Books by James Taylor

The Mercedes-Benz W201 was a compact saloon designed to address both concerns about fuel economy generated by the first oil crisis in the 1970s and competition for sales from the BMW 3 Series.  Many doubted that Mercedes could deliver a compact car whilst retaining their traditional qualities. But the W201 soon won them over, for here was a car that was a real Mercedes in the tradition of the time - it was just smaller. With around 200 photographs, this book features the reasons behind the need to build a new compact saloon in the 1980s and the styling, engineering and specification changes introduced over the lifetime of the model. Full technical specifications, including paint and interior trim choices are given. A chapter on the special US variants along with production tables and vehicle number sequences and, finally a chapter on buying an owning a 201-series Mercedes.   

Few cars in recent years have inspired such devotion among enthusiasts as the BMW M3. This title looks at the first four generations of the M3, which arrived in the mid-1980s as an E30 'homologation special', intended to keep BMW ahead of rivals Mercedes-Benz on the racetracks.

The Land Rover has undergone a number of facelifts in its sixty-year life. This book tells the story of Land Rover, encompassing different models and dividing them according to their use. It also tells the distinguished histories of Land Rover on expedition, in agriculture, warfare, and in many other fields.

The Rolls-Royce company acquired Bentley Motors in 1931 and, although models continued to be produced with the Bentley name, they increasingly used many Rolls-Royce components. By the time the Silver Cloud and Bentley S were released in 1955, they were really differently badged versions of the same design. Yet the sporting tradition of the Bentley marque was upheld with the exotic Continental models that were derived from them. The Silver Cloud family represents a pinnacle for the Rolls-Royce company. The cars all had and still have a very special presence, and the standard saloons have an unsurpassed elegance and rightness of line. The special-bodied cars, meanwhile, are reminders of an age when the skill of the best coachbuilders was something deserving of universal admiration. With around 190 photographs, this book features: The story of the design and development of the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and Bentley S TypeA look at the production development of these cars between 1955 and 1965An examination of the Bentley Continental models that were derived from Silver Cloud and S Type designThe history of the Phantom V and Phantom VI limousine chassis introduced in 1959 and destined to last until 1990Full technical specifications, including paint and interior trim choicesProduction figures and chassis codesA chapter on buying and owning one of these wonderful classic cars.

The story of 'Auntie', one of Rover's best loved cars. Comprehensive book, providing an endless source of interest for Rover P4 and classic car enthusiasts alike.

The wartime Jeep continues to fascinate enthusiasts around the world, nearly eight decades after the first prototypes were built. Yet while it is true that there was only ever one Jeep, it is emphatically not the case that there was only one variety of Jeep.

When the Range Rover Sport was launched in 2005, it was aimed at a new group of customers who in many cases would never have considered a Land Rover product before. These customers wanted and could afford a luxurious vehicle that was expensive to run; but they also wanted a very personalized vehicle that did not have the rather grand and conservative connotations of the full-size Range Rover. Brasher and more glamorous than its older sibling, the Sport was soon adopted by celebrities and others who expected to be noticed. Range Rover Sport - The Complete Story is the first book devoted specifically to the first-generation Range Rover Sport. It tells the story behind the development and launch of the vehicle; it explains the market reaction, including contemporary press reviews; provides details of each model with technical specification tables and colour and trip options; lists production figures and VIN identification and dating; details prices and sales figures for the UK, USA and Canada and finally, includes a useful chapter on buying and owning.

Buying a first-generation Range Rover can be a minefield. There are multiple variants and problems that can prove expensive. The aim of this book is to make the buying process, and subsequent ownership, both painless and enjoyable. It is an ideal guide for both enthusiast buyers and investors or collectors.

Tells the story of how the two companies worked together to produce the Rover 800 and its cousin, the Honda Legend. This book sets out the full history looking at the design and development of all models: saloons, Fastbacks and Coupes; the Sterling in North America; contemporary after market modifications; Police usage and export variants.

Reveals the history of all four generations of compact Jaguar, and their Daimler equivalents, tracing the gradual development of Sir William Lyons' original idea over a period between 1955 and 1969. From the powerful, luxury MK 1 and 2 cars to the 4.2-litre 420, this book covers design, development and styling; special-bodied variants; and more.

Bentley Since 1965 tells the story of the revival of the Bentley marque and the technical developments that shaped the company's latter-day history. To illustrate the fall and rise of Bentley, this book goes right back to the origins of the 1960s T series cars through to the current Continental. The modern Bentley has become a huge success story without losing any of its exclusivity.

