Ride along with author Tom Cotter and photographer Michael Alan Ross as they pilot their Ford Bronco/Airstream Basecamp combination 8,881 miles along the lower 48’s back roads and byways.
Tom Cotter has spent decades ferreting out lost “barn find” collector cars. The process has made him an ardent road tripper, logging thousands of miles every year on America’s back roads. Previous journeys have traced Route 66 in his 1939 Ford Woody wagon and followed the Lincoln highway coast to coast behind the wheel of a 1926 Model T.
Cotter’s journeys led him to wonder: What could be the most epic American road trip? The answer: Key West, Florida, to Deadhorse, Alaska, its thousands of miles recounted in America’s Greatest Road Trip. Cotter and Ross drove across the country, through British Columbia and the Yukon, and finally through Alaska to the literal end of the road. Ross documented their road time in thousands of photographs.
Along the way, the pair met fellow road trippers, adventurers, small-town Americans, world travelers, and rolled through an ever-changing geography from the Gulf of Mexico to the Mississippi Delta to the Great Plains and Mountain states through the Northwest Passage and finally several hundred miles of Alaska’s challenging ALCAN Highway.
Cotter’s observations of Two-Lane America are complemented by Ross’s beautiful photography capturing both the sweep and the detail of life off the beaten path.
Join them on their once-in-a-lifetime journey—you’ll be glad you came along for the ride.
Best known for its movie industry, surfing, and amusement parks, Southern California boasts an environment of glamour, both natural and man made. It Happened in Southern California tells the stories of intriguing people and events from the history of this region—from the first ships to arrive in San Diego in 1769 to the Watts Riots of 1965.
Follow a brave little band of multiracial settlers in 1781 up the California coast to a new frontier town today known as Los Angeles. Go back to the Chinatown war of 1871, which some say was sparked by love, but others knew for what it was: a battle over race and money. Learn about the “puppet show” in 1988, performed not for kindergartners but for a baby condor destined to fly wild and free over Southern California’s skies. It Happened in Southern California describes everything from the efforts of the first Spanish colonialists to the reintroduction of endangered condor.
Raoul ‘Sonny’ Balcaen grew up in Los Angeles at a time when it became the epicentre of American motor racing, nurturing a vast talent pool of people whose influence has echoed through to today.
As a teenager, he successfully competed with his home-built Top Fuel dragster during the formative years of the sport. With Lance Reventlow, he worked on the famous Scarab sports cars and was standing in the dyno room when the team’s all-American Formula 1 engine was fired up for the first time. A period as Jim Hall’s crew chief and a close association with Carroll Shelby added to the know-how that guided him towards becoming a successful entrepreneur and led to all that followed.
- Aged 17, Balcaen built his own Top Fuel drag racer, the ‘Bantamweight Bomb’, which he developed relentlessly and drove to many successes.
- His role in the fabulous Scarab sports cars — the landmark all-American racers — and insights into life with their creator, the incomparable Lance Reventlow.
- Working as crew chief to the brilliant Jim Hall, preparing and running his Lotus Eleven and Lister-Chevrolet long before the famous Chaparrals emerged.
- A second spell with Scarab, this time with the Formula 1 project — the first American Grand Prix car — plus a special job for Reventlow converting a Scarab sports racer into a street car.
- Onwards into setting up his own successful business, IECO (Induction Engineering Co), to create and sell high-grade performance and appearance accessories, with Chevrolets — especially Corvair and Vega — featuring strongly.
- His many-faceted dealings with Carroll Shelby, leading to consultancy and even assignments as occasional Shelby American company pilot.
- Along the way we meet many other big names of the era, including Chuck Daigh, Bruce Kessler, Warren Olson, Dick Troutman, Tom Barnes, Phil Remington, Ken Miles, Leo Goossen, Jim Travers, Frank Coon, Ed Donovan and Pete Brock.
This engaging memoir is the very personal history of a momentous time and place in which we meet a who’s who of West Coast road-racing heroes.
Located in an Observer Corps post on the top of a Martello tower on the seafront at Dymchurch in Kent, Mr E.E. Woodland and Mr A.M. Wraight were on duty on the morning of 13 June 1944. Shortly after 04.00 hours they spotted the approach of an object spurting red flames from its rear end and making a noise like ‘a Model-T-Ford going up a hill’. What they were watching was the first V1 flying bomb heading towards the South Coast. A new battle of Britain was about to begin.
