Driving Passion: America's Love Affair with the Car.

• Author: Rothenberg, Robert S.

Turner Home Entertainment / four cassettes /$14.98 apiece

It might seem odd that a documentary about the history of automobiles would include the words "passion" and "love affair" in its title--but not in the U.S.! Far from a mere instrument of transportation, the car has been an American icon for almost a century, often being treated with more affection than the owner's family.

This four-part tribute to man and machine merges almost four hours of film clips, many of them vintage shots from the archives, with interviews and commentary on how the nation's history has affected this ongoing relationship. Beginning with "The Birth of the Automobile" and proceeding through "America Takes to the Road in Style" and "The Golden Age of Deroit" to "The Fast Track of the Future," this series is engrossing, informative, and amusing.

Part Two ("America Takes to the Roa: Style") offers the widest scope ranging from General Motors usurpation of the market in the 1920s its chairman, Alfred Sloanne and designer Harley Earl introduced bright colors and sleek...