Recent book on crap cars - need title

December 21, 2005 12:11 PM

Book-filter: help me find a book called (I think) "Crummy Cars"

I heard the author interviewed somewhere on PRI/NPR in the last month (in Seattle, if that makes a diff). But I cannot find the book! It would be a perfect gift (a little late, but it's the thought etc.), if only I can find it.
The author was British, and the book was a compendium (I got the impression with photos) of lousy cars manufactured in the last 4 decades or so (the Pontiac Gran Torino is the example that sticks out in my mind, along with Renault's Le Car). Anybody else hear the same program or know the book/author I'm talking about?

posted by dbmcd to travel & transportation (8 comments total)

Crap Cars
posted by Floydd at 12:18 PM on December 21, 2005

floydd - you are fabulous!!
I'm having a "D'oh!" moment here because I used the book title in my post title - sheesh!
Thanks again.
posted by dbmcd at 12:34 PM on December 21, 2005

Also, there is a British version of the book.
posted by Alison at 12:39 PM on December 21, 2005

I know I'm fabulous, but I never tire of hearing it....
and thank you dbmcd. I was stumped for a gift for a gearhead and this is just what I was looking for.
posted by Floydd at 12:48 PM on December 21, 2005

I just read this when a coworker brought it in and I can vouch that it is an oustanding gift for a car guy. It is written in a hilarious, snarky style.
posted by Lame_username at 1:24 PM on December 21, 2005

This sounds like a great book for a friend of mine who's been into cars since toddlerhood. Unfortunately, he isn't much of a reader. Would "Crap Cars" be amusing for someone just leafing through? And does it have plenty of pictures?
posted by wryly at 2:28 PM on December 21, 2005

Okay, so I went out and bought the book at lunch - and yes wryly, there is very little actual text (some of it in large type), and what text is there is quite wittily written. There is about a (short) paragraph per car, and there is also at least one picture of the car in question, sometimes two; these appear to be old marketing photos, so they are sometimes amusing in and of themselves.
It is a small format (5x5?) hardback for about $15 - great gift fodder in my checkbook.
posted by dbmcd at 2:33 PM on December 21, 2005

For what it's worth, the Gran Torino was a Ford.
posted by TedW at 6:30 PM on December 21, 2005