In a book of Porsche photography and engaging conversation, Lance Cole journeys through a personal passion for Porsche –one that many supercar enthusiasts share.
Herein light falls on sculpted metal and paint – shiny and less shiny. Throwing off the conventions of Porsche purism, yet at the same time always respecting the origins of Porsche, and the status of the 911, this is a book that celebrates the engineering and the design language of Porsche amid its culture. From an “oily-rag” 356 to old 911s and new 911s, with a brief alighting upon other cars of the Porsche clan, this is an eclectic collection of enthusiasts “moments” captured across a British Porsche landscape.
Don “The Snake” Prudhomme reveals for the first time ever his incredible life and career on and off of the drag strip.
Imagine spending a year with Don “The Snake” Prudhomme, having coffee together and talking about his life, his racing, his friends, and his family. He’d tell you about how he rose from being a high school drop-out who was painting cars to a respected Top Fuel dragster driver and successful businessman. You’d hear how he toured the country with Tommy Ivo and “The Hawaiian” Roland Leong, racing all the legends from “Big Daddy” Don Garlits to “The Golden Greek” [Chris] Karamesines.
He’d say how he met Tom McEwen and recall how they became the Snake and the Mongoose, leading to a career in Funny Cars that netted him four championships in a row. He’d talk about the thrill of first wins and owning his own teams but also the struggles of bad seasons, crashes and fires, broken parts, and broken contracts. Along the way, he’d speak about the people in his life, such as engine-builder Keith Black and NHRA president Wally Parks, and those who were killed in the wild and unpredictable sport of nitro racing.
It wouldn’t be only racing, though. Prudhomme would share lessons he learned about business and life from such varied sources as a neighbor in Granada Hills to Ford GT40 driver Dan Gurney. He also would talk about the importance of family: how his wife, Lynn, and daughter, Donna, changed his world and how finding out about his African-American roots opened his eyes to a culture and inheritance he’d always wanted.
This is the experience you’ll get in Don “The Snake” Prudhomme: My Life Beyond the 1320.
While BMW motorcycles remain mostly associated with its R-series shaft-drive boxer twins, it’s the K-series liquid-cooled ‘multis’ that have been – and remain – the German firm’s most advanced, radical and downright wacky bikes of all. Launched in 1983 to propel BMW into a whole new era, the K-series has included some of the world’s most innovative and interesting motorcycles. From the original liquid-cooled, fuel-injected K100, to the radically aerodynamic K1 of the 1980s; the ultra-powerful K1200RS and space age K1200LT of the 1990s; and the ‘Duolever’ K1200S and 6-cylinder K1600 of the 2000s and beyond, BMW’s ‘Ks’ have always been special, but also so advanced and pioneering that they’ve helped shape the whole of modern motorcycling. BMW expert Phil West, author of BMW Airhead Twins and BMW GS, also published by Crowood, has again painstakingly researched their complete history, found pictures never published before and recounts the whole K-Series story in a comprehensive and engaging tale.
PINK PIG PORSCHE The Truffle Hunter of Zuffenhausen is a thorough photo narrative of the Pink Pig’s motorsports history which includes over 125 legendary images, many of which are exclusively from the Porsche Archive and from other unpublished photography sources.
Renowned Porsche historian and author Lee Raskin conveys a wonderful tale about the legendary Pink Pig Porsche and its unique livery — which continues to span beyond five decades.
Built especially for the 1971 Le Mans 24 Hour Race, Porsche AG created the special-bodied TYP 917/20-001 that would be uniquely painted pink along with thirteen German butcher-cut names covering its body — that instantly became known as the Le Mans Pink Pig by the motorsports media.
In recent years, tens of thousands of Porsche enthusiasts have visited the Porsche Museum at Stuttgart-Zufenhausen to meet this legendary 917/20 Pink Pig.
Today, Pink Pig memorabilia has become extremely popular — in the form of designer clothing, model racing cars, ‘Piggy’ banks, coffee and beer mugs, cookies, and dynamic Pink Pig posters and collectible art work.
