Hot Rod Pin-ups, by David Perry

This book must be the cheesiest thing this side of a lump of cheddar, wrapped in some slices of emmenthal and covered in a thick coating of Primula cheese spread.

Imagine, for a moment, the kind of motoring publication that would appeal to the members of ZZ Top and you will soon get the drift of what this volume is all about.

Photographer David Perry is evidently a bit of a hot rodder himself. His introductory essay, entitled "Chrome, Flesh and Rubber", is actually an impassioned plea for the liberties of the petrol head, assaulted as they are on every side by the authorities.

After that we soon get on to the semi-naked "burlesque dancers, strippers, actresses, models, office gals, mechanics, exhibitionists and speed freaks" who, with the custom cars, make up the rest of the opus. It didn't really do much for me, as I think they did cheesy sexuality much better in the 1950s, when they were bursting against the boundaries of decency.

I also think it's a shame when a nice old classic gets "rodded". Shafted, more like. Not for me.