1 comments about The Art of BMW: 85 Years of Motorcycling Excellence.

1. This book is a must have for any gear head, motorcycle fan, or fan of beautiful engineering. The art in this book is simply incredible, and even the most die hard fan will find out something they did not know.
   I originally purchased this book intending it to be a gift, but have enjoyed it so much that I refuse to give this one away! Ordering more to give as gifts to friends and family!
   I cannot recommend this item highly enough. Way beyond my expectations!

5 comments about In Velocity: From the Front Line to the Bottom Line.

1. To anyone who has walked through an automobile dealership, it's no surprise that many of them are doing business the way it's always been done.
   
   The overall message of Pollak's book is adapt or die. As we see the US auto industry fighting for its life it's refreshing to see someone bring some insight and business sense into something that historically hasn't been very sophisticated.
   
   Velocity is a wonderful read for any fan of business--especially as we watch an industry that's undergoing massive change on a global scale. Pollak offers up advice for local dealers on how they can remain more competitive. But for those not in the industry it's great insight into how to apply discipline and sound practices to make any industry better.
   
   Now if he could only get the sales guys to stop wearing gold chains....



2. Many business books shoot for -- but few actually achieve -- such fine balance of the familiar and the profound. Velocity is an easy read, full of personal and funny anecdotes, yet every chapter delivers new insights that will blow you away. Get ready to say, "That totally happened to me too" and "I never thought of it that way before" again and again as you read.



3. Dale Pollak pleads for used car dealerships to evolve within an industry that has stayed stagnant for far too long. "Velocity" contains a laundry list of strategies employed by the most successful used car dealerships in the country. From seeing the Internet as your virtual showroom, making every business decision with an investment-mindset, and considering the benefits of a single-price, no-haggle environment, this book will make you think about the way the used car dealerships should be run.
   
   And it will make you wonder why we haven't been doing all of this stuff before.



4. This book is true to today's market. So many dealers today are stuck with old pricing stratigies. Another well stated truth from Dale Pollak.



5. If you want to thrive in a down market reading this book is your first step. I've been in the business for 15 years and I've haven't seen anything this strong since the introduction of MMR. We all know how that has changed the way we do business.For more reviews from dealers see Dalepollak.com

3 comments about Richard Hammond's Car Confidential: The Odd, the Mad, the Bad and the Curious.

1. This book is funny. If you have seen the show Top Gear before, you would already know how funny these Top Gear host are. The book is very colourfull which seems to target little children with colourfull pictures/drawings. This book seems to be written for the British public, a.k.a people who is able to watch Top Gear. If you have never heard of Top Gear or a bloke named Richard Hammond before. Then there is no point buying this book. This book is not that very informative and you might say it is a waste of money.



2. Richard Hammond, aka "The Hamster" brings his own special brand of silly to this overview of automobile excess. Complete with photos and cartoon drawings, he reviews his favorites, disses his least liked, and shows us what he has found to be the most interesting things in the auto world. This is a book that deserves a place in any book collection. (Personally, The Hamster and the whole "Top Gear" crew have an entire shelf of their own in my library!)



3. this is a great book for both learning some car facts and to just sit down and have some entertainmen

5 comments about Porsche 944: Automotive Repair Manual--1983 thru 1989, All Models Including Turbo (Haynes Manuals).

1. For $15 this book is an excellent help with lots of pictures for most (but not all) the jobs you'll have to do on your 944. It's based on an early (pre 85.5) n/a 944 so some things have obviously changed on later cars, but for my 84 it is a perfect companion to helpful places such as clarks-garage.com. I highly recommend it for any 944 home mechanics.



2. The manual is up to haynes usual high stansard but the photos in this book are sometimes a bit blurred and not clear.



3. Not too expensive and it's good for the small jobs that would need a little help with. Good for head gasket's deffinitly since they are a [...] load harder to do alone without a book. This is also handy since I have a tight budget and need to save money. It does tend to tell you to go to a porsche dealer on harder tasks alot. So overall this is not ment for the complete overhaul but most of the small annoy and expensive stuff. A head gasket job alone can cost you $600. While if you buy the head gasket for $[...] and then do it yourself with a $[...] book. You just saved a big amount of money and time since you dont need to leave your car at the shop. Recommended for people who need assistence deffinitly.



