Drive On!: A Social History of the Motor Car by L.J.K. Setright.

Stimulating, informative, provocative, and witty, Drive On! charts the international history of the car, decade by decade, examining how cars have adapted as a result of what society has demanded of them. While some chapters are devoted to quirky topics like “Where to Stop” and “What to Wear,” others look at the technological changes of the last century, from wooden wheels to computer control. Along the way, L.J.K. Setright, who is considered one of the world’s foremost and most forthright writers on the subject, offers fascinating divagations on everything from the origins of the word “dashboard” to the maximum speed of a raindrop.

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