|
|
S-1281
Price: $24.95
|
Hot Rods: Roadsters,
Coupes, Customs
(Idea Book)
by Dain Gingerelli
Whether
at a local car club event or at a regional show, at a swap meet or
just driving through town, some hot rods turn heads and others
don’t. The challenge of building a really great hot rod tests the
dedication of even the most enthusiastic car owner.
Choosing
a body type and style, installing headlights and other exterior
components, picking the right upholstery, and finding an engine that
will give you just the right kind of power can be difficult, not to
mention custom painting and
pinstriping.
With all the options available in both original
and reproduction parts, where do you begin? How do you avoid the
common pitfalls that can make your hot rod a bad combination of
mixed-up styling elements that just don’t blend?
In Hot
Rods: Roadsters, Coupes, Customs, author Dain Gingerelli shares
over 500 photos that will help you make all of these decisions and
more. By following a well-planned theme from start to finish, you
can design and then build or restore a hot rod that will be both
eye-catching and classic.
Soft cover, 160 pages, heavily
illustrated
with full-color photos.
 |
S-1273
Price: $29.95
|
Lost Drag Strips:
Ghosts of Quarter Miles Past
by Tommy Lee Byrd
During
the ’50s and ’60s, the sport of drag racing exploded in popularity
and facilities sprang up
all
over the country, some national in scale and others very small and
local. But with the sprawl
of
suburbia and the growing expense of racing over the last few decades
hundreds of drag racing
facilities across the country were closed. Many of these were places
of legend; others were
relatively unknown but
served a local area's needs for a safe place for local speed addicts
to run
their cars.
This book takes a look at many of the
lost quarter-mile tracks across the country. The images
are teamed with vintage shots of drag racing's glory days,
sharing what once was one of America's most popular pastimes with
the modern reality facing these facilities today. For fans of drag
racing's past, it's a sobering and interesting study. The stories
are true and the photos are thought provoking, which makes this book
hard to put down.
Tracks
include: Lions Associated Drag Strip, Orange County International
Raceway, Riverside International Raceway, Bee Line Dragway, Motion
Raceway, Motor City Dragway, Oswego Dragway, U.S. 30 Drag Strip,
Dover Drag Strip, Pittsburgh International Dragway, Connecticut
Dragway, Pocono Drag Lodge, Lakeland International Raceway, Green
Valley Raceway, Dallas International Motor Speedway, Hudson Drag
Strip, Shuffletown Dragway, Brainerd Optimist Club Drag Strip,
Brainerd Optimist Drag Strip, Paradise Drag Strip, Double H Drag
Strip, Southeastern International Dragway, Smithville Drag Strip,
Lloyd's Drag Strip, Harriman Drag Strip, Green Valley Raceway Drag
Strip, Drag City, Loudon Raceway.
Soft cover, 160 pages,
heavily illustrated with
B&W and
full-color photos.
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S-1270
Price: $36.95
|
DRAG RACING FUNNY
CARS OF THE 1970S
by Lou Hart and Wallace A Wyss
See the
cars raced by many of the legendary names in drag racing, including
Don Prudhomme, Tom McEwen and Jim Dunn. Action shots as well as
clear, detailed, under-the-shell shots in the pits. Various makes
and models of cars that have been reconstructed as funny cars –
everything from stock to modified Camaros, Mustangs, Javelins, Dodge
Chargers, and Firebirds to oddball exhibition cars like the
''backwards pickup.'' Photographer Louis Hart has been covering drag
racing for over 30 years.
Soft cover, 128 pp, 136 B&W
photos.
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S-1272
Price: $29.95
|
The Dawn of Pro
Stock: Drag Racing's Fastest Doorslammers 1970-1979
by Steve
Reyes
Pro
Stock is a unique class of racing, and one that has changed
considerably over the years. In its early years, Pro Stock was
similar to the Super Stock era from a decade before, featuring cars
that seemed to be a lot like a hot rod version of what people were
driving on the street. While the engines were a little bigger and
nastier than most street machines, fans could still really relate to
cars like 'Cudas, Mustangs, Camaros, Mavericks, and Vegas going at
it on Sunday afternoon.
Over
the years, the original vision morphed into something completely
different: tube frames and flip-up fiberglass bodies that resemble
nothing seen on the street.
