First Gear: Myth-Busting Motoring Milestones

What was the very first real ‘automobile’? And what actually constitutes an automobile, anyway? Such questions are not easy to answer but Keith Ray has embraced the challenge and compiled a myth-busting book packed with fascinating facts. Ranging from the ‘firsts’ in motoring technology, including the disc brake, fuel injection and four-wheel drive, to legislation and the law with the driving test, speed limit and first conviction, to the roundabout, dual carriageway, motorway, motoring organisation and fatality, he not only reveals what happened first but joyfully rights historic wrongs along the way. The V8 engine did not originate in America, as most people believe, and Rudolph Diesel certainly didn’t invent the diesel engine. Illustrated with over 150 photographs, this is perfect gift for any motoring enthusiast. AUTHOR: Keith Ray enjoyed had a long career in management consultancy, after originally studying engineering at Cambridge University. He has always been fascinated by engineering history and is a self-confirmed ‘petrol head’ who has written many books on transport, technology and humour and is also an avid cartoonist. He has written Bizarre Cars and 0-60 in 120 Years for The History Press. He lives in Buckinghamshire.
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