The Driving Machine - A Design History of the Car

In this lively and entertaining work, Witold Rybczynski-hailed as "one of the best writers on design working today" by Publishers Weekly-tells the story of the most distinctive cars in history and the artists, engineers, dreamers, and gearheads who created them. Delving into more than 170 years of ingenuity in design, technology, and engineering, he takes us from Carl Benz's three-wheel motorcar in 1855 to the present-day shift to electric cars. Along the way, he looks at the emergence of mass production with Henry Ford's Model T; the Golden Age of American car design and the rise of car culture; postwar European subcompacts typified by the Mini Cooper; and the long tradition of the streamlined and elegant sports car.
Rybczynski explores how cars have been reflections of national character (the charming Italian Fiat Cinquecento), icons of a subculture (the VW bus for American hippies), and even emblems of an era (the practical Chrysler minivan). He explains key developments in automotive technology, including the electric starter, rack-and-pinion steering, and disc brakes, bringing to light how the modern automobile is the result of more than a century of trial and error. And he weaves in charming accounts of the many cars he's owned and driven, starting with his first-the iconic Volkswagen Beetle.
The Driving Machine is a breezy and fascinating history of design, illustrated with the author's delightful drawings.

About the author

Witold Rybczynski is an architect and emeritus professor of urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of twenty-two books, including the best-selling Home, City Life, and The Story of Architecture. He lives in Philadelphia.

Product details

• Authors: Witold Rybczynski, Rybczynski Witold
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Release: 17.03.2026
• EAN: 9781324123514
• ISBN: 978-1-324-12351-4
• Illustrations: 106 black-and-white illustrations
• Subjects: Guides > Motor vehicles, aircraft, ships, space travel > Car, motorcycle, moped; Humanities, art, music > Art > Art history; TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Automotive, DESIGN / Industrial, DESIGN / History & Criticism, TRANSPORTATION / Automotive / History, History of art / art & design styles, Industrial / commercial art & design, history of design, Automotive technology and trades, History of engineering and technology, History of engineering & technology, Automotive technology & trades, Road & motor vehicles: general interest, Design, Industrial and commercial arts, illustration, Road and motor vehicles: general interest