The
Dawn of Pro Stock is a celebration of the early years, when
fans could really connect with the cars, and brand rivalries were
intense. Legendary drag racing photographer Reyes was trackside at
the biggest and best NHRA events from the mid 1960s throughout the
1990s. He had a unique perspective on the development of Pro Stock,
as he was able to document the evolution of both the cars and
drivers as he observed them throughout the season. Steve has pulled
together his own very best shots and supplemented them with some
great images from his contemporaries to offer this new collection.
Soft cover, 176 pages, heavily illustrated with B&W and
color photos.
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S-1269
Price: $24.95
|
THE HOT ROD READER:
Stories of Hot Rodding and Kustom Kulture
This
anthology of hot rod writings and excerpts chronicles the joys of
hot rodding, the historical circumstances of its creation, and the
major events, people, cars, and builders who brought hot rods to the
national stage.
From popular writers of the era to those
covering today’s cutting edge innovators, this collection explores
various themes within hot rodding through news articles, essays,
fiction, interviews, and more, with more than 60 color and
black-and-white illustrations and photographs to illuminate each
excerpt and story. Writers include Gray Baskerville, Ed Roth, Wally
Parks, Dean Batchelor, Robert E. Petersen, Tom Wolfe, LeRoi "Tex"
Smith, and many more. Edited by Melinda Keefe and Peter Schletty.
Hard cover, 288 pages, 30 color & 40 B&W images
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S-1218
Price: $34.95
|
Lost Hot Rods: Remarkable Stories of
How They Were Found
by Pat
Ganahl
Whenever hot rodders get together to bench race two questions
invariably come up: "Whatever happened to such-and-such car?"; and
"How can I find one of these old, abandoned hot rods?" Lost Hot
Rods answers both questions by finding nearly 100 lost hot
rods, custom cars, and a few dragsters that were either famous in
the '50s or '60s from
being featured on magazine covers or winning major car shows, and
then disappeared from public eye.
This
isn't a book about seeking these cars for profit. What's more
important, and fun, is the search itself; finally answering that
"Whatever happened to...?" question is the main goal. In most cases
the book shows vintage photos of the car in its heyday, along with
where and how it looks today.
What
makes this venture doubly fun, and what separates this book from
others, is that this was not just looking for old cars or even
collector cars hidden away. Finding a vintage Corvette, or Porsche,
or even a gennie Model A or Model T stashed in a garage or barn is
cool. But hot rods and custom cars are very different–literally.
Each one is unique. So each of these cars has its own unique story,
its own personal history, which makes Lost Hot Rods a
special collection of stories as well as "Then" and
"Now" images.
Hard cover, 192 pages, heavily
illustrated with color and B&W photos.
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S-1219
Price: $29.95
|
East vs. West Showdown: Rods,
Customs & Rails
by Joseph Alig and Stephen Kilmer
In the early days of hot rodding, two distinctive schools of style
emerged, based on the coastal extremes of the nation. Good weather,
smooth roads and high-speed runs on the dry lakes influenced the
West Coast look, while the East Coast style evolved to conform to
local laws and needed to deal with the rough roads common to the
winter-ravaged region. These two different looks both define the
era, however differently. The similarities and differences between
the varying cars were a point of contention for many years, and the
history of the era is celebrated in this new book.
Co-authors Joseph Alig and Stephen Kilmer are well-regarded magazine
veterans who grew up on the East Coast but have spent a lot of time
on the West Coast covering rod-related events and vintage drag
races. They are uniquely qualified to review the various hot rods,
customs, and early drag cars the book features. As hardcore devotees
of vintage style, Alig and Kilmer have hit a home run with the
various old and newly-built rides they've selected for the book.
As time
passed and the sport evolved, the coastal distinctions faded and
combined to create a truly American look. While elements of the
early cars live on for practical reasons (like weather), the ability
to tell where a car was designed and built is no longer an easy
test. It's great fun to look back to the time when regional
differences and preferences were reason to argue, and this book
reflects those times with a lighthearted nudge and a respectful
wink.
Soft cover, 168 pages, many full-color photos.
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S-1211
Price: $29.95
|
Rat Rods: Rodding's Imperfect
Stepchildren
by Scotty Gosson
During
the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, hot rods followed very definite trends. It
seems every hot rod built in the ’70s reflected the somewhat garish
tastes of that decade, and everyone had a small-block Chevy powering
it. In the ’80s and ’90s, many rods were built to seamless
perfection in a modern high-tech style, laden with billet, smooth
seams, no rough edges, and a huge price tag. You had to know there
would be a backlash, and rat rods are the backlash to the extreme.
