Archive for Items Categorized 'Automobiles', only excerpts shown, click title for full entry.

The American Car Since 1775

The Most Complete Survey of the American Automobile ever Published

by The Editors of AQ

Fifty years after its first publication you can still find this book without much effort, at less than the original MSRP, and often in “as new” condition—meaning those owners never used the book as it was meant to. Don’t be that person!

Ferrari 275P 0816: The Only Ferrari to Have Won Le Mans Twice

by Keith Bluemel

That title tells you why this car is special. But did you know that your Le Mans record books say something different? A BIG story in a BIG book.

The First American Grand Prix: The Savannah Auto Races, 1908–1911

by Tanya A. Bailey

Savannah, Georgia may be a hotbed for many things, but racing?
International participants declared the course America’s greatest and the author is certainly its greatest fan.

A Technical & Operational  History of the Liberty Engine: Tanks, Ships and Aircraft 1917–1960

by Robert J. Neal

One of history’s most famous engines, and very possibly the one with the longest active military service life, the Liberty represents an ambitious and visionary solution to what could have become an intractable problem: too much creativity resulting in too much incompatibility.

The Book Bus

by Melanie Moore, Brian Wray

Do you read to your car? Unexpected things might happen. The bookmobile at the center of this story really exists, operated by a former teacher who found her second calling and requisitioned her husband’s vintage VW.

Auto Racing Comes of Age

by Robert Dick

It is nothing short of amazing that the transition from rickety horseless carriage you could outrun on foot to fire-snorting record-breaking racecar took so little time. This excellent book examines the European and American history of the origins of motorsports.

Bella Mangusta, The Italian Art and Design of the De Tomaso Mangusta

by Dick Ruzzin

GM’s styling chief ordered a bespoke Mangusta to show his bosses that they were missing out on the sort of exciting sporty car that would be good for the bottom line. They passed, but the car is still around, owned by the author.

Designing Dreams

by Dick Ruzzin

At the center of these essays is the groundbreaking1966 Oldsmobile Toronado, designed by the author. But what started out as the story of its design program then grew into one about the creation of the car designer profession by Harley Earl.

Discovered: The Nineteenth Rolls-Royce Phantom IV

by Bill Wolf

Spoiler alert: there really are only eighteen, and only available (when new) to royalty which is why everything there is to know about them is known. But, asketh the fiction writer, What If?

Quest for Speed: The Epic Saga of Record-Breaking on Land

by Barry John

Ever watch a car break the sound barrier? If it’s a blur to look at, imagine what it looks like from inside the cockpit! When Chuck Yeager had done it in the air half a century before, he too was rattled. This book covers highlights of the 100-year LSR history.

Life on the Wilds Side! My Half Century-Plus As A Professional Racing Driver

by Mike Wilds

A teenage job in the 1960s washing cars at a British shop that built Formula Juniors out back. Thus is born a racer who not only went pro but kept at it for half a century, contesting various series. It’s about time he finally told his story.