After graduating from Oxford and pursuing further academic studies at Reading, James Taylor spent 12 years working in central government. However, the lure of writing about cars - which he was doing in his spare time - proved too great and he decided to turn it into a career.

James has written well over 150 books and spent ten years as the editor of Land Rover Enthusiast magazine. He has written very widely for both magazines and books on motoring subjects, but has specialised in the history of Rover cars and Land Rovers; he continues to write for the motoring press both at home and abroad. He has several automotive books published by Veloce, including: Rover V8 - The Story of the Engine; Land Rovers in British Military Service; Land Rover Emergency Vehicles; Rover Cars - A Pictorial History; and some Essential Buyer's Guides for the Range Rover and Land Rover Discovery.