As a
response to the high-dollar street rod trend, home-based rod
builders on limited budgets looked to the past for inspiration and
style; rat rods were the result. These 'imperfectly fine' rods
rarely sport paint jobs of any kind, and their owners aren't scared
to drive them. They represent a rebellious attitude, but never take
anything too seriously either.
Rat
rods are high on style but low on budget, and that's why so many
love them. Rat Rods: Rodding's Imperfect Stepchildren is a
celebration of this trend and the lifestyle that accompanies it.
Never has rodding been so cosmetically indifferent, so socially
oriented, so affordable, and most importantly, so much fun! Author
Scotty Gosson watched the Rat Rod trend start, grow, and blossom
into what it is today. He shares the story with sharp wit, honesty,
and a smile on every page. Cars from all over America and around the
world are featured, and no two are the same.
Soft
cover, 160 pages.
|
S-1198
Price: $39.95
|
Hot Rods in
the Forties: A Blast From The Past
by
Don Montgomery
The
1940s were the most important and exciting period in the history of
hot rodding. Today’s separate and distinct activities of street
rodding, drag racing, dry lakes time trials and custom cars have all
evolved from the hot rods of the 1940s; it was the Golden Age of hot
rodding. In addition, the hot rodders from that period had a major
influence on all areas of automotive related activities from racing,
to styling, to design and to manufacturing. Many of the names of the
guys in this book will be familiar because of their later
accomplishments.
Back in
the 1940s hot rodding included the “whole thing.” The rodders built,
altered and maintained their own machines. There were no “how to do”
books and very few speed shops to advise the hot rodders. Working on
the rods provided a good “hands on” education. The clubs in the
SCTA, Russetta and other dry lakes racing associations
gave the members the opportunity to share ideas and
experiences to help improve the speeds of their cars. Naturally,
driving and testing the hot rod at the dry lakes or on the streets
was more than half the fun.
This
book presents a look at 1940s hot rodding in Southern California,
where it started. The book is filled with old photos from the
albums, or shoeboxes, of hot rodders of that period. Roadsters,
coupes and sedans are shown on the streets and at the dry lakes.
Information about the cars, owners, clubs and speeds are included
with the photos. One of the most interesting things is the
appearance and styling of the
hot
rods then. Today many rodders look at the photos to learn what the
traditional hot rods looked like.
Hard cover, 283 B&W photos,
144 pages.
|
S-1199
Price: $39.95
|
Hot Rods As
They Were: Another Blast
From The Past
by Don Montgomery
Coupes
and Sedans, Roadsters, Modifies, Streamliners –The evolution of hot
rods. Hot Rods were
dual-purpose vehicles. They furnished daily transportation for the
owner, and were readily available for racing on the streets or at
the dry lakes time trials.
The
actual hot rod era peaked in the 1940s and disappeared in the 1950s
because the rodders abandoned their dual-purpose hot rods and moved
on to rods designed for drag, track or lakes racing, or for show
display.
One
chapter is devoted to the track roadsters. This was the only
professional segment of the hot rodding at the time, as they were
the only hot rodders competing for money. Many of the guys from this
segment of hot rodding went on to compete in the
Indy 500, championship racing or sports car racing. Familiar
names mentioned here include Ruttman, McGrath, Rathmann, Ayulo,
Linden, Watson and others.
"Hot Rods As They Were" is filled with photos from rodders’
albums, showing how the hot rod roadster evolved in the 1960s; it
also shows and discusses how coupes and sedans became a part of hot
rodding and which models were popular. Modifieds, Streamliners and
the early drag racers are described as are the most professional hot
rods of their day, the track roadsters.
Hard cover, 301 B&W
photos, 160 Pages.
|
S-1200
Price: $39.95
|
Supercharged
Gas Coupes: Remembering the Sixties
by Don Montgomery
In the
1960s the blown gassers were some of the most exciting and most
publicized racers in drag racing. Drag racing fans were eager to see
racers like Stone-Woods- Cook, George Montgomery, K.S. Pittman,
Junior Thompson, Jack Merkel, John Mazmanian, The Mallicoat Bros.,
Paul Frost, Bones-Dubach-Pisano, the Kohler Bros., Skip Hess Eddie
Sanzo, Jim Oddy, Bob Chipper, Gene Ciambella and many, many others.
The
blown gasser history covers the time period from 1960 to 1975. In
the early years the blown gas coupes were the fastest stock-bodied
cars on the drag strips. The racers generated large amounts of
publicity with ads, challenges, accusations and charges, plus some
great racing. The magazines and drag racing papers wrote often about
blown gasser competitors. Many of these competitors profited as
match racers.