4. After reading reviews & recommendations from various sites, I decided that this was the book that I needed for my 924S. It is right on the money! Even though there is very little mention of the 924 in this book, the photos presented, could be of my car. If you are looking for a repair manual for the '87-'88 924S, this is what you want.



5. This book gives detailed info for some models.most detailed but not for 944 S2 with 3 liter engine and nothing for soft tops.

5 comments about Porsche 993 Essential Companion.

1. Overall, a good addition to the literature. Not so detailed that it stands ALONE as a repair resource, but with Pelican, Excellence, Panorama and the various web sites offering 993 information, adds more complete information for the do-it yourself mechanic. Of my reference books, this is perhaps the most comprehensive, specifically for the 993 (other than the factory manuals). An easy read, usually clearly written, yet at times too abbreviated. (Cabrio top repair, for example) First 100 pages deal with "styles" of 993 offered. Contains torque specs. Some info is nothing more than "owners manual" info. Nontheless, I am happy to have added this volume to my library!



2. This is the 993 bible; if you have any interest in the 993 you must own this book.



3. A very thorough and well versed volume on the last of the air-cooled engines. If one ever wanted to find out any kind of information on this classic car, then look no further. A fairly balanced book, this read should prove it's value to those new to the marque, or are looking for a more detailed answer to any questions they might have.



4. This book was a pleasant suprize. The black and white photos are pretty good. I would recommend this book for any 993 owner.



5. The bible for 993 owners. The detail and organization of all the information is incredible. Worth every penny. You can't go wrong buying this book. I cannot imagine the years of research required to pull this book together. Thanks

5 comments about How To Paint Flames (How-To).

1. The best instructional book I have ever read regarding Flame design, inspiration and how-to. It covers every aspect there is in the world of flamework; from traditional flames,wall-of-flames,realistic and ghost flames. Not only does it give you an in-sight into the world of creativity but gives a step-by-step guide to all products used and why they are used. In a nutshell, if you are considering the thought of customising Mom's shopping wagon, this book is for you!!!



2. If you want a great overveiw of how to apply flames, this is the book. If you want to learn how to apply flames, this is the place to start. It gives detailed instructions, materials, and brand names, so you get started right, and getting started right gives you a great base for gaining expearance.



3. This is a very inspirational book! great tutorials and very nice information about some general fields in custom painting. If you feel you like some flame works, you'll find this book leads you to flame almost anything around you... BEWARE! maybe you never stop!
   
   I suggest to read this book together with "How to paint your car" also from Motorbooks, this one first because maybe you'd like to start with some nice graphics before putting yourself on a whole car painting job.



4. This really does show you how to paint flames and in lots of styles. Well worth picking up if this area interests you.



5. I bought this book for my brother since he paints flames on cars as a hobby. He was THRILLED to receive this book. He said it will really help him fine-tune his skills.

4 comments about The Science of Formula 1 Design: Expert analysis of the anatomy of the modern Grand Prix car.

1. The book has good descriptions of the technology used in F1. People with a good basic understanding of F1 technology will find the book covering facts you already understand. The book is geared for those just learning about F1.



2. As a Formula 1 fan I was thrilled to find this well-written and very current book on the cars. Recommended to those who follow the sport -- and those who want to learn about the cars with information current as of the 2006 season.



3. I really liked it, this book gives so much insight to the world of Formula one and it's pretty easy reading. I highly recommend it.



4. As promised by the title, this book provides lots of information about the technology that goes into Formula 1 cars. The writing is easy to read, the photographs and sketches are well-chosen, of good quality and easy to follow. Even the constant struggle between politics, technical evolution and the need to keep the playing field level finds its place in the book.
   
   Now that the Super Aguri F1 team has gone, if you are wondering just why the sport is so expensive, you'll find the answer here-supported by some impressive statistics.
   
