This is a hefty two-volume boxed work on those noisy snakes and how they came into being, comprising chassis by chassis histories of all the Mark I cars. It’s a 1000-page avalanche of information illustrated with 1500 photos, including one machine new to me – the 1964 Cougar II concept which looked like it deserved pedigree underpinnings rather than a pushrod engine and leaf springs. Walker spoke to hundreds of people compiling this (I didn’t count them) and pleasingly gives due credit to the craftsman at AC cars in England who provided the basis for the Cobra, a fact often sidelined in US history. If you need to know about spelling variations on Cobra heater labels, it’s all in here. GC Dalton Watson, £185
ISBN 9781854433114