New Releases by Richard Hammond

One positive if belated aspect of ''Cool Britannia'' is that British-originated cars have become (again?) among the coolest on the planet. Range Rover, Mini, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin - especially the Aston Martin - these are names not only of historic significance but have a new resonance in the contemporary world too. But what of the not so cool cars, the cars you shouldn''t opt to buy - and those you shouldn''t even be seen in or alongside? No, not the Skoda or station wagon, which have a heroic anti-car coolness of their own, but the Golf or Astra or professional footballer''s Ferrari.This is a book that jumps from an enormous height on personalised number plates, but celebrates Jarvis Cocker''s decision to drive a station wagon and Roger Moore a Renault 5. It questions what happens to the status of your car after you have seen Bernard Manning or Jade Goodie posing next to a model of it in the newspaper.So there is a ''Showroom Questionnaire'' for car manufacturers to check out their customers before they deign to sell them a car that might become irrevocably uncool as a result. As funny as it is cool and aspirational, WHAT NOT TO DRIVE will entertain all who love the information, banter and humour of BBC TV''s Top Gear.