"Supercharged Gas Coupes" takes a look at some of drag racing's
most memorable times. The book explains how and why the Supercharged
Gas Coupe classes were set up, discussing the guys, cars, rules and
performances, and the engine-transmission
combinations used. It also describes the evolution of the car styles
in the Supercharged Gas Coupe classes, including Fords, Chevys,
Willys, Anglias, Mustangs, Austins, Opels and others.
Hard
cover, 353 B&W photos, 192 Pages.
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S-1201
Price: $39.95
|
Old
Hot Rods Scrapbook: Memories
From The
Past
by Don Montgomery
With
almost 600 old photos taken in the early days of hot rodding, “Old
Hot Rods Scrapbook” covers the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s.The photos
display many of the ideas and modifications that went into the hot
rods of over 50 years ago.
Readers can review the golden years
of hot rodding through hundreds of vintage photos, many of them
straight from rodders’ albums and never before published. The old
photos show what the hot rodders were building and driving back
then. Many different models of roadsters, coupes and sedans are
pictured. The photos also provide a look at the modifications that
individual hot rodders made to their vehicle.
Hot rodding enthusiasts of today can see the styling ideas
that were popular and also some unique designs.
This
book is an excellent reference for hot rodding enthusiasts who want
to learn about the good old days and those who are looking for ideas
for their own nostalgia hot rod project.
Hard cover, 598 B&W
Photos, 192 Pages.
|
S-1194SC
Price: $24.95
|
Drag Racing:
The World's Fastest Sport
by Tim Miller
Two
cars, a straight line and a burning desire to win. Drag racing is
the simplest and purest form of auto racing: two competitors
accelerate from a standing start to the finish line.
Once
considered the "bad boy" of motorsports, drag racing has evolved
into one of the most technically sophisticated forms of automotive
competition. There are almost 400 professional racetracks devoted to
competitive drag racing in North America.
In Drag Racing
Timothy Miller reviews the history of the sport and explains the
differences between the specific car classes, such as top fuelers,
funny cars, alcohol cars, pro modifieds and pro stock. Profiles of
the sport's pioneers and today's best-known names are also included.
Soft cover, 208 pages,
heavily illustrated with color and B&W photos.
|
S-1180
Price: $19.95
|
THE ART OF DRAG
RACING
by John
Jodauga, with Melissa Pasillas
During
the 1970s and 1980s, John Jodauga was perhaps drag racing’s most
published illustrator. Not only did his work appear in the National
DRAGSTER, Hot Rod, Car Craft, Motor Trend, Drag Racing, and Super
Stock & Drag Illustrated, but he also did promotional art for the
sport’s biggest stars such as Bill Jenkins, Don Prudhomme, Raymond
Beadle, Bob Glidden, Don Nicholson and others; commercial artwork
for many aftermarket manufacturers such as Moroso Performance
Products; and program covers for such major racetracks as Ontario
Motor Speedway.
During
this same period, he performed the bulk of the marketing artwork for
the National Hot Rod Association, ranging from posters and program
covers to holiday cards.
This book is the first official
compilation of Jodauga’s work performed over a period of 45 years,
and contains over 60 full-page, full-color reproductions of his
illustrations and paintings that include examples of his most recent
efforts.
Anecdotes, background information,
and an early career retrospective that reflect Jodauga’s approach to
painting are also provided, along with a foreword by longtime NHRA
announcer and drag racing historian Bob Frey.
86 pages, full color.
|
S-1157
Price: $65.00
|
OLD SCHOOL
HOT ROD PROJECTS
by Walt Scadden
This
book was created to be a sequel to the Vintage Hot Rod Metal book,
which found a large audience. It
is for
those interested in traditional Hot Rods and Custom Cars.
These projects were originally done in the
’40s,
’50s and early ’60s, all in an age when if you wanted these types of
parts, you had to make them
yourself or know someone who could make them for you. In the
re-birth of traditional Rods, some of the
old-school techniques have been done somewhat differently from the
originals. This book makes every
effort
to stay true to the real deal.
None of
these projects is difficult, just require practice and patience.
Using these methods will create an old school look to your ride. Use
your own imagination to adapt them to your plan and equipment. There
are many variations to all these projects. Individuality has always
been the cornerstone of great Hot Rods.
