Car Fever: Dispatches from Behind the Wheel

by James May

Top Gear's James May is back with his hilarious and controversial opinions on ...just about everything. As well as writing about his first love, cars, James has a go at political correctness, the endless rules and regulations of daily life, the internal combustion engine and traffic wardens. He discusses gastropubs, Jeremy Clarkson and other trials of modern life. His highly entertaining observations from behind the wheel will have you laughing out loud, whether you share his opinions, or not. Car Fever is an indispensable guide to life for the modern driver.

Genres: Nonfiction, Cars, Humor, Audiobook

291 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

James May is a British television presenter and award-winning journalist.

May is best known as co-presenter of the motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond. He also writes a weekly column for The Daily Telegraph's motoring section. On Top Gear, his nickname is "Captain Slow", owing to his 'careful' driving style. He has, however, carried out some exceptionally high-speed driving (including taking a Bugatti Veyron to its top speed).

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even if you are not a car enthusiast, you’ll love May’s bright insights into many aspects of modern society, and his quintessentially British humor. Perfect as an audio-book to enjoy while... driving!

[Zachary Huckel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional. In short, May’s Britain is a place I want to live in.

[Andrew Ives · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing in places and well-written throughout. Although I'm sure May himself would be first to admit that he does have a tendancy to witter on a bit about things that hardly matter, he does also occasionally display novel, eye-opening views on some subjects as a British eccentric should.

In his own pedantic style, I feel that 4* is a bit mean as I enjoyed this book more than all the other Top Gear offerings, but 5* should be reserved for literary titans, so I award this 4.333* recurring.

[Yuri Karabatov · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, May can write.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Car Fever is a collection of newspaper articles by James May, and if, like me, you enjoyed his presenting style on Top Gear and The Grand Tour, then this book is for you. As the title suggests, a significant portion of the page count is devoted to cars, which is no real surprise considering that it is James May's specialist subject. There is a lot of technical jargon here that went over my head, as someone who isn't a car enthusiast but merely likes Clarkson, Hammond and May's musings on the subject. James May's enthusiasm for automobiles is infectious throughout, though, and the written word captures his voice from television well.

There's plenty of references to the various challenges he took part in with Clarkson and May on Top Gear, too. One of the best chapters in the book concerns the infamous limousines that they each had to build to transport celebrities in. Hearing his perspective on the challenge is very amusing, particularly as it was one of the most memorable challenges from their time on Top Gear.

Outside of Top Gear, there are a few chapters devoted to his travels with Oz Clarke, for the BBC documentary series Oz And James's Big Wine Adventure. I never saw this at the time, but reading this, I wish that I did, as it sounds like their dynamic was probably quite entertaining. It's nice how this book shines a light on James May's TV career, as it could have focused more exclusively on the cars.

For those of us who are not motorheads, there is plenty to enjoy here. James May discusses everything from lucky shirts to Christmas songs, in his trademark witty style. One of the most humorous segments sees James May reveal that he believes cats should be fitted with Sat-Navs. It's hard to disagree, given how often cats go missing.

Overall, Car Fever is fantastic reading for anyone who enjoys James May's TV work. Far from being a book focused solely on cars, it covers a wide range of subjects, broadening its appeal significantly more than its title would suggest. Car Fever isn't merely a motoring book, it's a collection of James May musings that are sure to make you smile.

[Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

May's version of the Clarkson newspaper column compilations that publishers have churned out for the last three decades. May wrote - perhaps still writes, I don't know - a motoring column for the Telegraph and CAR FEVER, a slim book, puts a number of them together as a collection. The problem with doing this is that, reading one after another, the subject matter gets very repetitive as the authors resort to the same style of humour and commentary each time. May comes across as more erudite, passionate and learned than Clarkson, but perhaps his dry humour doesn't translate quite as well on the page as well as Clarkson's brasher style. These are fun to read but also entirely forgettable.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of all of the Top Gear hosts throughout the years, James May has always been one of my favorites. While I couldn’t stand people like Clarkson a lot of the time as his egotistical nature grew over the years, May has always remained very down to earth and, while certainly capable of delivering a good laugh, has never lost sight of his roots as an automotive journalist before being an on screen entertainer.
He has a very unique take on the car world which shines through perfectly in this short book which I recommend to not only fans of his work, but cars and car history in general.