Rovers of the 1930s In Detail extends its comprehensive and detailed coverage back into the late 1920s, when the first of the 1930s models were introduced, and forward into 1947, when the 1930s models that had been revived after the war finally went out of production.

It was back in 1996 that James Taylor's book Original Land Rover Series I was first published, and it has been in print and in constant demand ever since.

When the Range Rover was launched in 1970 it immediately drew attention. Its elegant but practical design mixed with exceptional off-road handling, as well as comfort on metalled roads, seemed to introduce a whole new way of driving. The Louvre museum in Paris exhibited it as a model of industrial design. Fifty years later, the Range Rover continues to be in demand. In this comprehensive book, Rover expert James Taylor covers all of the Range Rover models from the 1970s 'classic' to the fifth generation Range Rover of today. The book covers the remarkable engineering achievements of Land Rover in developing a vehicle just as at home on rugged hillsides as it was on the streets of Chelsea. He follows the developments that made the Range Rover ever more in demand as a luxury status symbol. This book will appeal to all Range Rover enthusiasts, offering concise but comprehensive coverage of one of the most admired British cars.

The Land Rover was a huge success for its makers right from the start in 1948, when it was introduced as a product to keep the Rover factories busy in the difficult economic times that followed the Second World War. In this book, enthusiast and leading Land Rover historian James Taylor is your guide.

Launched in 2001, the second generation Mini, produced by BMW, was an instant success. Based on a design brief that stated that it could only be a Mini, the new car remained faithful to its heritage while offering numerous benefits, including increased size, engine power and performance. It also set new standards in refinement. In this readable book motoring expert James Taylor takes a multi-perspective look at the BMW Mini to give the reader a complete view of the many aspects of design, development, engineering and marketing that went into producing a highly successful range of new models under the Mini brand. The book explores how BMW has always been careful to retain the heritage of the original Mini and its variants as it continued to introduce subtle but significant changes to the three-door hatch while expanding its range of models to include the SUV Countryman and the Paceman. The book also covers the introduction of new engines and fuel options, including hydrogen and electric. Designed by an American for a German motor company but largely still built in Oxford, England, this is a complete picture of one of the world's most successful cars.

This is the story of a great British coachbuilder, told with the aid of meticulous research and with great affection for the grandeur and style that its products still represent. Freestone & Webb was a great name in British coachbuilding for some 35 years.

The W114 and W115 models were enormously successful for Mercedes-Benz, and their sales in nine years of production between 1967 and 1976 almost equalled the total of all Mercedes passenger models built in the 23 years between 1945 and the time of their introduction in 1968.  There were many reasons for this success, but perhaps the most important was that Mercedes expanded the range to include a simply vast amount of variants including four-cylinder and six-cylinder petrol engines, four-cylinder diesels; saloons, coupes and long-wheelbase models. This book features the story of the design and development of the W114 and W115 ranges. It gives an extensively illustrated look at the special bodywork on both standard and long-wheelbase models, and includes full technical specifications, including paint and interior trim choices. There is a chapter on the special US variants. Production tables and model type codes are given as well as the Experimental Safety Vehicles developed from these cars. Finally, there is a chapter on buying and owning a 114- or 115-series Mercedes. Today, the W114s and W115s have a strong enthusiast following around the world. They are appreciated as survivors from a simpler age, as the cars that laid the foundations for the hugely successful ranges of mid-sized saloons that followed from Mercedes, and because of the sheer diversity of their types and specifications. No enthusiast of these fine models will want to be without this book.

Vauxhalls held a special place in the British motoring scene of the mid-twentieth century. Solid, reliable and respectable, they were carefully designed to meet the expectations of buyers and also to meet the global ambitions of General Motors in America, the company that owned the Vauxhall marque.  Sometimes American influence went too far, but at other times it allowed Vauxhall to keep a step ahead of its competitors. Vauxhall Cars of the 1960s and 1970s covers just over two decades of Vauxhall history that saw Vauxhall producing a succession of fondly remembered models, including some genuine classics. It opens with the two new models for 1957, the F-series Victor and PA-series Velox and Cresta, and ends with the last FE-series Victor in 1978. By then, other new models had come along, but these were a different breed of car that originated with Opel in Germany rather than with Vauxhall itself. The period began as Vauxhall expanded from making one basic range with two different engines to making two separate ranges that were free to develop individually. The smaller of these ranges was the medium-sized Victor, and the larger provided the Velox and its luxury derivative, the Cresta.