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.

Formula Atlantic: Tales from the Champions & Top Competitors, 1969–2009

by Gordon Kirby

If you follow F1 or IndyCar you’ll find an all but forgotten part of the backstory in this book. Lots of people, cars, places make an appearance here and you’ll surely recognize many, but from different contexts.

The VanDersarl Blériot: A Centenary Celebration

by Javier Arango & Philip Makanna

This spindly French machine made aviation history when it became the first heavier-than-air aircraft to cross the English Channel. Two American youngsters got excited. So they decided to build their own. It still flies, more than a hundred years later. See it here.

Landings in America: Two People, One Summer, and a Piper Cub

A Flying Memoir

by Peter Egan

A memoir of a 7000-mile flight across the US in a 1945 Piper. It took place 40 years ago, a boom time for private aviation in the US.

Formula 3000: Where Legends Earned Their Stripes

by James Newbold

Quicker, cheaper, more open racing—F3000 was supposed to bring all that. It lasted some 20 years so something must have been missed.

Peace Is a Shy Thing: The Life and Art of Tim O’Brien

by Alex Vernon

“Vietnam made me a writer,” says O’Brien. This meticulously researched literary biography explores the life and journey that turned “happening-truth” into “story-truth.” If these terms don’t mean anything to you, all the more reason to read this book.

Twice Around the Clock – The Yanks at Le Mans, 1980–1999

by Tim Considine

This is the second installment (of three) that will cover a hundred years of American cars, drivers, teams at the 24 Hours. Lots of interviews and photos make the subject approachable and at least a little bit relatable—endurance racing is a peculiar activity!

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.