[Brent Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically just a collection of columns May has written for Daily Telegraph and Top Gear Magazine, I should feel cheated out of whatever money I spent on this book. However, I must admit that it was an enjoyable read easily broken up into (mostly) unrelated segments that make picking this book up after a while a non-issue. Being a Top Gear and Grand Tour fan, May's personality shines through his writing, and anyone who enjoys his TV appearances will enjoy reading this as well.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a fan of James May, who is by far my favorite of the Top Gear guys, this is a wonderful collection of articles. But even if you are not a May fan, and maybe even not a car person, this is pretty entertaining reading. May's wit is great, and his outlook is pretty much on-point for me. This is a collection of short columns, so it makes great casual reading when you want to pick something up.

[Danny Theurer · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a general rule, books which are simple collections of a columnist’s work in a publication over time are the best way to learn of an author’s skill in bringing home a compelling point in a short amount of space.

Result of this rule? James May is GOOD.

I’ve watched every episode of Top Gear and The Grand Tour in which his work was featured, albeit in a video/audio essay format, but had not read his written work until now. I’ll certainly be looking for more of his books in the future.

[Paul Cooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny

[Paddy Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to dip in and out of

[Steve Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funnier than Clarkson with a more mellowed political slant

[Per Oscar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Veldig bra!

[Goodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining.

[Tyler Finnerty]

It’s whimsical

[Bilal Murtaza · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading Clarkson's 'According to' series, I was expecting May's books to be of similar quality but with a different sort of humor. Sadly, although the type of humor IS different, every chapter reads quite..slow. Now I know he's called Captain Slow, but I'd still expect his book chapters to get to the point a bit more quickly, given that its a book collection of his columns and he doesn't have ample time to elaborate as much as on TV.

The book starts off great, providing a lot of chuckles with few technical descriptions and great punchlines. But as you keep reading, James gradually descends into a slow tirade of facts and figures in each chapter which takes away a bit from the actual humor.

I'd still recommend this for Top Gear fans and will give his other books a shot. But overall it just doesn't have that rib-tickling humor that Jeremy's books do.

[Gord · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lightweight humorous read which is actually a compilation of his weekly columns about cars and also a variety of other subjects. I've always enjoyed his sense of humour and found him easy to relate to whether in Top Gear/ Grand Tour, his numerous TV presentation jobs or in print.
Not to be confused with "War and Peace" but a nice departure from my usual subject matter which tends to be on the grim side.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, loved this. Though, seriously, take my reviews of James May's stuff w/ a grain of salt - I'm currently so infatuated w/ him, he could write the fine print on my next plane ticket and I'd love it! ;) No, really - he's really a very entertaining writer. Intelligent, humourous, and at times sassy :)

[Cathal Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5)
This is a book to be read bit by bit, maybe two or three articles at a time, but you don't necessarily have to be a car bore to read it. It might make a bit more sense if you are though, obviously. It is entertaining and funny and well-written. I think I'd like to live in May's Britain.

[Ade Couper · Rating 5 out of 5]

James May is the best thing on Top Gear. He's also a pretty good writer.

This is a collection of newspaper columns , in which he muses over sundry aspects of cars, product placement in Bond Movies, & the secret life of his cat....amongst other things.

An excellent book for the smallest room.

[Kristina Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny. It keeps making me laugh. Plus, I've learned things I didn't expect. James May is extremely intelligent but also casual in his writing style so it feels very informal. Just like chatting with a mate.

[Thierry · Rating 5 out of 5]

de l'humour anglais, dans une verve et un style différent de celui de Jeremy Clarkson...

Truculent.

[Niloy · Rating 4 out of 5]

James May is awesome. As always.

[Gareth Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like Top Gear and the rants of James May you will like the book but like Jeremy Clarkson's books I believe it is just a collection of his columns he wrote for the press.

[Kifflie · Rating 4 out of 5]

More enjoyable musings on autos, and just life in general, from Top Gear's James May. He writes with the same delightfully dry sense of humor that you see from him in his television programs.

[Daniel Lester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mandatory lavatory reading for a nation of men. Amusing, well written book

[Brian Burriston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable topics and well written.

[Felix · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Captain Slow, you'll fall in love with this book! Filled with boring facts and weird/funy thoughts. The short chapters make it quite easy to read.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable late summer read. The columns are not necessarily about cars but cover a broad swath of everyday life.