100 Years of Petrol Power

John Nicholson looks under the bonnet to find out when and how we became an oil-driven society. Starting with a Brisbane bicycle-seller’s motorised bike, he introduces us to Tin Lizzie (or the Squatters Joy) – Henry Ford’s T-model, with optional accelerator pedal and rear-vision mirror; home-grown Australian cars and the world’s first ute; The Mack Bulldog and Mighty Antar trucks; the ‘Little Grey Fergie’ tractor, treasured by generations of farmers; ocean liners and bulk carriers; the heroes in flying suits who pioneered Australian aviation.

In the fifth and final book in his impressive series, John Nicholson shows how the internal combustion engine superseded horse and steam power as the driving force in our modern economy. He leaves us with the question: where to after the oil runs out?