Pehaps the most exciting Pink Pig news of the day is the acquisition and reinvention of the original Porky’s Pig by the renowned motorsports artist, Kelly Telfer…who has created a very unique Pink Pig display for worldwide Porsche-related events, such as the annual Porsche Club of America’s Porsche Parade, and Werks; as well as the famed Amelia Island event.
The complete motorsports story is included in PINK PIG PORSCHE: The Truffle Hunter of Zuffenhausen.
By the mid-1960s, the American automotive market was yearning for faster, more responsive, and sportier cars, and a crew of high-performance enthusiasts at Pontiac recognized this. Large V-8s were commonly installed in full-size cars, but performance was hampered by pure chassis weight. Under the guidance of Bunkie Knudsen, John DeLorean, Bill Collins, and others, Pontiac installed the high-performance 389 V-8 into the nimble and lightweight intermediate-size LeMans chassis. It was a watershed moment for Pontiac; the 1964 GTO delivered astounding performance and created the muscle car blueprint that the Detroit manufacturers followed in the 1960s and 1970s.
This volume in the Muscle Cars In Detail Series delivers a comprehensive review of this trend-setting and historic car. The GTO housed a 389 V-8 engine with a single Carter AFB 4-barrel carburetor, and along with dual exhaust and a standard 3-speed or optional 4-speed manual transmission, it supplied extraordinary performance. To improve traction and handling, the GTO was fitted with stiffer springs, larger-diameter front sway bar, and wider wheels. And to give it panache, the GTO was adorned with distinctive badges and hood scoops. The 1964 GTO is a landmark car, and this book goes well beyond the glossy overview of other books about this car.
All In Detail Series books include an introduction and historical overview, an explanation of the design and concepts involved in creating the car, a look at marketing and promotion, and an in-depth study of all hardware and available options, as well as an examination of where the car is on the market today. Also included is an appendix of paint and option codes, VIN and build-tag decoders, as well as production numbers.
“Today’s NASCAR is a family sport with 75 million loyal fans, growing bigger and more mainstream by the day. Part Disney, part Vegas, part Barnum& Bailey, NASCAR is also a multi-billion dollar business and a cultural phenomenon that transcends geography, class, and gender. But dark secrets lurk in NASCAR’s past.
Driving with the Devil uncovers for the first time the true story behind NASCAR’s distant, moonshine-fueled origins and paints a rich portrait of the colorful men who created it. Long before the sport of stock-car racing even existed, young men in the rural, Depression-wracked South had figured out that cars and speed were tickets to a better life. With few options beyond the farm or factory, the best chance of escape was running moonshine. Bootlegging offered speed, adventure and wads of cash – if they survived. Driving with the Devil is the story of bootleggers whose empires grew during Prohibition and continued to thrive well after Repeal, and of drivers who thundered down dusty back roads with a car full of corn liquor, deftly out-running federal revenuers. The vehicle of choice was the Ford V-8, the hottest car of the 1930s, and ace mechanics tinkered with them until they could fly across mountain roads at 100 miles an hour.
After fighting in World War II, moonshiners transferred their skills to the rough, red-dirt race tracks of Dixie, and a national sport was born. In this dynamic era (1930s and 40s), three men with a passion for Ford V-8s – convicted felon Raymond Parks, foul-mouthed mechanic Red Vogt, and crippled war vet Red Byron, NASCAR’s first champion – emerged as the first stock car “”team.”” Theirs is the violent, poignant story of how moonshine and fast cars merged to create a new sport for the South to call its own.
Driving with the Devil is a fascinating look at the well-hidden historical connection between whiskey running and stock-car racing. NASCAR histories will tell you who led every lap of every race since the first official race was held in 1948. Driving with the Devil goes deeper to bring you the excitement, passions, crime, and death-defying feats of the wild, early days that NASCAR has carefully hidden from public view. In the tradition of Laura Hillenbrand’s Seabiscuit, this tale not only reveals a by-gone era of a beloved sport, but also the character of the country at a moment in time.”
This is an expanded and updated edition of a popular Motorbooks title. BMW Motorcycles chronicles the history of this famous brand, a brand known for engineering excellence, a brand known for making beautiful bikes that are a joy to ride, maintain, and keep for years and years. Filled with brilliant photography by Brian J. Nelson and writing from motorcycle expert that goes beyond mere facts and figures and paints a picture of one of the world’s great motorcycle manufacturers and its enduring success and commitment to quality. The new edition will include 12 entirely new pages full of photography and descriptions of the latest BMW motorcycle models.
