What not to drive by Richard Hammond

One positive if belated aspect of 'Cool Britannia' is that British-originated cars have become (again?) among the coolest on the planet. Range Rover, Mini, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin - especially the Aston Martin - these are names not only of historic significance but have a new resonance in the contemporary world too. But what of the not so cool cars, the cars you shouldn't opt to buy - and those you shouldn't even be seen in or alongside? No, not the Skoda or station wagon, which have a heroic anti-car coolness of their own, but the Golf or Astra or professional footballer's Ferrari. This is a book that jumps from an enormous height on personalised number plates, but celebrates Jarvis Cocker's decision to drive a station wagon and Roger Moore a Renault 5. It questions what happens to the status of your car after you have seen Bernard Manning or Jade Goodie posing next to a model of it in the newspaper. So there is a 'Showroom Questionnaire' for car manufacturers to check out their customers before they deign to sell them a car that might become irrevocably uncool as a result.

As funny as it is cool and aspirational, WHAT NOT TO DRIVE will entertain all who love the information, banter and humour of BBC TV's Top Gear.

Hardback, with dj, 159pages, 2005 very good condition

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