Marc Cranswick – författare

A description of the development history of Mazda''s rotary power plant, and the model timelines of the vehicles these engines powered - how one small Japanese automaker remained independent and became famous using a unique engine.Examines the commercial ups and downs in North America, using rotaries to become a high performance icon and V8 alternative, and charting the racetrack achievements of Mazda rotary racers around the world including in home-country Japan. Also reveals the pollution control and fuel economy challenges facing Mazda as they strove to keep rotary engines in production to satisfy high performance fans globally.

American Motors was the little company that made a big impact. Maker of the Rambler family car, the Kenosha-based AMC offered an antidote to the excess of Detroit''s Big 3. But when America decided it wanted sporty, rather than econocars, AMC got groovy with the Javelin, AMX, Scrambler and Rebel Machine. American Motors was a proven performer in showrooms and on the track, with success in drag and road course racing. However, through it all came solid Rambler value, and a different approach from Detroit. An accent on consumer protection, along with brand label special editions. And when it came to blue sky thinking, AMC surpassed all with the Gremlin and Pacer small cars.Off road, Kenosha truly made Jeep ''The One & Only,'' popularizing the brand and making it the sales success it is today. Beyond that, AMC created America''s first crossover, the Eagle. It all proved that America''s smallest ... was its biggest surprise!

Over a 40-year period the Pontiac Firebird earned a unique place amongst speedy American domestic cars, and what began as just another contender in the pony car race, ended up a true American classic. The Firebird''s tale is a reflection of the development of the mainstream domestic car in the modern era: V8s, turbo V8s, turbo V6s, HO V6s, overhead cam I6s, and even a Super Duty four banger. If there''s a performance avenue to be explored, then the Firebird has been there.Popular in the sales charts, the Firebird has also been high profile both in television and movies, cementing its legendary status in pop culture and beyond. From the go-faster 1960s, gas mileage- and pollution-controlled 1970s, performance renaissance of the 1980s, through to the indifference of the 1990s, the Firebird was always there. This is its story.Close attention is paid to both regular models and high level variants such as Formula and Trans Am, and an appendix featuring model highlights from the Firebird''s 35 year span details the specifications and statistics covering sixteen notable models, from the 19671/2 Firebird 400 Coupe, to the 1999 30th Anniversary Firebird Trans Am Convertible. Revealing all aspects of the Firebird story, from social, to economic and beyond, Cranswick shows how Pontiac made the Firebird unique.

Once established, the Corvette became a Chevrolet icon, utilised by Bow Tie and GM marketing to benefit the automaker. However, Corvette was no loss leader, it earned its keep and the respect of industry commentators. The Corvette maintained all these qualities despite the triple whammy of insurance rate hikes, emissions controls and fuel crises, and survived into the ’80s with a fresh design that took on all sports car competitors.

Archive images, independent testing, and the viewpoints of Chevrolet and auto industry personalities illustrate the rise and rise of America’s only sports car, including a substantial mid-engine genesis. Marc Cranswick’s original commentary pays homage to the Corvette as an enduring glamor icon and the ultimate dream machine!

This book tells the complete BMW 5 series story, in the pre-Bangle classic era, covering e12, e28, e34 and e39 models, the enthusiast cars that invented the modern sports sedan and created BMW''s ultimate driving machine image.Follow the evolution of BMW''s middle child through the decades in all major markets. Marvel at the mystique of BMW''s motorsport and exotic tuner cars reaching the 180mph milestone on V8 power.Consider BMW''s phoenix-like rise from the ashes of WWII, regaining its sports, luxury reputation, and powering on to become the ultimate business machine under chairman Eberhard von Kuenheim.This new edition features 150 new pictures, new specification tables, updated text, a new "Meet the Tuners" section, and a new "easy use" index. The book also contains a foreword by Allen Hardy (America''s first BMW tuner), and a contribution from Kevin Bird of Birds, the UK''s first BMW Hartge tuning agent.Marc Cranswick has been writing on the subject of classic high performance German cars for many years. He has been involved with BMW since the e12 and e21 were current models.