Book Reviews
Reviews of the latest media that interest motoring enthusiasts.
It’s Only Original Once: Unrestored Classic Cars
A flawless restoration turns heads, but an unrestored classic car can be an absolute show stopper. "It's Only Original Once: Unrestored Classic Cars" explores the allure of the unmolested original. Among the cars captured in the over 500 colored photographs is a '57 Corvette wearing its first and only coat of paint it ever had. And a 1960 Mercury … Read More
Indianapolis Motor Speedway: 100 Years of Racing
In 1909, four men purchased 320 acres of Indiana farmland for $500, beat out a loop of hard-pack, and called it the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Since then, it has become the most recognizable venues in racing. In anticipation of the Speedway's hundredth anniversary, Ralph Kramer penned Indianapolis Motor Speedway: 100 Years of Racing, a book of pictures… Read More
Three Points of Contact
People often forget that on the track, even as cars themselves become faster and more complex, the driver's most potent weapon is himself. Jeffrey Zwart's book of photographs, Three Points of Contact is a beautiful and fitting homage to twenty-four of the greatest contemporary drivers, or rather to their hands, eyes and feet. The title of the book is… Read More
Porsche: Sixty Years
Of all the marques available throughout automotive history, few have inspired more books than Porsche, and Porsche: Sixty Years by Randy Leffingwell is one of the best yet. It presents the history of this iconic sports car brand, from humble beginnings to world wide success, in thorough but always easy to read detail. It then illustrates every model and… Read More
Shelby Cars In Detail
Big coffee table books about famous cars are a dime a dozen, and few of them, even the cheap ones, are rarely worth their asking price. But Shelby Cars In Detail, by Frank Barrett and Boyd Jaynes, is not only one of the most expensive that we've ever seen, it's also one of the best. $149.95 buys you a massive book presenting 26 significant machines from… Read More
Mickey Thompson: The Fast Life and Tragic Death of a Racing Legend
Though if begins and ends with an untimely death, Erik Arneson's book Mickey Thompson: The Fast Life and Tragic Death of a Racing Legend is a full-fledge tribute to a racer who remains larger than life long after his mysterious murder in 1988. This comprehensive biography seeks to examine not only Thompson's assassination but his remarkable life and… Read More
Portraits
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the striking photos that fill the pages of Portraits are a veritable encyclopedia of motor sports history. In this fine photo book, veteran racing photographer Jesse Alexander brings us a most memorable collection of his favorite photos, each capturing a magical moment in time with history's greatest drivers and… Read More
BuildBook
Here's a different kind of automotive publication: it's the BuildBook. A series of full-color, soft-cover books each one a detailed history of the construction of a top custom car, and we do mean detailed. Each issue not only introduces you to the mechanical wizards who build these amazing mobiles but show every single step of the build in exhausting … Read More
Green Car Journal
If you think a magazine devoted entirely to environmentally-friendly transportation can appeal only to preachy tree-huggers and alarmist ozone scientists, then you haven't seen Ron Cogan's "Green Car Journal." A longtime auto journalist and enthusiast, Cogan has infused this slick quarterly magazine with enough excitement and driving fun to rival any of… Read More
The Great Race
It's often been said that the first auto race took place as soon as there were two automobiles in the same town. Back in 1908 cars were not yet a fixture in every driveway, but as The Great Race shows, that didn't stop early auto enthusiasts from participating in one of the most amazing motorized competitions of all time. Author Gary Blackwood is best… Read More