B&W
white photos, 58 pages, louvered metal cover.
 |
S-1079
Price: $65.00
|
VINTAGE HOT ROD METAL WORK
by Walt Scadden
Bonneville racer/hot rodder/faculty member of Rhode Island
School of Design, Walt Scadden, has produced one of the coolest,
most unusual books we have ever carried. Certainly, it is the only
book in our inventory with a metal cover with rivets and louvers!
Scadden presents photographs and written description of “old
school” methods, techniques, and tips for the English Wheel,
louver-making, lead body work, top chopping, etc.
This is
the perfect gift for that gearhead who longs for a return to the
golden days of the American automobile, when so much was artistry
and performed by hand in the garage out back, rather than on a
drafting board and a bank of CNC machines. Each is one of a kind.
Very hard cover, 58 pages, black and white photography.
 |
S-1160
Price: $24.95
|
STREET SLEEPERS: The Art of the
Deceptively Fast Car
by Tommy Lee Byrd
Street
racing is now regarded as a highly illicit and dangerous activity,
but for as long as there have been cars, there’s been racing, and a
lot of acceleration contests took place on public roads. Beginning
in the 1950s it became popular for some enterprising street racers
to disguise the true potential hidden within their cars. Taken to
its extreme, a very fast car could appear completely unmodified.
Such cars were called ‘Sleepers.’
The art of building a successful
sleeper has varied over the decades as styles and times have
changed. One constant is that the car’s appearance belies its
performance potential. In Street Sleepers, the secrets are
exposed and the owners and builders of some of America’s quickest
street machines share their art. Outstanding photography and
in-depth owner interviews tell the tale. Street Sleepers is
lined with true stories of real cars that live up to the grand hot
rodder’s tradition of deceptively fast cars.
Soft cover, 144
pages, 321 color photos.
 |
S-1156
Price: $24.95
|
How To Build Period-Correct
Hot Rods
by Gerry Burger
Vintage, retro, or classic hot rods have been an enduring element of
the hot rod hobby. These vintage roadsters, sedans, and coups have
become very popular because they are the bedrock of the hot rodding
culture. Many rodders have built a rod dedicated to a particular
decade, era, region, flavor or style, but often these have lacked
all the period correct details, and it's crucial to get all the
details (i.e., parts) right. If the package does not faithfully
replicate a particular style or era, the theme of the hot rod can be
ruined.
Hot rod
veteran Gerry Burger explains how to identify, buy, or build the
parts to create a faithful period-correct hot rod…a car that you
will be proud of and will gain the respect from others in the hobby.
The book showcases all the parts that make an authentic hot rod of a
certain era or flavor, including ’50s and ’60s styles, both East
Coast and West Coast. It details the wide range of stock parts and
popular high-performance parts from a particular era. Burger
discusses when the parts were first produced and when they were in popular use. He describes
the way to choose the period-correct engine for your chassis, valve
covers, intakes, and carbs that match the era from Edelbrock,
Offenhauser, and others. Other chapters cover interiors, wheels and
tires, frames, suspension, and other components.
When it
comes to putting together all the pieces to create an attractive,
accurate, and fun hot rod from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s, How to
Build Period Correct Hot Rods is a great guide.
Soft
cover, 144 pages, 350 color photos.
|
S-1155
Price: $29.95
|
RUSTED MUSCLE:
A Collection of Derelict Dream Machines
by Steve Magnante
Seeing vintage muscle cars languishing in junkyards
never fails to generate an emotional response among those who lived
through the era. In Rusted Muscle, noted author Steve
Magnante takes us on a tour across the country, sharing memorable
imagery he has collected over years of travel. The author also
shares important information about the cars he describes, such as
production numbers regarding a particular year, make and model, or
de-coding the vehicle's VIN number or data plate to discover how it
was equipped when new. In some cases, the cars pictured are quite
rare, whereas others are more familiar.
While other books have
shared junkyard photography in the past, none have been focused
purely on domestic muscle cars, and none has included the level of
information acquired about the subject cars like Rusted Muscle.
Considering the immense popularity of muscle cars today, seeing a
collection of well-researched derelict examples like this assures
enthusiasts that plenty of entry-level fodder still exists. It
encourages the reader to search for buried treasure, and pursue
their own muscle car dreams.
