Racer’s Library / 36 posts found
Goldenrod
This acclaimed work has been praised far and wide as the best book ever written about Bonneville racing and the World's Land Speed Record. it delivers a deep dive look at how the new 1964 Chrysler Race Hemis were modified to suit the trying conditions of Bonneville's legendary five mile dyno; fuel injected Race Hemis on methanol at wide open throttle for five miles running as fast as 425.99 mph.
ISKY, The History of Hot Rodding
Isky: Ed Iskenderian and the History of Hot Rodding, tells the whole story, from Ed's pre-war Lake Muroc and car club activities, his service in the military, starting a small business fabricating parts and making cams in the back of a rented shop and selling them to hot rodders...
The Unobtainable: A Story of Blue
By its very nature, the ultimate speed record on land or water is "Unobtainable" or men would no longer pursue it. Two of the most extraordinary speed record hunters comprised a father and son effort that relentlessly sought the ultimate limits of speed with a legendary stable of blue machines named Bluebird.
Leo Villa’s Bluebird Album
David de Lara's extraordinary photographic documentary of Donald Campbell’s Bluebirds brilliantly captures the complicated essence of Donald Campbell the man and the magnificent record smashing machines that...
Smokey’s Best Damn Garage in Town
Few iconic figures in motorsports are more recognizable than Henry “Smokey” Yunick. Among the colorful individuals of NASCAR’s golden age Smokey was a genuine giant who cast a long and influential shadow. Few have expressed their life and times and indeed revealed their relevancy as well as straight talkin’ Smokey. Smokey thrived on the razor’s edge of creative rule book interpretation with...
Reid Railton: Man of Speed
Engineering proficiency reveals itself in many forms, but rarely does it articulate itself so profoundly that a lifetime of work achieves legendary status. Such is the case with Reid Railton, an engineer whose breadth of accomplishments left an indelible mark on land speed racing and...
Ford Drag Team
Charlie Morris is quite the prolific drag racing author and his book on the Ford Drag Team brings to light all the amazing details of Ford's deep drag racing involvement in the sixties. In this thoroughly researched 200 page book, Morris details the racing exploits of Ford racing legends such as Gas Ronda, Les Ritchy, Dick Brannan, Mickey Thompson, Butch Leal, Phil Bonner, Tommy Grove, Al Joniec and many more. One of the most important aspects of this book is that it highlights the achievements of racers who actually worked with Ford products the way they were manufactured.
Bonneville SCTA Program Books: The First Thirty Years
With the overwhelming interest in Bonneville and land speed racing its great to see so many efforts coming together to help save the salt from disappearing without a fight. One ambitious program recently raised $50,000 to help the SCTA carry on its efforts. Fetherston Publishing is already widely acknowledged for its great book on the history of Bonneville and now it has published a followup with a pair of hardbound volumes comprised of all the original SCTA Bonneville Programs from 1949 through 1968. The books are beautifully bound and what makes them special is that they are original reproductions...
The Crew Chief’s Son
From 1957 through 1965 car owner and racing mechanic Louie Clements traveled NASCAR's emerging Grand National stock car racing series and he brought his entire family, wife and five kids along for the ride. Now Michael Clements brings those days alive with...
Frank Lockhart, American Speed King
Racing icons sometimes achieve immortality under the cruelest of circumstances, particularly in the early days of motor racing when perishing tragically in a hurtling mass of twisted angry metal was often the norm. Such was the case of Frank Lockhart (1903-1928). Frank Lockhart bookEjected from his tumbling land speed record car during a violent crash on an unforgiving Florida beach...
BONNEVILLE A Century of Speed
The 100th anniversary of land speed racing on the Bonneville Salt Flats in northwest Utah is fittingly celebrated in “Bonneville: A Century of Speed” by David Fetherston with Ron Main. Debuting at the 2014 Grand National Roadster Show...
David Kimble’s Cutaways
David Kimble's incredibly detailed full color cutaway art is in a class all by itself. It has anchored countless magazine articles, posters, press materials, special showings and innumerable displays of automotive fine art where precision and detail are absolutely necessary to reveal the inner workings of engines...
