A Quiet Greatness, Japan’s Most Astonishing Automobiles for the Collector and Enthusiast

A Quiet Greatness, Japan’s Most Astonishing Automobiles for the Collector and Enthusiast, is the most in-depth, authoritative guide to collectible Japanese cars ever created. This four-volume set (plus supplement and index) includes sports cars, touring cars, and Japanese cars in motorsports. Beautifully designed and written for car collectors and enthusiasts alike, A Quiet Greatness is resplendent with stunning photography, and rich with technical details, original charts, and diagrams.

Six years in the making, A Quiet Greatness was created by Mark R. Brinker and Myron T. Vernis, and designed by Richard M. Baron, former Art and Design Director of Road & Track magazine for 32 years.

Produced by a high-quality printer of art books, A Quiet Greatness was created as an encyclopedic showpiece to be kept and enjoyed for years. The set weighs 35 lbs. and arrives in a slipcase with spot varnish and custom-cropped top corners to always keep the book-set beautifully organized and easy to access.

Each book has a thick, laminated hard cover, designed for durability and years of enjoyment. One of the first artistic details you’ll see is the edge of every page is painted with a pop of bright red – reminiscent of a Japanese Hanko. Printed on 100 lb. art paper, the full-color pages also have the added touch of a spot-gloss varnish over each image to enhance the aesthetic. All information on the cars is organized alphabetically and chronologically by marque.

Inside, you’ll find cars you know and love, but there are also many that will be a delight to discover. Both Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) cars and those exported to other markets are covered in great detail. And, like the authors, you may just find yourself enticed to add a car or two to your collection. Packed with historic details, the authors go deep into the stories collectors and enthusiasts crave.

FROM THE AUTHORS: “The Japanese auto industry has a 60-year history of incredible success in the United States, and it is surprising that no one has created a serious and beautiful book on the subject…until now. Through A Quiet Greatness, we hope to shine a light on the most interesting and truly special cars from Japan, highlight this nation’s great automotive accomplishments, and legitimize their place in the collector car universe. Many of the greatest cars from Japan never made it to the U.S. and have been largely unknown throughout most of the world. Our aim with A Quiet Greatness was to create a reference work for those interested in discovering the vast and magical landscape of Japanese automobiles.” – Authors Mark R. Brinker and Myron T. Vernis

Classiche Masters – the finest workshops for classic Maseratis

Classiche Masters brings together the best classic Maserati restoration workshops. Author Marc Sonnery takes you on a tour of 12 workshops. He captures their way of working, shows their expertise. He visits Maserati Classiche in Modena and speaks with the curators of the heritage. This book is a tribute, the first-ever book to shine the spotlight on these craftsmen who are working day and night to restore and maintain classic Maseratis. Nothing can replace the knowledge in the heads and hands of these artists.

If you are already a classic Maserati owner, we hope you enjoy this book and that it might give you fresh ideas. If you are new to the classic Maserati world, a warm welcome to you. It is not the giant hypermarket, rather more of a boutique with genuine individuals, characters who are welcoming and exciting to meet. A smaller but more rewarding universe to discover and enjoy. Printed on Italian Fedrigoni paper, with over 200 high-quality photographs, this exclusive coffee table book is a worthy addition to your book collection.

Foreword by Peter Straub, chairman of the Maserati Club Presidents’ Conferences.

How to Restore Your Chevy Truck: 1947-1955

Everything you need to completely restore your 1947-1955 first series Chevy pickup to better-than-new condition is shown in complete detail!

The Advance Design era (1947-1955) was historic for Chevrolet, topping all the production numbers every year they were in production. And for good reason. The post-World War II economy demanded a tough and well-engineered solution for this growing economy. Selling more than 2.5 million units during this era, Chevrolet quickly surpassed and controlled the light-truck market with style, utility, and logical engineering.

This era has been overlooked for long enough, and Deve Krehbiel, a well-known restoration expert from DevesTechNet.com who specializes in these trucks, puts his 40 years of experience restoring nothing but Advance Design trucks into an extensive and complete single volume. With more than 500 photos and detailed instruction for every aspect of a proper restoration, this book will be the restorer’s best friend. Deve’s companion book, Chevrolet Inline 6 Engine: 1929-1962 (SA455), explains in full detail the engine aspects of your project.

The Advance Design Chevy pickup is one of the most popular and highly prized vehicles at any venue. The author’s hope is that this book will give you the confidence and the knowledge to put your old Chevy truck back on the road in style. There is just nothing more interesting and more inviting than an old Chevy truck!

The Mechanic: The Secret World of the F1 Pit Lane

In the high octane atmosphere of the Formula One pit lane, the spotlight is most often on the superstar drivers. And yet, without the technical knowledge, competitive determination and outright obsession from his garage of mechanics, no driver could possibly hope to claim a spot on the podium. These are the guys who make every World Champion, and any mistakes can have critical consequences.

That’s not to say the F1 crew is just a group of highly skilled technical engineers, tweaking machinery in wind tunnels and crunching data through high spec computers. These boys can seriously let their hair down. Whether it be parties on luxury yachts in Monaco or elaborate photo opportunities in gravity-defying aeroplanes, this is a world which thrills on and off the track.

Join McLaren’s former Number One mechanic, Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley as he tours the world, revealing some of Formula One’s most outrageous secrets and the fiercest rivalries, all fuelled by the determination to win.

This is Formula One as you’ve never seen it before.

Pontiac Firebird – The Auto-Biography

New 3rd Edition

Over a 40 year period the Pontiac Firebird has earned a unique place amongst speedy domestic cars. What started out as another contender in the “me too” Mustang pony car race ended up becoming so much more. Only Pontiac could have come up with a coupe like the Firebird, and it was the Firebird that kept the performance fires burning once the mighty GTO was gone. The Firebird has garnered a reputation for being larger than life and many have come to view it as a large car, but that was not always the case. Pontiac’s Firebird was originally a small US car, classified as a sport compact. In the days when people used the terms personal car and specialty car the Firebird wasn’t even all that big. However, after the first major gas crunch viewpoints altered. One thing that didn’t change was Pontiac’s commitment to keeping their Bird flying high.

The Firebird altered significantly through its lifetime, reflecting general changes and trends in the auto world at large. The Firebird’s tale reflects the development of the mainstream domestic car in the modern era. V8s, turbo V8s, turbo V6s, HO V6s, overhead cam I6s and even a Super Duty four banger. If there’s a performance avenue to be explored then the Firebird has been there, and Pontiac never quite gave up on the hope of using a transaxle.

Popular with car fans and in the sales charts, the Firebird has had a high profile both in television and at the movies. The Pontiac Firebird has also received its fair share of attention from hot-rod shops, tuners and car customizers. As per Pontiac tradition the Firebird delivered what folks expected in the real world. Even during the lean years the Firebird kept the 400 cube 4 speed dream alive when others had moved on to paint and tape specials. Fast cars didn’t die out in 1973, they just started wearing the “Screamin Chicken” on their hoods.

As a collector car the Firebird has all the credentials. A strong fan base, wide variety of power train and trim options, various low volume and commemorative models, and a healthy helping of nostalgia thrown in for good measure. A number of Firebird models are already valuable classics, but certain younger versions can be counted on as some of the fastest appreciating collector cars of today and tomorrow.

The Firebird legend just gets bigger. From the go faster 1960s, gas mileage and pollution controlled 1970s, performance renaissance of the 1980s, through to the indifference of the 1990s. The Firebird was always there, this is its story. Cutting edge research and over 320 photos bring this in-depth, incredibly detailed story to life.

This edition feature an extra 40 images and new text.