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

The British at Le Mans, 85 Years of Endeavour

by Ian Wagstaff

Today, racing is as international an enterprise as one could imagine. Why then should the British connection to Le Mans be thought especially noteworthy? From the first running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1923, the British had a presence there, aAdmittedly with reluctance at first.

British Woodies From the 1920s to the 1950s

by Colin Peck

To an American reader, woodies may seem a quintessential American answer to a practical problem: a shortage of steel. But the Brits, too, suffered the same problem and, necessity being the mother of invention, came up with the same answers.

The Miller Dynasty

by Mark L Dees

Inspired by Griffith Borgeson’s work, fellow Californian Mark Dees began to seriously accumulate Miller lore, interviewing those still living who had known or worked with Miller, along with survivors from the prewar racing world.

Porsche: Brochures and Sales Literature, A Source Book 1948–1965

by S Miller & R Merritt

Now in its 3rd edition, this book has been revised and expanded twice since it was first published in 1978. As with most books of this type, the mere act of publishing brings forth additional information. Sometimes the volume of new material, coupled with the popularity (and sales) of the book, warrant these subsequent editions.

Two in Celebration of the Porsche Speedster

It is obvious from the first page that these two books—produced concurrently—were both labors-of-love and adventurous projects. They were conceived to salute and honor a particular Porsche on (as the title of one clearly indicates) the occasion of its fiftieth birthday.

Ferrari – Men from Maranello

by Anthony Pritchard

A Ferrari “Who’s Who.” Here, in one place, are the biographical details of more than 200 individuals who have made important contributions to Ferrari’s greatness over the years.

The Industrial Revolutionaries: The Making of the Modern World, 1776–1914

by Gavin Weightman

This book is akin to reading, as opposed to watching, the out-takes that so often accompany re-releases of popular movies on dvd. The out-takes that fill the pages of this book, however, are from behind-the-scenes of the major, most important and influential inventions of all time.

The Magnificent Front-engined Birdcages, Maserati Tipo 60 and 61

by W. Oosthoek & M. Bollée

The Tipo 60 and 61 were the last of the great front-engined sports racing cars. In this beautifully produced volume, Trident authorities Oosthoek and Bollée treat them with the same thoroughness that made their previous volumes on the 450S and Tipo 151 benchmarks.

Chicago Stations & Trains

by John Kelly

Railroad stations were once the focal center of every city. Local commuter trains and cross-country passenger service intersected to provide a mass transit system that efficiently moved people across town and across the country. Kelly writes, “No other American city had such a fascinating group of railroad passenger stations as Chicago.”

Walter L. Marr, Buick’s Amazing Engineer

by Beverly Kimes & James Cox

An eexcellent biography of Buick’s brilliant and innovative Chief Engineer. His contributions made the Buick one of America’s most desirable automobiles in the early part of the Twentieth Century.

Flight of Passage

by Rinker Buck

Imagine trying to write a memoir about the defining event of your life thirty years after it happened. This was the challenge facing Buck here. In 1966, Rinker, then 15 years old, and his older brother Kern, who was 17, flew a 85-hp Piper Cub to become the youngest aviators ever to fly from coast to coast.

Mickey Thompson: The Last Racing Maniac

by Scribbler Joe (Scalzo)

I read this book with the absolute wish that every single solitary, bar none, motherlover listed in it could be looking over my shoulder reading right along with me; or even better still be listening to the author frantically reading the book aloud to all of us huddled in some musty Babbitville coffee enclave at 4:30 on a cold, rainy Wednesday afternoon.

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