The flying bomb that the two men had observed crossed the shoreline and continued northwards. Some ten minutes later it fell to earth with a loud explosion at Swanscombe, near Gravesend. It was the first of more than 10,000 flying bombs launched against Britain that summer, most of which were targeted at London. At its peak, Hitler’s flying bomb campaign saw more than 100 V1s a day being fired.
Much of the UK suddenly found itself back in the frontline of the war. In the weeks and months that followed, thousands of people were killed, many more injured. In this book the author takes the reader through the day by day battle. Accounts from some of those who survived the buzz bomb attacks bring the story to life as people tell about their fears and experiences.
To combat the threat, RAF fighter pilots flew round the clock patrols, desperately trying to shoot the robot rockets down and stop them from reaching their targets, whilst anti-aircraft gunners played their part on the ground. So successful was this joint effort that by the end of March 1945, the combined British defenses were accounting for 72.8% of all the reported V1s that were directed at the United Kingdom. This is the story of how that success was achieved.
Filled with color photography, entertaining site descriptions and histories, and five unique infographic map illustrations, The Impossible Road Trip is your ultimate look back at America’s most famous—and quirkiest—roadside attractions, past and present.
The great American road trip is back. With its advantages for your health, budget, and the environment, now is the time to plan the road trip you have always dreamed of taking.
Following in the great tradition of the mid-century golden age of car travel, join the new wave of road warriors with a targeted itinerary chosen from the 150 roadside attractions explored in this colorful guide. From famous to quirky and covering all 50 states, author Eric Dregni gives you an unprecedented look at the breadth of roadside attractions in the US, illustrated in part by the photography of architectural critic and photographer John Margolies (1940–2016). Specially commissioned infographic map illustrations capture the spirit of mid-century automobile travel.
Each site depicted is accompanied by a lively and insightful history and color imagery. From autumnal New England to the gothic South, from the homey Midwest to the great expanses of the Desert Southwest, the dizzying heights of the Rocky Mountains, and the breathtaking Pacific Coast, The Impossible Road Trip encompasses it all:
- Neon-shrouded motels
- Mimetic architecture
- Tourist traps
- Roadside sculpture
- And much more
You’ll see sites both famous and esoteric, including the Cardiff Giant in Cooperstown, New York; the five-story Haines Shoe House in York, Pennsylvania; Solomon’s Castle in Florida; the world’s largest fish in Hayward, Wisconsin; one of several Paul Bunyan statues; Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank, California; and so many more.
With The Impossible Road Trip in hand, set out to discover the nation’s oft-overlooked nooks and crannies.
The engaging story of Fred Opert, whose brief time in a New York jail led him into a roller-coaster life of automobiles and motorsport.
Opert’s journey took him from a brief stint in a New York jail, to a successful career as race-car importer/dealer, race team owner and F1 team manager, before tragedy caused him to walk away from the sport he loved. This fascinating biography follows Fred Opert’s whirlwind lifestyle, talent-spotting successes, and the trials and tribulations of managing the ATS F1 team. Detailing the drivers who came up through the ranks with Opert, the book features interviews with many of those who worked with him. It has been written with the co-operation of Opert’s family, friends and ex-employees.
Forewords by Nico Rosberg, Alan Jones MBE and Keke Rosberg.
The amazing story of the people who made possible Richard Nobles extreme projects on land, at sea and in the air
Richard Noble’s first attempt to build a record car, Thrust1, ended in a high-speed crash and the sale of the wreckage to a scrapyard. Next came the roller coaster ride of Thrust2, which was developed to attack the World Land Speed Record at Bonneville with Noble at its controls; after innumerable setbacks, including sponsor withdrawals, delays and a rebuild after a 250 mph crash, success was finally achieved with a new record of 633 mph in 1983 at Black Rock Desert in Nevada. Following that, Noble established the UK-based ARV Aircraft company to create an innovative and beautiful metal airplane with safe forward-swept wings and a special Hewland engine, all achieved in 13 months from start-up with no design and little money.
