15 Best Car Books for Dad for Father’s Day

Father’s Day is June 19 this year and for automotive fans, there’s no better gift than a glossy hardcover book celebrating a favorite automaker. These books range from modern supercars to old classics, design and fashion, sheet metal and data.

Newsweek compile this list of new books for motoring dads. All have been released within the last few months and all would look excellent centered on a coffee table.

Best Car Books for Dad

For the supercar dad, there are books on Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche. For the stylists, we have design books looking at some of the finest cars to come out of Detroit. There are even books for motorsport fans and data enthusiasts. Restoration of a series I land rover is not easy.

Ford GT Anthology: A unique compilation of stories about these most iconic cars

by John Allen and Colin Graham Endeacott

This hardcover contains stories and images from the Ford The GT40’s racing debut, though not a history book, through individual design and development stories. It also delves into the revival of the supercar in 2005 and the ensuing naming controversy. It dispels some old myths, but creates a few more around one of Ford’s Most Important Cars.

Buy the hardcover book on Amazon for $86.30.

Glamor Road: Color, Fashion, Style and Mid-Century Automotive

by Tom Dolle

This automotive and art book tells how design and glamor became the focus of automotive styling and marketing from the 1940s. It was during this period that the industry began to change the design of models every year, using the fashion concept of planned obsolescence. Some of the book’s historical marketing material has not been published since it was first published.

Buy the hardcover book on Amazon for $56.97.

Adventures in the setting of Ferrari-land

by Edwin K. Niles

Adventures in Ferrariland — Niles has been buying and selling Ferraris most of his life, here’s his story.
Amazon

For the Ferrari fan, this tome features author Niles encountering (and sometimes acquiring) rare vehicles from the famous brand, also touching on the history of each car. In one such story, Niles recalls discovering a 1954 Ferrari 250 Europa Coupe in an underground car park, taking a drive through Rome, and immediately buying it. It has two volumes, the first being an inventory of Ferraris owned by Niles with photos, records and stories; the second volume is Niles’ writings on the mark.

Buy the hardcover book on Amazon for $123.97.

Lola: T70 and Can-Am cars

by Gordon Jones

Motorsport enthusiasts will remember the Lola T70 as one of the most impressive race cars in one of Can-Am’s most impressive series. These cars were equipped with large American V8 engines and were popular with drivers and fans. It took Jones three decades to complete the book, which dissects not just the T70 but the models that followed.

Buy the hardcover book on Amazon for $97.61.

MGB – The MG Superlative

by David Knowles

The British MGB was one of the most successful sports cars ever created and one of the inspirations for small roadsters like today’s Mazda MX-5 and Nissan Z. The book contains over 620 archived and specially commissioned photographs, including prototypes and sketches. It also follows the development of the Pininfarina-refined MGB GT, the Ferranti MGB hardtop, the MGB V8 and the MGC.

Buy the hardcover book on Amazon for $57.87.

Lamborghini: at the forefront of design

by Gautam Sen

This two-volume set is a love letter to the Lamborghini brand. It delves into the brand’s design history with never-before-seen documents and images, and looks at the people who made the brand what it is today. The set includes over 1,000 photos of the beloved Miura, Espada, Urraco, Countach and Diablo, leading up to today’s Aventador and Huracan.

Buy the hardcover books on Amazon for $250.

Fin Tales: saving Cadillac, the icon of American luxury

by John Smith

This hardcover is a look at Smith’s 42 years at General Motors and how he helped breathe new life into his luxury Cadillac brand. It also serves as a practical guide for leading a business turnaround. Fin Tales is notable because it sees this turnaround not through the eyes of upper management, but of the middle.

Buy the hardcover book from Amazon for $36.

The history of the Volkswagen Golf

by Russell Hayes

This coffee table hard cover is for everything volkswagen fan and has been the definitive story of the Golf name for years. It features hundreds of images and stats, and this latest edition has been updated to include the full Volkswagen Golf 7 lineup, which ran from 2015 to 2021 in the US. It also presents the current Golf 8.

Buy the hardcover book on Amazon for $77.11.

BMC cars

by Graham Robson

The British Motor Corporation was formed in 1952 from the merger of Morris Motors and Austin Motor Company. This 304-page hardcover begins there and does not end until its merger with British Leyland in 1968. It examines the company’s heritage and achievements, including an in-depth examination of its many designs.

Buy the hardcover book on Amazon for $38.49.

Secrets of the Barn Find Hunter: The Art of Finding Lost Collector Cars

by Tom Cotter

Cotter searched for barn finds for decades, uncovering everything from pre-war classics to exotics. In the book, he also offers advice for the newly minted hunter and shares the stories he found along his journey. The 208-page book features plenty of photos of some of his favorite finds, as well as other collectors.

Buy the hardcover book on Amazon for $29.52.

Porsche 550 Spyder

by Stefan Bogner and Glen Smale

Another coffee table art book, this one focuses solely on the Porsche 550 Spyder. In the 1950s, the German company started building racing cars, starting with the 1500 RS Spyder. He won the Targa Florio race as well as several other major wins and podiums. The 550 Spyder was also the car actor James Dean was driving when he was killed in an accident, which is also examined in this hardcover.

Buy the hardcover book on Amazon for $176.27.

Audi RS: History • Models • Technology

by Constantin Bergandre

SR in Audi RS stands for Rennsport or “racing sport”, which means that the vehicle focuses on performance. This 256-page book meticulously tells the story of every RS model from the first Audi Before RS2 in 1994, up to today’s electric RS e-tron GT. The book contains over 400 color photographs as well as RS brand stories and characters.

Buy the hardcover book on Amazon for $95.69.

The Mercedes-Benz Book: 300 SL

by René Staud and Jurgen Lewandowski

The 300 SL is one of Mercedes’ most famous sports cars, and its spirit still lives on today with the new SL Roadster carrying some of the same styling as the original. The book is based on author Staud’s famous car calendars and will present the car in the context of stars like Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Alfred Hitchcock, all former owners.

Buy the hardcover book on Amazon for $103.96.

Original 80-inch Land Rover Series 1 models

by James Taylor

The I-series land rover is one of the most cut, repaired and customized vehicles in the world on the planet, so it’s hard to find an original. This 160-page hardcover reviews 80-inch models and offers a detailed guide to factory specs and equipment. The Land Rover was developed quickly and updated regularly, this book dissects every part for fans and owners looking to bring a model back to factory specification.

Buy the hardcover book on Amazon for $46.44.

Detroit Steel Artists: How Edsel Ford, Ray Dietrich, Tom Hibbard and Ralph Roberts turned Motor City into a mecca of Harley Earl-before style

by Matthew Kilkenny

This 12-inch hardcover is about the stylists who put the Motor City on the map and semi-custom car designs from manufacturers like Le Baron and Dietrich, both of whom predated the famous Harley Earl. These designers went head-to-head with the brass sur style, which is covered in this book, whether they won or lost. It features over 100 vintage photos of some of the most beautiful cars in the world.