it had to. For ME I would like to think what could have been a next generation, a cosworth powered 4x4 coupe with Poly bumpers etc etc, maybe an emax entry level and 2.0IS mid range who knows.
The people involved and the careers they orchestrated and sometimes through bloody mindedness lost is also interesting to read. Later in the book the Capri nearly comes back. For me I am pleased it didn't. A FWD (Not that I mind FWD at all by the way) Volvo on steroids that was neither MK1 nor MK3 but some hybrid of tin was never going to work nor was a Japanese influenced Probe or Cougar. The only decent Coupe they made since apart from Mustang which never really went away is Puma. Great story, a first for Ford, great engeniuty and a car that appears to have passed by probably down a poor period in Fords history and it being too soft on the outside.
Anyway a great book so if you are thinking of getting Capri 50' then get this as well, you won't be disappointed.
Cheers
I know there has been some discussion on whether either the book is worth it. I have seen both editions.
I can answer as a Ford and Car enthusiast of too many years to mention a resounding YES! I have no affiliation with Steve or Porter Press so I am not trying to sell it, there is no gain for me.
If you are not the kind of person that shelves books but are the type that once read will pass it on then the collectors edition is not for you. For this reason I would say buy the cheaper version. If you like to keep things for twice or thrice reading or as a keeps sake and to refer back to then of course you can do this with the 'GL' model and the 'Ghia' but the collectors edition (Ghia) is a High quality book, if I have one criticism it is not so easy to read on your lap, it's a heavy book and unless your near the middle it will lopside with ease such is the quality and quantity.
Is it expensive well no, is it comparable well no. The thing is I am a great believer to a degree that you get what you pay for. Take a normal classic magazine, around about six quid and it's adverts followed by some stories of which only one article interests you that is about 3 pages long. This is not the best analogy but it gives you and idea of how many magazines you will need to buy to have anywhere near the same interest as 300 pages and more that this book gives you.
This book is a great chronology of what is for me a period of time that we are slowly losing as you will discover more introspecively through reading this book, it is more of an autopsy then going to see your GP for a diagnosis. The story from the inside is a first really, there is a lot of speculation on why this and that happened, whether through FB, the Internet or Forums like this and most of it is quite frankly flannel. This is a great insight into what really happened, why and when. The decision making, the people involved and the stories of how the shift in times, science and fashion evolves the world around us and is cascaded into the car world sometimes with agonising failure as well as great success. As a capri fan this really is a must because one thing that comes through is how the Capri fought and won up until unfortunately that car that gave it a stay of execution through is adject failure really prevented any chance of there ever being a MK4 as there was no money left for investment, look at Escort MK5, eventually though it did kill off Capri it had to. For ME I would like to think what could have been a next generation, a cosworth powered 4x4 coupe with Poly bumpers etc etc, maybe an emax entry level and 2.0IS mid range who knows.
The people involved and the careers they orchestrated and sometimes through bloody mindedness lost is also interesting to read. Later in the book the Capri nearly comes back. For me I am pleased it didn't. A FWD (Not that I mind FWD at all by the way) Volvo on steroids that was neither MK1 nor MK3 but some hybrid of tin was never going to work nor was a Japanese influenced Probe or Cougar. The only decent Coupe they made since apart from Mustang which never really went away is Puma. Great story, a first for Ford, great engeniuty and a car that appears to have passed by probably down a poor period in Fords history and it being too soft on the outside.
Anyway a great book so if you are thinking of getting Capri 50' then get this as well, you won't be disappointed.
Cheers