Soft cover, 176 pages, 420
color photos.
|
|
S-996
Price: $19.95
|
John Force: the Straight Story of Drag Racing’s 300-mph
Superstar
by Erik Arneson
Revised and Updated edition (April 2009)
The paperback re-release of this popular book about a drag-racing
legend includes updated statistics, photographs, and a section on
the racing career of John Force’s daughter Ashley Force Hood. With
photography by Jon Asher (more than 200 color and B&W photos), the
book recaps Force’s well-documented “rags to riches” story. (Area
Auto Racing News)
The stars of the drag race circuit may be 6,000-horsepower
nitro-burning drags cars, but the 300-miles-per-hour superstar of
the sport is funny car racer John Force. John’s popularity is about
more than his career record. His honest and consistently outrageous
demeanor have endeared him to the fans, made him a favorite with Jay
Leno and FOX’s “The Best Damn Sports Show,” and has led him to be
dubbed the "best interview in sports today."
Force has been the face (and mouth) of drag racing for the past
decade, and he shows no signs of slowing down, on or off the track.
This revised and updated photo biography by veteran race reporter
Erik Arneson covers the rags-to-riches story of Force’s rise from a
penniless racer to a multi-team effort that includes his
high-profile daughter Ashley (the 2004 Driver of the Year and Rookie
of the Year). Force’s is the story of a career built on sheer will
and determination--the tale of a racer who, with unstoppable drive,
guts, and savvy, overcame lousy equipment and little backing to
become the best.
Soft cover, 176
pages, and more than 200 color and B&W photos.
|
V-1165
Price: $14.95
CLASSIC 2-Pack
V-1162
Price: $19.95
|
Classic
Chrome - DVD
Take a
thrilling tour of incredible classic cars in this 4-DVD collector’s
set presented by Lance Lambert and the “Vintage Vehicle Show.” See
why Packards, Hudsons, Edsels and Corvairs are making a comeback in
Odd Rods & Orphans, and head on over to Drive-In Delights for the
coolest classics. Then, go under the hoods of Rat Rods &
Traditionals before taking a ground-scraping luxury ride in
Lowriders & Bombs.
Run Time: Approximately 4 hours.
A Classic 2-Pack
DVD: From Fast and Furious
to Low and Slow!
8-DVD set includes Classic
Chrome and Stock Cars of the ’50s & ’60s – a terrific value!
|
S-1135
Price: $27.95
|
"TV" Tommy Ivo: Drag Racing's
Master Showman
by Tom Cotter
with Foreword by Don
Prudhomme
In the
early 1960s, Tommy Ivo had the world in the palm of his hands. Still
a young man, he was already a star of television and film with a
promising Hollywood future ahead of him. Then his producers told him
he had to quit drag racing. He quit the entertainment industry
instead.
This is
the official story of Ivo’s incredible life and racing career.
Readers will follow “TV” Tommy as he becomes the most ambitious drag
racer in the nation, building his own cars in the garage behind his
Burbank home; becoming the first driver to pilot his dragsters to
170, 175, and 180 miles per hour and towing his cars to match races
at small-town drag strips across the United States.
Always
the showman, Ivo pioneered promotional techniques that are today
taken for granted. In this regard especially, his impact on the
sport cannot be understated, and his legacy is detailed in this
incredible bio of one of drag racing’s most irrepressible
characters.
Hard cover, 240 pages, many B&W and color
photos.
|
S-1127
Price: $34.95
|
Grumpy's Toys
by Doug Boyce
Few men have impacted the sport of
drag racing like Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins. His storied history at the
drag strip began in the late 1950s, and continues today. Throughout
his career, both innovation and success have followed him closely,
and this book documents the long and colorful history of the
competition cars that proudly bear the name “Grumpy's Toy.”
Grumpy's Toys stands as a full and complete history of Jenkins'
career to date as told through his cars. Author Doug Boyce has
followed Jenkins throughout his racing career and has amassed an
impressive collection of vintage photography that is shared on these
pages. Through his own knowledge, extensive research, and by working
closely with Grumpy himself, Boyce offers readers an unparalleled
look behind the man and his machines. This book is essential for the
true drag racing fan.
Soft Cover, 176 pages, 86 B&W and 218
full color photos.
|
S-938
Price: $29.95
|
Funny Car
Fever
by Steve Reyes
There wasn’t always a class for these “funny-looking” cars. In the
mid-1960s, many of drag racing’s fastest drivers were outgrowing the
Super Stock and Factory Experimental classes, building cars that
stretched and eventually broke the rules. Promoters discovered they
could pair up these altered-wheelbase, injected, blown machines in
exhibition match races—and the spectators came running. Rivalries
were born, the Funny Car class was created, and the cars kept
getting faster and faster.
