'beautiful machines' traces the era of the elegant sports car

tracing 90 years of automotive class, ‘beautiful machines: the era of the elegant sports car’ takes its readers on a grand tour of the greatest cars ever created. taking a long road through history, it goes as far back as the 1930s, mapping out some of the industry’s most defining moments. looking at world events through the rear-view mirror, so to speak; economic booms, oil crisis’ and the discovery of climate change are all pit stops in a journey toward contemporary mobility.

mercedes-benz 300 SLR uhlenhaut: the 300 SLR could reach 180 miles per hour, then making it the fast4est car in the world
photo david kimber, beautiful machines, gestalten 2019

with a focus on sports cars, the publication captures the wonderment of automotive achievement, bringing each model to life through a charming combination of anecdotes, full-color photos and technological insight. it includes the legendary porsche 917, steve mcqueen’s favorite; the world’s most desirable ferrari, confirmed by its lofty auction price; and a BMW that elvis presley just had to have.

ferrari 250 SWB: sergio pininfarina himself considered the SWB a ‘quantum’ leap in ferrari design, it went on to win the tour de france three years in a row
photo patrick ernzen, beautiful machines, gestalten 2019

conceived and edited by gestalten, ‘beautiful machines: the era of the elegant sports car‘ revisits the genesis of over 45 iconic models, defining the zeitgeist in thrilling detail. it illustrates how the most successful grand touring cars became trailblazers for the mass-production automotive industry in the past and for the future. printed in a large hardcover format, it makes a great addition to any great library collection.

maserati A6GCS/53 pininfarina berlinetta: maserati displayed the first of its four berlinettas at the 1954 turin motor show. like all A6 race cars, the CS features a tubular chassis made by gilco

photo fabian mechtel, beautiful machines, gestalten 2019

ferrari 250 GTO scaglietti: the world’s most desirable racing ferrari, as confirmed by its lofty auction price. it is the most expensive car ever sold at auction, selling for over $38 million in 2014.

photo patrick ernzen, beautiful machines, gestalten 2019

porsche 906 carrera 6: porsche officially rated the 1.9-liter six-cylinder engine at 210 horsepower, but most estimates beleived it was churning out over 220 horsepower.

photo rémi dargegen, beautiful machines, gestalten 2019

ISO grifo: the iso grifo used two chevrolet big-block engings – a 427 and a larger 454, producing up to 395 horsepower. for 351 engines were later installed. 

photo rémi dargegen, beautiful machines, gestalten 2019

maserati ghibli 4.7 coupe: making its debut at the 1966 turin motor show, the ghibli represented a gentler side from soft, hand-hammered curves into strong, angular lines that italian designers would embrace in the seventies.
photo mathieu bonnevie, beautiful machines, gestalten 2019

alfa romeo tipo 33 stradale: the 33 stradale was a racing version of the tipo 33 race car that entered the world sportscar championship. automobile coachwork designer franco scaglione finished the design and development of the car in nine months.

photo rémi dargegen, beautiful machines, gestalten 2019

plymouth superbird: all superbirds came with vinyl roofs, to hide the additional work needed to modify the rear window frame for aerodynamics. once considered unsightly, the superbird’s stretched nose and aerodynamic enhancements were purposeful — because it won races.
photo nathan duff, beautiful machines, gestalten 2019

lamborghini miura SV: the engine was mounted transversely, and its housing was cast with the gearbox in one unit. a five-speed manual was the only transmission available.

photo rémi dargegen, beautiful machines, gestalten 2019

book info:

book title: ‘beautiful machines’ traces the era of the elegant sports car

author: blake z. rong

editor: robert klanten

preface: jan baedeker and robert klanten

publisher: gestalten

publication year: 2019

format: hardcover

trim size: 30 x 27 cm

pages: 336

US price: $69.00

language: english

ISBN: 78-3-89955-988-0