Street Fight: The Chicago Taxi Wars of the 1920s
by Anne Morrissy
You’ll never look at a taxi cab the same. Next time you hail one, just be glad that no one is likely to shoot at you because of it. A hundred years ago . . . different story, at least in Chicago.
As a Matter of Fact, I Am Parnelli Jones
by Parnelli Jones with Bones Bourcier
Told by the protagonist as much as by his peers this memoir paints a rich picture of the people, cars, and venues in American racing of the 1960s and ‘70s in a sometimes feisty and always engaging manner.
The Legend of the First Super Speedway
by Mark G. Dill
Two companion books about the same thing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway—one for adult and one for YA readers. Gather ‘round for family time!
The First Lady of Dirt
The Triumphs and Tragedy of Racing Pioneer Cheryl Glass
by Bill Poehler
It’s no surprise that public figures keep their struggles private. In the case of a female driver you can image what those are. Also, she was also not only black but the first black female pro driver. And hardships followed her all her life, until it ended in suicide.
The Fastest Woman on Wheels, The Life of Paula Murphy
by Erik Arneson
Skates–sailboat–horse: if it moves, let’s see if it can move faster. She came to motorsports only in her thirties and then almost by accident, but it stuck and she was good with anything she drove. But she almost missed this biography, dying just a few months later.
Maserati 450S: A Bazooka from Modena
by Walter Bäumer and Jean-François Blachette
Super expensive, hard to handle, engine power that overwhelmed the chassis, sexy Fantuzzi coachwork. Built to suit the upcoming racing regs it became obsolete a few years later when they changed. So few were made you may never see—or hear, a real treat—one.
Ed Pink, The Old Master
by Ed Pink with Bones Bourcier
There was a time, before crew chiefs, when engine builders were as famous as the star drivers because they saw to every aspect of a car’s performance. Having built thousands of engines, at 92, Pink has finally called it quits.
The Diesel Odyssey of Clessie Cummins
by C. Lyle Cummins Jr.
Cummins is not only the name behind the ubiquitous Cummins Diesel truck engine but also a world speed and endurance record holder. Readers with historical awareness will recognize in the publisher’s name a clever homage to Sadi Carnot, the brilliant young French scientist who is considered the father of thermodynamics.
Vintage Speed Parts: The Equipment that Fueled the Industry
by Tony Thacker
Dreaming about hot rods in far-away Britain in the 1960s the author couldn’t have imagined moving to California to become involved in many aspects of the speed world, from selling parts to setting speed records to running a museum—to writing piles of books.
The Handley Page Victor: The History & Development of a Classic Jet, Vol. 1
by Roger R. Brooks
This two-volume Data File covers the 86 Cold War-era Victors produced to carry their nuclear payload higher, faster, and further than any other plane.
100 Years of Legends, The Official Celebration of the Le Mans 24 Hours
by Bernard, Davoine, Holtz & Holtz
This book includes the actual centenary race of 2023 which was totally worth waiting for. Brimming with photos and infographics, the amount of detail will make your head spin. In a good way.
Dirt Tracks to Glory
The Early Days of Stock Car Racing As Told by the Participants
by Sylvia Jean Wilkinson
There are so many reasons to be interested in this book: excellent writing, first-person accounts, the tipping point when local Saturday-night hot-shoes might find themselves millionaires at a national level.