How fixing broken BMW’s made me whole
In Memoirs of a Hack Mechanic, Rob Siegel shares his secrets to buying, fixing, and driving cool cars without risking the kids’ tuition money or destroying his marriage. And that’s something to brag about considering the dozens of cars, including twenty-five BMW 2002s, that have passed through his garage over the past three decades.
A geophysicist by day and self-professed car junkie in his free time, Siegel explores his passion for cars with unflinching honesty and offers a unique window into the Car Guy mind. For over 25 years, Rob has written a monthly column called “The Hack Mechanic” for the BMW Car Club of America’s magazine Roundel. Along the way he reflects on the genesis of his fascination with boxy little German sedans, the miserable Triumph GT6+ he owned in college, rebuilding the engine of his wife’s VW bus in the kitchen of their first apartment, how cars affect family dynamics, and why men really love cars. And in showing how cars have repeatedly been the conduit for deep human connections in his life, Siegel reveals his controversial theory that beyond their greasy fingernails, gearheads are actually intimate, caring creatures. Siegel also explains why, in a world over which we have so little control, the act of diagnosing and painstakingly fixing broken cars can be immensely therapeutic. Just don’t ask him to fix other people’s cars!
With a steady dose of irreverent humor, Memoirs of a Hack Mechanic blends car stories, DIY advice, and cautionary tales in a way that will resonate with the car-obsessed (and the people who love them).
This family of fast, alluring and supremely elegant cars first appeared in 1958 in the form of the 240bhp 140mph DB4. The response from the motoring press and the motoring public was rapturous, though the price of this handbuilt supercar was beyond the reach of all but a favoured few. The coupe was soon joined by a 266bhp Vantage version, by the 302bhp short-chassis DB4 GT(only 75 produced) and by a convertible. The DB4 GT Zagato, most powerful of all at 314bhp, is also the rarest, only 19 examples being made. The 1964 replacement for the DB4 was the DB5, again offered as coupe or convertible, with standard 282bhp engine or the 314bhp Vantage unit, and the line concluded with the 1965-70 DB6, with cut-off tail, better aerodynamics and in Vantage form having 325bhp. All these cars remain as special and as exclusive as they ever were, and they command correspondingly high prices based on three factors â?? condition, history and most of all originality. Here James Taylor gives full details of correct original specification and equipment for all these cars, backed up by in-depth colour photography of outstanding examples of all models and variants. Body panels, external trim and badging, paint colours, interior trim, dashboard, instruments and controls, under-bonnet components, engine and transmission, lamps, and other features right down to the tool kit, are all covered.
“The painter laureate of the car” —AutoWeek
Be dazzled by gorgeous paintings from award-winning automotive artist Harold Cleworth. From illustrating the elegant curves of the multimillion-dollar 1936 Bugatti Atlantic, to perfectly depicting the brilliance of the head-turning red of Ferraris past and present, Cleworth brings an incredible photo-like quality to his work that not only captures the beauty of a car, but elevates it. With a precision that is beyond photography, it is no wonder that he is one of the world’s most sought-after artists: commissioned by car companies to paint originals of their newest models, and by celebrities and private collectors to create portraits of their beloved automobiles.
CLEWORTH: an ARTFULLlife is the first publication to compile his life’s work, and is a captivating visual journey of an illustrious career that has spanned almost four decades. A must-have for automobile aficionados, it features Cleworth’s most highly coveted paintings to date, and the fascinating stories behind them.
When the discovery of this prototype of the VW 38 was posted on an internet forum, the international Beetle scene went wild. For the experienced VW restorers Traugott and Christian Grundmann there was no question: The first “Splitty” would become the centerpiece of their exquisite old-timer collection. The VW 38’s condition may have been shocking, but it was not beyond hope. Supported by a brilliant team of welders, upholsterers, painters, mechanics and VW enthusiasts from around the world, they managed to give the dear little Beetle a complete makeover.
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