Keeping an eye-out for these excellent little motoring books

The Special loves a large, well-researched motoring book: think Palawan, for example, where content is matched by design and presentation.

But while Special Towers plays host to a good many car books there’s always room for more including this trio of I-Spy titles bought from ‘that’ auction website at the cost of 99p each.

The ‘experts’ might knock these slim, compact, pocket-sized books but you don’t have to look far to see just how good they were. The cover artwork gets things off to a fine start but the illustrations inside are first-class. There’s no sign of artistic licence, just an accurate representation of the car being referred to.

The text, while short, would have provided younger enthusiasts with some information and it’s notable just how well it reads. No patronising, no flowery priose, just facts and pointers to that car’s distinctive features.

And one of these three acquisitions has some intrigue: the one with the yellow car on the cover has had some car spots noted, all of them around North East Wales: A Bentley MkVI/R-type was spotted in Ruthin, a Bond Minicar in Wrexham and an Austin Seven in Llanbedr. A Lea-Francis 2 ½-litre was seen in Chester, a Vauxhall Velox (E-Series) in Llanbedr. Wrexham offered up Renault 750 and Volkswagen Beetle spots, along with an Alvis 3-litre and an Armstrong-Siddeley Sapphire. All neatly noted with a fountain pen, we might add.

Small they might be, but as a way of encouraging a love of cars, these I-Spies certainly did a top-class job. Today they’re just as interesting and they’re an affordable, pleasing addition to any motoring library.