I've read enough of these books aout Mercedes-Benz to finally come to the realization that mosts of them are not for me. What I want out of the books is discussion about the history and impact of the company, design aesthetics, and a frank and honest portrayal about the company's role in WWII, but what I inevitably get are vehicle specs (in all their detailed minutae), lists of statistics, and information about the racing history of the company. I guess most of the authors (and other car enthusiasts) like care more for their speed and therefore their racing prowess than their social and aesthetic impact, but it unfortunately makes these types of books unpleasant to read. I made it through a mere few chapters before I gave up trying to ingest the author's technical spec-filled prose, but even the photographs therein didn't make for particularly interesting viewing. ( )