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Fuel Your Car Obsession With The Best Books About Cars

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Last Updated: May 3, 2024, 1:11 p.m.

For many of us, cars are our first love. Maybe it’s the sense of freedom that comes with learning to drive or the feeling of empowerment that comes with mastering parallel parking, but one thing is for sure; sitting behind that steering wheel makes you feel like you can do anything. But if you want to learn more about automobiles, their exciting history, or just want to impress someone at your next dinner party, you must invest in books about cars.

With so many options out there, it can be difficult to determine which books are worth reading and which ones aren’t. To help you out, we’ve put together a list of some premier books about cars for 2023. Whether you’re a car enthusiast, mechanic, or just like looking at cool photos of classic cars, there’s bound to be something in this list that’ll catch your interest.

Buying Guide: Books About Cars

We explored a mixture of themes as well as some specialized publications that focused on a certain car make and model while curating this buying guide. This guide will include everything from Formula 1 race cars to historic cars and provide you with some great present ideas and will even uncover something that captivates your mind.

Types of Books About Cars

Hardcover

When kept in a pack, a hardcover will preserve the book's pages well and maintain its quality better.

Paperback

A paperback is far handier, yet it is more prone to damage. You will find books with paperbacks that have laminated covers to keep them as good as new for a longer time.

Factors To Consider When Buying Books About Cars

Storage space

Do you have enough space in your home to store the book about cars you plan to buy? Apparently, this question doesn’t apply if you are purchasing an eBook – but you must evaluate whether you have enough space in your home to store your new physical book. If not, you must consider whether it is fair to try to squeeze one more book into your home or whether this extra book about cars will end up in a collapsing heap of a potential hazard on the floor.

To be read (TBR) list

If you have a big TBR list, it may be better to put off buying a book about cars and instead focus on the books you currently own. Why sink yourself further into a ditch by purchasing more books than you can possibly read? Particularly when you have so many books about cars on your TBR list already? We all understand it’s completely accurate: crossing another book off your TBR list and knowing you have succeeded toward your reading objectives is usually considerably more fulfilling.

Budget

Book lovers strive and struggle to adhere to a monthly book budget. You should set a budget before searching for the right book about cars to ensure you don’t spend more than you can afford.

Features To Look for in Books About Cars

Readability

It’s better to purchase a book about cars if you know someone who could be interested in reading it once you have completed it. Your brother or father, for instance, may have the same car preferences. So you may purchase a book about cars that you know they will enjoy too. If you know someone to whom you can give the book when you are done with it, that's a good motivation to buy it.

Backlisted or new

This isn’t the choice for you if you are considering whether to buy a new hardback or an eBook. If you’re deciding whether to buy a backlist book about cars or not, make sure you think about the convenience of purchasing it. You may buy used books about cars online, but there are also fantastic secondhand book stores in every town where you can get a better deal on the book of your fantasies.

Top Picks

Best Overall: Built For Speed Book About Cars
Highest Quality: Classic Car: The Definitive Visual History
Best Book About Ford: Go Like Hell Book About Cars
Ideal For Beginners: How Cars Work Book About Cars
Most Fun To Read: Cool Cars By Quentin Willson

Reviews

Best Overall

Built For Speed Book About Cars

Pros	Cons
Provide transmission info about speed cars Beautiful colored pictures Large hardcover for protection	Contains poor-resolution pictures

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Highest Quality

Classic Car: The Definitive Visual History

Pros	Cons
Provide insight about royal cars Impressive closeup photography Ideal gift for any men	History isn’t in chronological order

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Best Book About Ford

Go Like Hell Book About Cars

Pros	Cons
Provide the history of the Ford race car An entertaining read for Ferrari enthusiasts Written by a credible writer	Doesn’t come with illustrations

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Ideal for Beginners

How Cars Work Book About Cars

Pros	Cons
Explain the working mechanism of cars A great read for curious teens Explains basic vocabulary about cars	Not an in-depth car manual

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Most Fun to Read

Cool Cars By Quentin Willson

Pros	Cons
Provide technical details about cool cars Amazing photography for close-up view Fine printing for maximum durability	The book doesn't have a hardcover

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FAQs

Should I read a book while traveling?

Although reading can induce eye strain in any scenario, reading in a moving car can cause eye fatigue even more. Since the eye needs to work harder to concentrate on the moving book, you should better avoid reading while traveling.

What should I keep in mind when choosing a book about cars?

Books that are correctly chosen may broaden and improve your experience and knowledge of cars. You should know the credibility of the writer and give the abstract a read to get a sneak peek into the book to make the right choice.

Are books about cars worth it?

Books are jam-packed with information, skills, and all-you-need-to-know details about cars. Books have been around for ages and provide information about our societies, customs, and history, so it’s never a bad choice.