Funny Car Fever is a humorous, heart-felt,
first-hand account of the
most exciting and memorable years of the Funny Car class. Steve
Reyes followed these fiberglass-bodied, nitro-burning machines and
their drivers from the years leading into Funny Car class through
its halcyon days. He’s included over 400 of his favorite images and
more than a few never-before-heard stories to bring the feeling of
the class and the era home to you.
Soft cover, 192 pages, 200 color and black & white photos.
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S-1104
Price: $29.95
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Super Stock:
Drag Racing the Family Sedan
by Larry Davis
Now in Soft Cover!
Without a doubt, the most popular classes in drag racing are the
feature cars that the Average Joe has a chance to drive and afford.
In the early and mid-‘60s, this era was especially interesting, as
the cars that people were racing were muscle cars right off the
showroom floor.
Super Stock takes a look at the most popular
class of drag racing – factory Super Stock. It traces the evolution
of the cars, the engines, the rules, the personalities, and many of
the teams, from its beginnings in the mid-1950s through to the 1960s
and the era of the Super Stock 409s, Ramchargers, 421 Pontiacs, and
406 Fords. This was a time when Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors
competed on a weekly basis at local drag strips throughout the
country, and the saying “...win on Sunday, sell on Monday...” had
real significance in the marketplace. This is also the period that
saw emergence of the term “muscle car” and the production of a whole
class of American automobiles – which are now the most sought after
by collectors, restorers, and performance enthusiasts.
This
affordable edition of Super Stock: Drag Racing the Family Sedan is a
paperback release of the original best-selling hardcover edition. It
includes all the same first-person accounts of what drag racing was
really like in the early 1960s, how the manufacturers controlled the
competition and the results of the races, and how the sanctioning
bodies attempted to control the manufacturers, who in turn simply
sidestepped the rules. Appendices include all of the major event
winners and the rules defining the classes as well as information
detailing the engines and chassis competing in Top Stock categories.
Soft cover, 210 pages, 310 color and B&W photos.
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S-1095
Price: $24.95
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Speed Duel: The Inside Story of the Land Speed
Record in the Sixties
by Samuel
Hawley
The quest for the land speed
record in the 1960s and the epic rivalry between two dynamic
American drivers, Art Arfons and Craig Breedlove.
Until the
1950s, the land speed record (LSR) was held by a series of European
gentlemen racers such as British driver John Cobb, who hit 394 miles
per hour in 1947. That record held for more than a decade, until the
car culture swept the U.S.
Hot-rodders
and drag racers built and souped up racers using car engines, piston
aircraft engines and, eventually, jet engines. For this determined
and dedicated group, the LSR was no longer an honor to be held by
rich aristocrats with industrial backing – it was brought stateside.
In the
summer of 1960, the contest moved into overdrive, with eight men
contending for the record on Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats. Some men
died in horrific crashes, others prudently retired, and by
mid-decade only two men were left driving: Art Arfons and Craig
Breedlove. By 1965, Arfons and Breedlove had walked away from some
of the most spectacular wipeouts in motor sport history and pushed
the record up to 400, then 500, then 600 miles per hour. Speed Duel
is the fast-paced history of their rivalry.
Despite the
abundant heart-stopping action, Speed Duel is foremost a human
drama. Says author Samuel Hawley, "It is a quintessential American
tale in the tradition of The Right Stuff, except that it is not
about extraordinary men doing great things in a huge government
program. It's about ordinary men doing extraordinary things in their
back yards."
Soft cover, 360 pages, B&W photos.
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S-1038
Price: $34.95
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Kings of the Quarter-Mile:
Rail-Jobs, Slingshots & Mid-Engine Dragsters
by Lou Hart
When our young heroes began returning from World War II, they
applied the knowledge gained from Uncle Sam towards the fledgling
hot rod movement. While speeds increased, rodders learned the hard
way just how dangerous it was to “drag it out” on the city streets.
In the mid ‘50s, organized drag racing gave hot rodders a safe place
to race. Cars evolved from pre-war coupes and sedans to crude “rail
jobs,” which were stripped and narrowed frame rails with nothing
more than an engine, driveline, seat, and steering gear.
As hot rodders were the true Mothers of Invention, the cars later
became hand-made, finely crafted “Slingshot Dragsters.” Dubbed the
“Kings of the Sport,” these supercharged, fuel-injected Slingshots
burned exotic fuels and captured the attention of every young
enthusiast from coast to coast. The cars dazzled with gleaming
chrome, Candy Apple, Pearlescent, and Metalflake® paint jobs, while
the nitromethane fuel produced an unforgettable thunderous sound.