Jimmy Sills enjoyed a spectacular career that spanned some of the most exciting times in sprint car racing and carried him to the Hall of Fame. Life With Luke tells the story in Jimmy’s unique, entertaining style.
Jimmy began his career as a fast and exciting rookie in his native Northern California. In due course he hit the road, following a tough and demanding schedule from coast to coast.
Jimmy’s life has been filled with adventure and excitement, and that’s what you’ll find on every page of Life With Luke. His travels led him down every road, encountering characters and situations never to be forgotten.
Sprint car racing, USAC Silver Crown racing, the Jimmy Sills School of Open Wheel Racing, Australia, New Zealand…it’s all in here. And oh yes…Buckwheat and Luke Warmwater (from Hot Springs, Arkansas!) are in here, too.
Life With Luke is a complete story of a racing life. Highs and lows, laughter and tears, it is filled with emotion from the opening page until the finish.
If you enjoy racing, you will LOVE this book. Here you’ll find the stories that Jimmy has previously only shared with his closest friends, and now he’s willing to share with all of us. Some are hilarious and some are tragic, but ALL are interesting. Most of all, you’ll never forget…Life With Luke.
The world’s superlative road trips—scenic, thrilling, and memorable—in both natural and urban settings.
For anyone who has fallen under its spell, a car represents freedom and adventure. For decades, the American tradition of the road trip has been bound up with the idea of new possibilities and new horizons. This book is an indispensable guide to the most beautiful, breathtaking, extraordinary, and fun road trips the world has to offer.
Complete with road trips varying in length and level of challenge, from an epic transglobal route inspired by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s Long Way Round documentary series to a two-mile blast around Monaco’s F1 street circuit, there is something for any adventurer. Each entry provides information about distance, start and finish points, road surfaces, must-see stop-offs, detours, and other details to plan an unforgettable trip.
Entries are organized into three categories: Scenic, Adventure, and Culture. One can marvel at the views from Cape Town’s scenic Chapman’s Peak Drive or central California’s Pacific Coast Highway, but the thrill seeker might opt for the hair-raising ride through Montenegro’s coastal mountains to reach the medieval walled town of Sveti Stefan on the Adriatic. The culture category features routes inspired by film, literature, and history: re-create Thelma and Louise’s heart-pounding joyride (minus the final leap), savor Japan’s “Romance Road” through unspoiled small towns, or follow Jack Kerouac’s path from On the Road.
Art Evans was a sports car racer in the 1950s on the West Coast who raced against, and became close friends with, Carroll Shelby. Their intense competition on the track became a lifelong friendship off the track. He and Shelby collaborated on many business projects over the years, including books, marketing projects, projects for the Shelby Foundation, and so on. In his later years, Shelby loved the books about his cars and similar topics, but his eyesight was failing to the point where he had difficulty reading, and really preferred the books that were heavy with photos.
It was from that realization that Shelby and Evans decided to work on one last book together. They both combed through the Shelby archives and selected Shelby’s favorite images from his racing career. That is almost the entirety of this book. It is packed with photos selected by Shelby himself, and the captions are quotes from Shelby’s commentary on the action in the photo, as well as his memories.
Unfortunately, Carroll Shelby passed away before the book was fully completed, but Evans, following Shelby’s instructions, carried this final project through to completion. Filled with images that have never been seen in print, as well as images not published since the 1950s and 1960s, this final work from Shelby is a personally curated collection by the legend himself. If you are a sports car racing fan, Ford fan, Shelby fan, or any combination of the three, this book is a perfect addition to your automotive library.
SIGNED
California’s central coast was fertile ground for hot rodding, and all motor sports in general, during the 1940s and 1950s. Hot Rodding in Santa Barbara County takes the reader back in time with a collection of remarkable photographs from the earliest days of the hot rod movement. This book includes images of the first drag strips in the country, rough-and-tumble jalopy racing, early road-racing action, and lots of great hot rods and customs. Follow local hot-rodders as they take trips to El Mirage dry lake and the world-famous salt flats at Bonneville, Utah, and visit a long-lost world as seen through photographs taken from the personal albums of people who contributed to the birth of a culture that would spread across the nation.
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