Book Reviews
Reviews of the latest media that interest motoring enthusiasts.
The Definitive Camaro Guide: 1970½ - 1981
While 1st gen Chevrolet Camaros draw most of the collector car attention, it’s a matter of fact that the original Camaro was a hastily assembled compromise based on the Chevy II, so that GM would have something to counter the wildly popular Ford Mustang. It wasn’t until the ground-up design of the 2nd generation that GM really had something on their hands. And… Read More
Tyler Alexander: A Life And Times With McLaren
If you’re a follower of Formula 1 racing or just high performance cars, you may think you know everything there is to know about team McLaren. Chances are, you don’t. But there’s no better place to get the full story than directly from someone who was there from the beginning. Tyler Alexander. Released just prior to his death unfortunate passing, this… Read More
The Complete Book of Classic Volkswagens
The name pretty much says it all for this Must Read. It’s The Complete Book of Classic Volkswagens: Beetles, Microbuses, Things, Karmann Ghias, and More by John Gunnell. If it’s air-cooled and built by Volkswagen in the 50s, 60s, 70s, or 80s; you’ll read about it here. Accompanying the wealth of facts and figures, are plenty of technical drawings and period… Read More
Porsche: The Classic Era
Call us crazy, but even with all of the Porsche books we’ve read over the years, we can’t get enough of them. The latest to cross our desk is Porsche: The Classic Era by Dennis Adler. The first part of this book focuses on Ferdinand Porsche’s early years as a highly sought after automotive engineer who always dreamed of building an affordable sports car. But that… Read More
Automobile Design Graphics
In the automobile’s infancy, the biggest hurdle for the burgeoning industry wasn’t necessarily designing and building cars, but creating a demand for them. Thus began the art of automobile advertising. The manufacturers that have survived to today, realized early on that the key to success wasn’t necessarily about the product you build, but the lifestyle you can… Read More
Stars & Cars: Mythical Pairings
Stars & Cars: Mythical Pairings by Jacque Braunstein is a loving look at the close relationship of cars with film and television actors. 20th Century icons like Steve McQueen, James Dean, Don Johnson, Clint Eastwood, and Vin Diesel, all were emotionally involved with cars both on and off camera. also looks how entire film projects use the car culture as a core… Read More
Mercer Magic
Everyone knows that racing improves the breed. But, it seems like no other American car brand embraced that more in the industry’s infancy than the Mercer Automobile Company. Founded in 1909 by the Roebling family of Brooklyn Bridge fame, out of what was left of the Walter Automobile Company, they quickly began assembling cars. But it was their Raceabout that… Read More
Airstream: America’s World Traveler
In America’s manufacturing landscape, it’s hard to think of a product that is more American than the Airstream camping trailer. Whether you’re an RVer or not, you’ll enjoy reading Patrick Foster’s book Airstream: America’s World Traveler about the history of this iconic brand. Foster is clearly an Airstream fan, and while that may come through a little too much… Read More
American Muscle Cars: A Full Throttle History
As much as we love to consider ourselves connoisseurs of fine automobiles around here, nothing gets our automotive juices flowing more than good old American muscle cars. Yes, we know your bookshelves are already crowded with muscle car books as much as ours; but Darwin Holmstrom’s American Muscle Cars: A Full Throttle History is a Must Read that’s a worthy… Read More
Darlene’s Silver Streak and the Bradford Model T Girls
While most collectable cars have a story to tell, none are quite as unique as the Silver Streak. This 1926 Model T shuttled a host of young ladies around the country in the late 1930’s and early 40’s. It seems Darlene Dorgan of Bradford, Illinois had some serious wanderlust, loading up the Model T every summer with 4 or 5 friends and hitting the road. This… Read More