Read this page from a book I bought 

"Nauraushaun" (nauraushaun12) 11/12/2018 at 20:20 • Filed to: None

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It’s about how to drive a car properly. Printed England ~1933.

So I spent a long ass time in this big second hand book store in Melbourne, combing through car books, looking for something cool to strew around my lounge room in a careless fashion so that I seem more adult.

There’s so much to draw from this:

Two kinds of cars - the manual and the other kind of manual . Of course, the auto-depressant was still far from prolific but it’s crazy to hear such a strong statement that’s so so out of touch with anything close to the modern world

I’m not ashamed to admit that I haven’t heard of 50% or more of the manufacturers listed. Most are defunct, which is sad

Obviously this was printed by the British, but also for the British. I guess travel and trade internationally back then were dangerous, slow and expensive. They had no need to make the book fit any other market

Mention of those with “front wheel drive” as if it’s some oddity. Which of course it is, the Citroen Traction Avant was released around that time and as we know it was a FWD pioneer

I think this was an absolute steal at $7. It’s an awesome time capsule, it reads like satire. It’s hard to fathom something that speaks with such authority and bland-ness, but is so thoroughly and comically out of touch.

So I also bought the Porsche book seen below, which is sort of a fancy marketing tool for the 911. Only really cool because it’s old.

And a book that’s pretty much just lyrics from Canadian dude John K Samson ie. The Weakerthans ie. that guy from Propaghandi. Because it’s cool band merch and it’s cool seeing the lyrics on page presented as poems.

They had a big book on the design of the New Beetle which is sort of sitting in my mind. Maybe that’s super cool, given the oddness of the car but also its irrelevance for anyone who would buy such a book. If you saw a New Beetle book in someone’s house, what the hell would you think?

Kiltedpadre > Nauraushaun 11/12/2018 at 20:34

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Wow, the driving manual is something I would definitely have grabbed myself.

I don’t think I’d be too enthusiastic about the new beetle book, but I could definitely see myself having a conversation with someone that owned it.

I do own these two books though; so maybe my taste in books isn’t exactly normal.

facw > Nauraushaun 11/12/2018 at 20:39

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Eh I wouldn’t judge too harshly on the new Beetle book. I could imagine it was interesting. My roommate in college took a history of science course on the automobile, which assigned a book on the creation of the bubble Taurus. Which honestly could be an interesting read, since it was both something of a radical design (at least styling-wise), and massive flop from what had been a high-selling car. I’m not sure I’d want a whole book on it, but maybe a long-read article?

Nom De Plume > Nauraushaun 11/12/2018 at 20:56

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O nce had a conversation with a girlfriend about the orthodoxy of my lever as it pertained to mounting on a floor. One sentence, I made it one sentence in before stopping to make a joke.

Nice haul. I tend to collect older books.  That driving one especially looks like a well preserved specimen.  

ranwhenparked > Nauraushaun 11/12/2018 at 20:58

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I don’t think the British market ever really warmed up to the idea of a steering column shifter, it was always seen as something of an American affectation. A few had it here and there, but nothing like here, wh ere a 3 on the tree was pretty much the standard by WWII. 

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Nauraushaun 11/12/2018 at 21:10

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Very cool book! That may be bland, but a thoroughly interesting read nonetheless! I, being weird, somehow have heard of a lot of those brands, though as most are British, I know little about them...

Nauraushaun > Kiltedpadre 11/12/2018 at 21:20

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That Ohio book sounds very similar! The clock one is just weird ;) I’m sure it’s full of James May spec engineering nonsense

Nauraushaun > facw 11/12/2018 at 21:22

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As long as it’s interesting, it’s probably worth a read. From what I can gather the New Beetle was designed with some very unusual and specific goals.

At least compared to something like the Golf, where the design parameters are to be slightly better with every succeeding generation, but not too much better so they can still follow up with something, and not too interesting or people might not buy it.

I’d much rather read about the New Beetle.

Nauraushaun > Nom De Plume 11/12/2018 at 21:23

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It’s insanely well preserved. I guess it just sat on some old dude’s shelf forever

Nauraushaun > ranwhenparked 11/12/2018 at 21:24

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Australia is much the same. It’s a sort of mish-mash of British and US cars, but the column shifter never really happened here. For instance my mother had an old Commodore, which was based on an Opel (hence, floor shifter) but also bigger, more like an American car.

Nauraushaun > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/12/2018 at 21:25

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Maybe they’re worth reading about. I’m sure a Chinese company will buy the rights and start producing new models before we know it, to scam sales from the nostalgic and idiotic elderly.

Can you believe there are new MGs rolling around?

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Nauraushaun 11/12/2018 at 22:10

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Yup...

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > Nauraushaun 11/13/2018 at 00:15

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Interesting the word “joystick” appears there. Obviously we think first and foremost of the video game controller these days - what did the term refer to primarily in those days?

Nauraushaun > MiniGTI - now with XJ6 11/13/2018 at 01:11

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Wow you’re so right, didn’t even pick up on it. Given the “joy”, I’d have been sure that term was invented in the 80s

Nauraushaun > MiniGTI - now with XJ6 11/13/2018 at 01:14

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joystick

Joysticks originated as controls for aircraft ailerons and elevators , and are first known to have been used as such on Louis Bleriot ’s Bleriot VIII aircraft of 1908, in combination with a foot-operated rudder bar for the yaw control surface on the tail. [2]

The name “joystick” is thought to originate with early 20th century French pilot Robert Esnault-Pelterie . [3] There are also competing claims on behalf of fellow pilots Robert Loraine , James Henry Joyce , and A. E. George . Loraine is cited by the Oxford English Dictionary for using the term “joystick” in his diary in 1909 when he went to Pau to learn to fly at Bleriot’s school. 

Wow. So on the assumption that the book is from 1933, there was a relatively small timespan there where the joystick was invented for the plane, but jumped to regular usage in the motor car.