   The only downside to this book is that the author has used copious amounts of interview material verbatim. If you've seen how F1 mechanics, bosses and drivers talk during an interview, you know there is very little real meat in their words. Unfortunately this makes the book sound like an extended press-release at times.
   
   Beware of some fairly technical passages-you will need to have some knowledge of how cars work in order to understand them.

No comments about Analysis Techniques for Racecar Data Acquisition.

5 comments about Muscle Car Confidential: Confessions of a Muscle Car Test Driver.

1. This is a great book, full of interesting insights and funny stories. The inside scoop about some highly overrated or uderrated muscle cars. The author tells it like it was, and some legends get knocked off their pedestals in the process. Lots of good stories told by the guy who had the job we all wanted!



2. I bought this book as a gift for a friend that is really into the old muscle cars. I knew that I had made the right choice by the way his eyes popped as he started reading. Now nearly everytime I see him, he is telling me something different that he has read in this book. In the United States, we are seeing the growth of interest in these older cars. Our "baby-boomers" are at the age when we can afford to relive our youth. Automobiles were such a large part of our lives they dominated our culture. So now, we are flooded with books by writers who really should not. Muscle Car Confidential is an exception. This well written motor-memour hits our "button" like a ice-cold beer on a hot day in the driveway. We are taken back to the days when the old U.S.A. automobile was the baddest dog on the block. However this writer does not gloss over the faults he found. So that our own memories and feelings about our cars are sharpened, either by being validated or confronted. What better way to spend our few resting hours than by a combination of affermations and challenges. Bottom line, buy the book!



3. If you are wanting an encyclopedia regurgitating facts and stats, this isn't where you will find it. If however, you want an entertaining read chronicaling what it was like to experience these cars in their heyday, this book is a must have. It was hard to put down, and it was honest. Most books tell you how wonderful every car between the covers is. This book gives the good and the bad, and debunks a lot of myths (the history of these cars is usually remembered through rose colored glasses).
   
   Being a former muscle car owner, and a current enthusiast, I appreciated the frankness of the author, and enjoyed the tales. The only downside of the book is a dearth of color photography. There are some color pics, but not many. In defense of the author, most of the pics used were probably black and white since they were of the cars during their heyday, not modern restorations.
   
   Worth every penny. This book is a must have.



4. If you like Muscle Cars or even interested in American automobiles, please buy this book. You can tell Oldham has fully lived the Muscle Car era and he tells it like it is. This book is well worth the money.



5. Muscle Car Confidential was just a GREAT book... If you were around during this time, you HAVE to get this book... Enjoy !!!!

4 comments about Hydraulics and Pneumatics: A Technicians and Engineers Guide.

1. Working as a practicing engineer for a major US airline, I found this book a very useful introduction to hydraulics & pneumatics. Using this book, I was able to take systems on our airplanes (such as rudder control units and thrust reverser controllers) and write schematics of them using the hydraulic & pneumatic notation. I found the chapter on process control pneumatics to be quite useful in troubleshooting & understanding these systems. While I use this information on aircraft systems, the book is directed to hydraulic & pneumatics in ALL industries and no reference is made to hardware as installed in aircraft applications. Check valves, relief valves, accumulators, pilot valves and sequencing valves are well explained to the layman. The author does a great job explaining the dynamics of cylinders and valves with lots of timing diagrams and schematics. Pick this book up if you want to come up to speed quickly on hydraulics and pneumatics.



2. This is a good book if u want a brief description on how hydraulic or pneumatic works. I have read the book and now have a better knowledge of hydraulics. The book is small and sometimes u find yourself flipping back and forth to see the illustrations. Might have been better to fit the drawing on the same page as the description. But I thats just my opinion.



3. It teaches the most necessesary practical sections needed to understand the issue.



4. This book will provide the reader with a basic working knowledge of hydraulic and pneumatic systems. It is not structured like a text book in that it does not give problems to work on at the end of each chapter. It makes use of numerous illustrations to accompany the explanations and provides the reader with a working knowledge on the function each component in a hydraulic or pneumatic system satisfies.