'I have a confession to make. I am a nosy bastard. I am incapable of walking past a piece of machinery without wanting to know all the details of its private life. People say it's unnatural; people say it's uncool. But still, I can't believe I’m the only person who thinks that engines are fascinating and beautiful things.'
'Maybe you too have wondered just what goes on underneath the engine covers. Maybe you're as desperate to know as I am, but have always been too embarrassed to ask. Maybe you never believed it was possible to take an interest in engineering without moving back in with your mum and growing unattractive facial hair . . .'
A passionate engineer and lifelong meddler with all things hot and oily, for Robbie Coltrane engines are works of art and ingenuity that express the fundamental principles of the natural world and are objects of cultural significance no less important than a painting by Picasso or a film by Scorsese.
Coltrane's Planes and Automobiles tells the fascinating story of some of the greatest developments in the history of engineering. It's a celebration of some of the greatest engines ever made - of visionary design and brilliant engineering, of individual genius and craftsmanship. It brings to life the imperial power of the steam engine; the workhorse diesel and how its inventor was driven to suicide; the exhilarating performance of the supercharger; the laid back VB that symbolised the aspirations of America; the people power of the noisy, smelly two-stroke; and the jet, which began as the optimistic plan of an ambitious young RAF officer and went on to shrink the world.