The official record of the centenial re-enactment of the 1907 Peking to Paris race. Man and machine against the elements, driving where no car has gone before; That was the impossible challenge of 1907 when a handful of madcap motorists took up the idea of a Paris newspaper to prove that the car could now go anywhere by driving from Peking to Paris. To mark the 100th anniversary of the original "Great Race," over 100 cars set out to drive the original route used by Prince Borghese in 1907.

The official record of the centennial re-enactment of a great motoring milestone. Man and machine against the elements, driving where no car has gone before … that was the impossible challenge of 1907, when a handful of buccaneering madcap motorists took up the idea of a Paris newspaper to prove that the car could now go anywhere by driving the huge distance between two capital cities – Peking to Paris. To mark the 100th anniversary of the original 'Great Race', over 100 cars set out to drive the original route used by Prince Borghese in 1907. They ranged from authentic veteran Italas and vintage Bentleys to classic Aston Martins, and pretty much everything in-between. Drivers of 26 different nationalities came together to test their wits and their cars by driving for 40 days from the Great Wall of China, across the Gobi Desert. With around 250 photos, official maps and inside information from the event organiser, this is a fascinating and colourful read for every red-blooded motoring enthusiast.

Written by award-winning journalist and television presenter, Alistair Weaver, and illustrated by some of the world's leading automotive photographers, A Drive on the Wild Side, takes you on an extraordinary journey along some of the world's most challenging roads. Experience the heat of the Laos jungle, the loneliness of the Arctic, and the bullet-marked streets of Beirut from behind the wheel of some of the world's finest cars. Find out what it's really like to drive a Ferrari 612 across the forgotten wastelands of western China, or to chase poachers on the slopes of Mount Kenya. This book recounts the fascinating, hair-raising and moving stories experienced during a career of automotive adventure, helped by 400 stunning photos. This book will appeal to car and travel enthusiasts across the world.

Simple, cost-effective, basic and reliable tips to ensure that any rally car stands a chance of reaching the finishing line. If you are planning a road-based rally, don't even think of leaving home before reading this book and implementing the tried and tested mods it describes so well.

A pictorial diary of a once-in-a-lifetime motorcycle trip across 35 countries on a Yamaha Tenere XT660, and a practical guide to motorcycling round the world - what to do first, what to plan for, and how to cope with the unexpected. Features stunning photography, details of bike modifications, route maps, points of interest, and practical guidance on freighting a bike.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A mind-expanding tour of the world without leaving your paintbox. Every colour has a story, and here are some of the most alluring, alarming, and thought-provoking. Very hard painting the hallway magnolia after this inspiring primer.' Simon Garfield The Secret Lives of Colour tells the unusual stories of the 75 most fascinating shades, dyes and hues. From blonde to ginger, the brown that changed the way battles were fought to the white that protected against the plague, Picasso's blue period to the charcoal on the cave walls at Lascaux, acid yellow to kelly green, and from scarlet women to imperial purple, these surprising stories run like a bright thread throughout history. In this book Kassia St Clair has turned her lifelong obsession with colours and where they come from (whether Van Gogh's chrome yellow sunflowers or punk's fluorescent pink) into a unique study of human civilisation. Across fashion and politics, art and war, The Secret Lives of Colour tell the vivid story of our culture.

One of USA Today's “100 Books to Read While Stuck at Home During the Coronavirus Crisis” A dazzling gift, the unforgettable, unknown history of colors and the vivid stories behind them in a beautiful multi-colored volume. “Beautifully written . . . Full of anecdotes and fascinating research, this elegant compendium has all the answers.” —NPR, Best Books of 2017 The Secret Lives of Color tells the unusual stories of seventy-five fascinating shades, dyes, and hues. From blonde to ginger, the brown that changed the way battles were fought to the white that protected against the plague, Picasso’s blue period to the charcoal on the cave walls at Lascaux, acid yellow to kelly green, and from scarlet women to imperial purple, these surprising stories run like a bright thread throughout history. In this book, Kassia St. Clair has turned her lifelong obsession with colors and where they come from (whether Van Gogh’s chrome yellow sunflowers or punk’s fluorescent pink) into a unique study of human civilization. Across fashion and politics, art and war, the secret lives of color tell the vivid story of our culture. “This passionate and majestic compedium will leave you bathed in the gorgeous optics of light.” —Elle

This is the story of an independent trek in a 50-year-old Mini – all the way to the Great Pyramid and back – with no assistance or support crew, to provide much needed funds and publicity for the Willow Foundation. Inspirational to others, the book includes practical advice on the car preparation and documentation required for such marathon drives, along with photographs of the Mini’s preparation and the amazing journey itself.

The rise of the automobile as told through its Rubicon moment—a sensational, high-risk race across two continents on the verge of revolution. The racers—an Italian prince and his chauffeur, a French racing driver, a con man, and several rival journalists—battle over steep inclines, through narrow mountain passages, and across the arid Gobi Desert. Competitors endure torrential rain and choking dust. There are barely any roads, and petrol is almost impossible to find. A global audience of millions follows each twist and turn, devouring reports telegraphed from the course. More than its many adventures, the Peking-to-Paris Motor Challenge took place on the precipice of a new world. As the twentieth century dawned, imperial regimes in China and Russia were crumbling, paving the way for the rise of communist ones. The electric telegraph was rapidly transforming modern communication, and with it, the news media, commerce, and politics. Suspended between the old and the new, the Peking-to-Paris, as best-selling historian Kassia St. Clair writes, became a critical tipping point. A gripping, immersive narrative of the race, The Race to the Future sets the drivers’ derring-do (and occasional cheating) against the backdrop of a larger geopolitical and technological race to the future. Interweaving events from the fall of the Qing dynasty to the departure of the horse economy and the rise of gendered marketing, St. Clair shows how the Peking-to-Paris provided an impetus for profound social, cultural, and industrial change, while masterfully capturing the mounting tensions between nations and empires—all building up to the cataclysmic event that changed everything: the First World War. “Consistently mind-boggling, often funny, and occasionally hair-raising” (Philip Ball), The Race to the Future is the incredible true story of the quest against the odds that propelled us along the road to modernity.

SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER. As you'll discover in his incomparable memoir, inventor, mechanic, TV presenter and walking tall as the definition of the British eccentric, Edd China sees things differently. An unstoppable enthusiast from an early age, Edd had 35 ongoing car projects while he was at university, not counting the double-decker bus he was living in. Now he's a man with not only a runaround sofa, but also a road-legal office, shed, bed and bathroom. His first car was a more conventional 1303 Texas yellow Beetle, the start of an ongoing love affair with VW, even though it got him arrested for attempted armed robbery. A human volcano of ideas and the ingenuity to make them happen, Edd is exhilarating company. Join him on his wild, wheeled adventures; see inside his engineering heroics; go behind the scenes on Wheeler Dealers. Climb aboard his giant motorised shopping trolley, and let him take you into his parallel universe of possibility.