Matthew Vale – författare

The Essential Guide to buying the Lotus Europa of your dreams, this book will guide you through all you need to know.Originally intended to be a cheap and basic Lotus Seven replacement, during its development the Lotus Europa morphed into a miniature supercar, described by Colin Chapman as a “working man’s GT40,” which sat alongside the Elan in the Lotus line-up. Its mid engined configuration gave it exceptional balance, and its handling and roadholding were second to none. Initially produced for export to Europe in late 1966, the Renault-powered car evolved into the Series 2 in 1968 when it was released to the UK and US markets, and, in its final iteration, gained the Lotus’ own Twin Cam engine in 1971. Production ended in 1975 with around 9200 cars completed.This book has been written to provide the prospective owner with all the information they need to establish if the car is for them, and what to look for when viewing an example. All aspects of the cars are examined, including paperwork, mechanical issues, bodywork and interior with many photos of example cars to assist in the assessment of an individual car, and understand the implications of many of the common problems that a car can exhibit. The author is a Lotus enthusiast, and has been working on and writing about classic Lotuses for a number of years.

Aston Martin is a marque that holds a special place in the British motor industry. As a manufacturer of cars for over 100 years, its history is tied up with the British psyche, and the marque holds a special place in the hearts of all motoring enthusiasts. This book charts the history of Aston Martin from its early days in central London, as Banford and Martin, through the Bertelli years in Feltham and the post-war David Brown years at Newport Pagnell to the current day with its purpose-built, state-of-the-art factory in Gaydon, Warwickshire. Now seen as an iconic luxury British sports car manufacturer, Aston Martin has been designing, manufacturing and racing cars for over 100 years, almost continuously. Known for combining quality, style and performance in its products, the company has often struggled to balance these attributes with financial success. Fortunately, over the years generous investors who recognize the potential in the company have always been on hand to rescue and perpetuate the brand. Looking at the engines, the cars, the people, the business and car owners, this book tells the story of a quintessentially British marque.

Lotus introduced the Type 75 Elite in 1974. Being a full four-seater coupe with an opening glass tailgate, it was designed to carry a family in comfort while retaining Lotus' trademark, excellent road holding and handling. Perhaps most importantly, it was the first - and successful - step in Colin Chapman's plan to move upmarket and away from Lotus' kit car image. The Elite gave rise to two derivatives, the Eclat and the Excel. The Eclat was a restyled coupe version, sacrificing the Elite's unique rear styling and good rear passenger headroom for a more stylish exterior. With its conventional coupe styling, the Eclat was more mainstream than the Elite, and it was in the end the better seller. In turn, the Eclat spawned the Excel, the last of the Elite-inspired family. Matthew Vale looks at the history of these unusual Lotus models, and gives a thorough guide to buying and owning the cars today.

This book tells the story of Alvis and its cars, aero engines and military vehicles. Starting with the formation of the company in 1919, it traces the company's products through the 1920s and 1930s, and through its wartime exploits to its eventual takeover by Rover. The book covers: the early four-cylinder cars; the amazing six-cylinder cars; early ventures into armoured car and aero engine production; the post WWII four- and six-cylinder cars; the Leonides post-World War II aero engines and finally, the post-World War II military vehicles.

The Essential Guide to buying the Lotus Elan of your dreams, this book will guide you through all you need to know.The Lotus Elan and Plus 2 are the definitive classic Lotus Sports cars. Small, light, and powered by Lotus’s own Twin Cam engine, these were and are fast, great handling sports cars with a Grand Prix winning pedigree. With a winning formula of glass fibre bodyshell, and simple sheet steel backbone chassis, the Elan was an affordable replacement for the expensive and exotic glass fibre monocoque Lotus Elite, and became the mainstay of the Lotus road car range throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s. First introduced as an open two-seater in 1962, and as a Coupé in 1966, the Elan was available as a do-it-yourself ‘kit’ car or in factory assembled form, and was refined through the 1960s, culminating in the famous Sprint models of 1971, with the big valve 130bhp Twin Cam engine. The widened and stretched 2+2 Elan with its vestigial rear seats - named, unsurprisingly, the Plus 2 - was introduced in 1967, followed by the higher-spec Plus 2S in 1969, which was the first Elan not available in kit form. The Plus 2S 130 gained the Sprint specification engine in 1971, and the final Elan was the Plus 2S 130/5 of 1972. Just over 9000 Elans were produced between 1962 and 1973, while just over 5000 Plus 2 were produced between 1967 and 1974.This book has been written to provide the prospective owner with all the information they need to establish if an Elan or Plus 2 is for them, and what to look for when viewing an example. All aspects of the cars are examined, including paperwork, mechanical issues, bodywork and interior with many photos of example cars to assist in the assessment of an individual car, and understand the implications of many of the common problems that a car can exhibit. The author is a Lotus enthusiast, and has been working on and writing about classic Lotuses for a number of years.

The Lotus Elan was Colin Chapman and Lotus’ first affordable road car, produced from 1962 and, along with its larger Plus 2 (+2) variant, until 1974. As a replacement for the expensive Lotus Elite, the Elan and Plus 2 were both successful sports cars, which carried Lotus through the 1960s and into the 1970s.Starting with a brief history of Lotus and the Elan, this book provides a detailed originality guide to the Elan and Plus 2, identifying the design changes Lotus made to the models through their lifetimes. An ‘owner’s guide’ provides detailed information on owning and maintaining the cars in tip-top condition, and gives details of common faults and upgrades. The restoration guide gives any potential restorer the information to carry out the tasks needed to bring one of the these cars back from the dead. With anecdotes and experiences from current and previous owners of Elans and Plus 2s, along with many colour photographs, the book provides a valuable insight into owning, running and racing these iconic cars.