This new volume contains all the stars that waged war on
quarter-mile strips of asphalt from California to Maine. It’s a
vivid pictorial display that captures the true essence of extreme
acceleration in all its glory.
Soft cover, 160 pages.
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S-1032
Price: $34.95
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Snake vs. Mongoose – How a Rivalry Changed Drag Racing Forever
by Tom Madigan
Don "The Snake" Prudhomme in his Barracuda, Tom "The Mongoose"
McEwen in his Duster. The "Snake vs. Mongoose" racing feud had been
making headlines long before they got their Funny Cars, but it
wasn't until they made a deal with Mattel that drag racing became
the multimillion-dollar business that it is today.
Happily co-opted by Mattel, the rivalry described in Snake vs.
Mongoose was nonetheless real. Author Tom Madigan tells the story
from the beginning, when engine-builder Ed Donovan, with a nod to
The Jungle Book, dubbed his driver "The Mongoose"—the one creature
who could strike faster than a Snake.
The book chronicles the bad press, the toe-to-toe standoffs, and
some of the best races in drag racing history. And within that
story, Madigan captures the transformation of drag racing from the
gritty, gut-driven sport of the ‘60s into the full-fledged
money-making machine of our day.
Hard cover, 160 pages, many black & white and full-color photos.
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S-1030
Price: $39.95
Limited Time Special: $19.95
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Merchants of Speed: The Men Who Built America's Performance Industry
by Paul D. Smith
An appreciative look back at the early hot rodders who designed and
manufactured the parts that made hot rodding possible.
Drawing upon hundreds of hours of interviews conducted with the
founding fathers of the sport, Paul Smith tells the stories behind
two dozen speed equipment manufacturers and the go-fast goodies they
designed, developed, and sold.
Illustrated with more than 200 period photos, his book is a truly
fitting celebration of the names that became synonymous with speed.
Coffee table hard cover, 240 pages, black and white photos on glossy
stock.
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S-901
Price: $50.00
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FUEL AND
GUTS
The Birth of Top Fuel Drag Racing
By Tom Madigan
The front engine Top Fuel dragster and its West Coast drivers
defined the evolution of drag racing in the period through the early
seventies.
This is the story of how Top Fuel started in California, told
through the words of the men and women who lived it.
Covers Flaming Frank Pedregon, Hand Grenade Harry Hibler, Big Daddy
Roth,
Tommy Ivo, and many, many others.
Hard cover, 240 pages, color and b&w photography throughout
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S-903
Price: $34.95
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HOT ROD ROOTS
A Tribute to the Pioneers
Edited by Dean Gingerelli
Its seven chapters, each by a different author, say it all:
World War II and Hot Rodding, Belly Tanks, Track Roadster Racing,
Drag Racing, Spreading the Word, From Out of the East, and Hot Rod
Heritage. Produced by the American Hot Rod Foundation.
Hard Cover, 176 pages, b&w photography throughout
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S-908
Price: $34.95
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SO-CAL SPEED SHOP
The Fast Tale of the California Racers who Made the Hot Rod Industry
By Mark Christensen
Alex Xydias established So-Cal Speed Shop in 1946, the day he got
out of the service. It played a huge role in the transformation of
hot rodding from scruffy underground curiosity into a defining part
of American culture. Key characters include Dean Bachelor, Ray
Brown, Vic Edelbrock, Dick Flint, Ed Iskendarian, Wally Parks,
Barney Navarro and Ed Winfield.
A beautiful book.
Hard cover, 192 pages, lots of b&w photography
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S-732
Price: $40.00
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EDELBROCK: Made in U.S.A.
by Tom Madigan
Here is the story of the company's growth from a simple shop at the
rear of a gas station to an American institution. It is at the heart
of the history of the earliest drag racers and land speed racers, it
is woven into the early days of NASCAR, and it flourishes today in
the cars owned by enthusiasts and ordinary drivers across America
who boast Edelbrock equipment.
It is the story of a company whose influence not only helped shape
automotive performance, but also led the automotive aftermarket
industry in addressing and conforming to the clean air and safety
regulations that have emerged over the past 35 years.
And it is the story of an iconic family business that has preserved
its values and its spirit of independence, creativity, philanthropy,
and fun over three generations.
Hard cover, 324 pages, color and black & white photography.
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