In VW Transporter, Haynes, £19.99, Jonathan Harvey explores the phenomenal rise of Volkswagen's Transporter, which has surpassed even the Beetle in popularity.

This is in no small part due to its rare combination of longevity and versatility that has endeared it to millions of owners around the world since its introduction in 1950.

The author gives a lively, authoritative history of the Transporter through its first three incarnations between 1950 and 1990. The first-generation Transporters were known as 'Splitties' due to their split-pane windscreen; the second-generation vehicles were nicknamed 'Bays' due to their panoramic windscreen; and the slab-sided, flat-fronted, third-generation model is commonly called the 'Wedge'.