The Lotus Elite was a turning point for Lotus. First produced at the end of the 1950s, it marked Lotus’ transition from a maker of small racing cars, which had limited utility on the road, to the producer of a highly sophisticated road and race car. In the Elite, Lotus exploited its knowledge of new technology and racing pedigree to produce a car which, with its glass fibre monocoque and Coventry Climax engine, had the potential to be a world beater. This book gives an insight into the reasons the car was produced and its importance in Lotus’ history, especially in the production of lightweight innovative cars. Through interviews with Elite owners, first hand accounts provide a good overview of owning one of these iconic cars, covering its foibles and quirks as well as its exemplary roadholding, handling and performance. Illustrated with many colour photographs, along with period advertising material, the book provides a valuable insight into owning, running and racing these iconic cars.

ADO16 was the code name of the Austin Morris 1100/1300 range of cars. This book details the complete range of main models and their MG, Riley and Vanden Plas derivatives. It looks at the mechanical design and development, as well as placing them in context within both BMC and the market. The book is a celebration of the ADO16, a best seller of its time and a car that gave British families their first truly modern, stylish and practical vehicle while being reliable, economical and roomy all-rounders.With over a million cars sold in the UK between 1962 and 1973 the ADO16s were pretty much the 'Universal British Cars' of the time and were present in every city, town, and village, and on every country road and trunk route in the ’60s.So let us and this book celebrate one of the British Motor Industry’s forgotten successes, the car that built on the success of the Mini to provide Britain and the rest of the world with a little gem of a motor, which was the perfect family saloon car of the time.

A visual celebration of Lotus’ iconic road cars — from the first Lotus VI to the Evora supercarThis compact and richly illustrated book is part of the popular A Pictorial History series and charts the full journey of Lotus road cars from 1952 through to 2024. Enthusiasts, collectors, and motorsport fans will discover a chronicle of innovation, style, and pure driving excitement that only Lotus can deliver.From the lightweight brilliance of the Lotus Seven to the exotic Esprit and modern Evora, each model is examined, with rare and previously unpublished photographs capturing the elegance and engineering genius of the marque. Author Matthew Vale – a recognised expert on Lotus – brings his extensive knowledge and passion to his sixth Lotus title, offering clear insight into the brand’s heritage and technical evolution.The book also explores how Lotus’ racing pedigree shaped its road cars, resulting in vehicles that deliver exceptional handling and performance.Whether you're a seasoned Lotus devotee or new to the marque, this compact visual history is a must-have addition to your automotive library.

This book charts the origins, design and development of the most iconic British supercar of the 1970s and 1980s - the Aston Martin V8. It traces the car's origins from the introductory model of 1967, the DBS, through the various iterations of the V8 versions, and ends with the final models of the range and the spectacular Vantage Zagato. While the car started life with Aston Martin's ageing six-cylinder engine, it quickly received the engine the car was originally designed for; Aston Martin's mighty quad cam V8. The V8 would power the car through the '70s and '80s, and with various tweaks and tunes would keep Aston Martin's reputation as a vendor of fast, high-performance coupés alive through some very troubling times.The book covers the whole family of standard production cars produced by Aston Martin, along with various special versions, including the Ogle-designed 'Sotheby Special', the Siva S350 and the 'Bulldog' which recently broke the 200mph barrier. Alongside the specials the book also looks at the racing variants, including the Le Mans Lola of 1967, the spectacular V8 production racer run by Robin Hamilton (nicknamed 'the muncher' thanks to its spectacular performance meaning it would eat its brakes for breakfast) and the Nimrod, which saw Aston Martin return to Le Mans in the 1980s. It also looks at the car in film and on the small screen, with James Bond looming large ('On Her Majesty's Secret Service' and 'The Living Daylights') and with Roger Moore cavorting about Europe with Tony Curtis in the popular TV series 'The Persuaders!' polishing the car's celebrity credentials.With some 70,000 words and 250+ pictures, many never seen before, this book pays homage to the Aston Martin V8. The V8 was the poster car for the patriotic British teenager of the 1970s and 1980s, providing a glimmer of hope that Britain could produce a world-beating performance car that was the match of Italian exotica and American muscle. The Aston Martin V8 was that world beater, a car with superlative looks, amazing performance, unparalleled luxury and tough, reliable underpinnings. This book is a heartfelt tribute to the car that kept Aston Martin's hopes and British automotive dreams alive, a car that is now starting to be recognised for the true British supercar it always has been.

The Lotus Europa was Colin Chapman and Lotus’ first mid-engined road car, and was produced from 1966 through to 1975. Originally designed to slot into the Lotus range below the Elan as a low cost replacement for the Lotus 7, the Europa eventually sat alongside the Elan and Plus 2 as a comparable sports car in its own right.Starting with the design philosophy behind the development of the Europa, this book provides detailed technical descriptions of all the major versions of the model, starting with the Renault-powered Series 1 through to the Lotus Twin Cam powered Special. It looks at the cars on the road, and the racing Type 47 derived from the road cars which competed in the small capacity Group 6 class, as well as featuring in historic racing today.With owners’ impressions and interviews with ex-Lotus employees, the book provides a valuable insight into owning, running, and racing these iconic cars.