The Dawn of Pro Stock
As spawned in the early seventies, the Pro Stock class introduced a powerful new force in drag racing. Evolving from the popularity of Super Stock class racing, Pro Stock quickly became a fan favorite. Drag racing fans came to see the Funny Cars, but hardcore racing fans were clearly there to see the Pro Stock cars with hero drivers slamming gears behind...
The Cars of Trans Am Racing, 1966-1972
Some of the best hardcore sedan racing ever seen occurred in the sixties when thinly disguised factory racing teams battled tooth and nail for on track supremacy with newly minted factory muscle cars in the wild SCCA Trans Am series. Effectively the road racing equivalent of factory stock car racing the Trans Am was hotly contested with the nimble pony cars of the day; Camaros, Mustangs, Firebirds....
Sensory Overload
Toby Brooks book about the history of the Street Machine Nationals reveals the intimate background of a simple car show that blossomed into a full blown cultural phenomenon; spawning the still popular Pro Street movement and multiple generations of dedicated gearhead followers. With endless research and considerable insight Brooks investigative skills probe the inner workings of America's favorite car show...
Grumpy’s Toys
Grumpy's Toys offers a long overdue examination of drag racing legend Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins and the 17 Chevrolet race cars that bear one of the most famous names in drag racing. Author Doug Boyce delivers a fascinating and surprisingly personal look at “da Grump’s” extraordinary career and the legendary cars that represent one of drag racing’s most influential...
The V12 Engine
V12 engines from a broad range of manufacturers are examined in detail. Readers learn the purpose behind each engine’s design philosophy, design features, performance, applications, problems and a few failures. What ultimately emerges is essentially the “Last Word” on V12 engine, development and usage from an extraordinarily well qualified authority...
A Man and His Dream
Athol Graham was the second American ever to record a 300 mph run; clocking a down run of 305.84 mph and a return run of308.608 to average 307.254 mph in his home built Allison powered streamliner City of Salt Lake in November of 1959. This amazing accomplishment made him one of the fastest men in history at that time with only four drivers running faster, George Eyston, John Cobb and...
Doomsday Impala: How do You Like Your
Those who enjoyed out story on the Doomsday Impala may also be interested in two books that the owners have generated about the car and their experiences building it. Andy Bennett used the online publishing services at blurb.com to create his own books that can be purchased electronically, or as printed versions. These books show the car's construction and subsequent....
Raceman, Jim Travers and the TRACO Dynasty
Anyone familiar with postwar racing activity in America will recognize Jim Travers as the “TRA” half of TRACO−the largest, most prolific and respected race engine supplier to elite competitors of the USRRC, Trans Am, Can Am, Formula 5000 series, Pikes Peak and other ...
Bluebird CN7
The CN7 story represents the emergence of modern industrial technology in record breaking activities; a multi-million dollar effort supported by top British manufacturing companies. Campbell’s CN7 was designed by the highly respected Norris Brothers Ltd. engineering firm specialists in LSR car construction and assembled to aircraft standards by Motor Panels Ltd. in Coventry...
The Marvelous Mechanical Designs of Harry A. Miller
A veritable gold mine of prewar racing and engineering design genius, the archives represent a historical treasure of immeasurable value. To help preserve the record of these important racing artifacts and present Miller’s work to engine enthusiasts everywhere White has assembled this 126 page pictorial collection illustrating some of Miller’s best known work...
Fast Chevys
Some books are destined to preserve the historical record, particularly those with first-hand accounts from original sources such as the specific Chevy engineers and racers who designed and raced legendary Chevy engines back in the day. Through extensive interviews with designers like Dick Keinath, father of the modern big block and the test engineers and designers like Zora Duntov...
Ab & Marvin Jenkins: the Studebaker Connection and the Mormon Meteors
Ab Jenkins was hands down the best automotive endurance racer who ever lived. His son Marvin was a close second. For decades Ab single handedly promoted the Bonneville Salt Flats as the greatest natural race course in the world. He set more high speed endurance records than anyone many of which still stand more than eighty years later. Jenkins was and remains on of the most...
Bonneville Salt Flats, Speed Limit 1,000 MPH
A powerful aerial view of the course and pits provides a unique perspective of the enormous challenge the racers face. This is a five mile drag race and the finish line is lost somewhere beyond an indistinct horizon. You’re hard on the gas long after you disappear from sight, but breaking a record is hard to do and the evidence of failure is evident among the broken shattered parts...