Limited Edition Re-Print
AMERICAN CAR CULTURE AT ITS VIBRANT BEST
Wednesday night was “Cruise Night” in the San Fernando Valley, a suburb of Los Angeles. The stretch on Van Nuys Boulevard between Ventura Boulevard on the southern end, and well past Sherman Way to the north, teemed with kids and cars from all over Southern California on Wednesday nights. It was a terrific place to both see and be seen, and to show off your ride as well.Gas was cheap, times were great, and the boulevard hummed with life during the evenings. Even the «draft» during the Vietnam War did not dampen the street scene. By 1972, the year Rick McCloskey went to Van Nuys to shoot his series of photographs, the culture on the boulevard had become an amalgamation of divergent lifestyles, automobiles – used and new – and some very different «looks» and styles. There were «tribes» of van kids – surfers mostly – low-riders, muscle cars, street racers, Volkswagen owners, and many more, and of course, thousands of young people. The idea of «retro» had arrived as well, with some young people emulating the look and style of the 1950s. Of course, there were individuals who had to be there for work. In making these images, Rick McCloskey set about portraying the young people, their cars, and the iconic background settings. Today, young people no longer have anything similar to the past boulevard gathering places, where so many people can enjoy «just being there» together. Akin to starlight still trickling in from a long vanished world, these photographic images are what we have left
Hardcover
132 pages,
118 duotone plates with a text by the photographer
Throughout the last twenty-five years, Life in the Fast Lane has become a staple of Formula 1 literature. In essence, Matchett’s story is a monthly diary of a Benetton grand prix mechanic. This essential book gives a behind-the-scenes account of the daily life inside the trenches of F1, each page written throughout the tragic and turbulent 1994 season. The author’s unique view alone makes this book indispensable reading for any serious motor racing enthusiast but Life in the Fast Lane is much more than an informative diary of this highly exclusive, multimillion dollar world: its remarkable insider setting, its exceptional subject matter, its unfolding tension, its ease of narration… all of these thrilling ingredients have been wonderfully blended to produce a truly captivating page-turner. From January through to December, the enthralled reader is simply compelled to follow the author’s stunning racing year from start to finish. Written by popular Formula 1 television personality and audiobook narrator, Steve Matchett, Life in the Fast Lane proved an immediate success; a catalyst carrying the author from the F1 pit lane to America, working with FOX and NBC television, a commentary position from where he has called all the live grand prix racing action for the past twenty years. When Matchett wrote Life in the Fast Lane, however, he was a member of the Benetton grand prix team, a Formula 1 race mechanic working alongside celebrities like Flavio Briatore, Michael Schumacher and Ross Brawn. His fast-paced story of the frantic, unending backstage activity to become the fastest and best in the world gives a fascinating, unparalleled insight into Formula 1 during some of its darkest and most difficult days. Matchett was himself engulfed in the terrible fire in Hockenheim where Jos Verstappen’s race car dramatically exploded. In Life in the Fast Lane he reveals the full inside story of the momentous 1994 season, including the death of Ayrton Senna, the Hockenheim fuel fire, along with the numerous fines, penalties and disqualifications that embroiled the sport as the Benetton and Williams teams battled tooth and nail for the drivers’ and constructors’ world championships. The final showdown came in Adelaide, Australia, the last race of the year, complete with that controversial title-deciding racing collision between Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill.
Go behind the scenes to explore the history, racing, celebrity fans, and after hours of racing’s most glamorous and prestigious round in the F1 championship with The Life Monaco Grand Prix.
Monaco sponsored its first race in 1929 and the circuit has been part of the Formula 1 series since 1950. Conducted with the patronage of Monaco’s royal family, its beautiful street-circuit has made Monaco the most glamorous setting of any F1 race. But the classic architecture and high-profile spectators belie a course notorious for its complexity and challenges. With no safety barriers until 1969, drivers have twice plunged into the harbor among the spectating yachts.
Off the circuit, Monaco is a 24-hour spectacle of expensive boats, high-profile parties, celebrity F1 fans, penthouse spectating, and high-roller lifestyle. From the Monte Carlo casino (integral to numerous James Bond films) to top clubs like Amber Lounge, Jimmy’z, and The Black Lounge to F1 racers’ luxury homes to the takeoffs and landings of countless private jets, Monaco represents the epitome of the jet-setting lifestyle long associated with the F1 circus.
From the first Grand Prix in 1929 to today’s star-studded event, The Life Monaco Grand Prix takes the reader on a full lap of this prestigious race.
Stirling Moss is an icon. Even just the words ‘Stirling Moss’ conjure up an immediate picture – an image of speed, excitement, daring, jet-setting and beautiful women. By 1961 he was at the height of his remarkable career. He was unquestionably the finest racing driver in the world, the benchmark by which lesser mortals were judged, and a charismatic sportsman, known the world over.
A hero to millions, his story is the stuff of legend. Often battling against the odds, he would brilliantly triumph against adversity. There was no better illustration of this than his 1961 season. Being better prepared for the new formula, Ferrari had a new, much more powerful engine than the British constructors. So Moss was to race with an under-powered Lotus. But Lotus could not sell his team a 1961 car so he had to race a 1960 example. Stirling preferred to race for a gentlemanly private entrant rather than a works team. And Ferrari set three, and at times four and five cars, ranged against him.
Add to that the massive accident he suffered during 1960 of which Autosport Editor, Gregor Grant, wrote: “His remarkable recovery from his serious Spa accident gained for him the admiration of the world, and was a lesson in determination and sheer courage that would be difficult to emulate”.
The stage was set for one of Stirling’s most incredible seasons and this is the behind-the-scenes story told by his own scrapbooks, his albums, his recollections and no holds barred comments about the cars, the circuits, the crumpet and the other drivers. Here we have all the fun and the flavour!
“Howie Keefe, USNR (retired), takes you behind the scenes to get a personal glimpse into the amazing and precarious world of air racing. The author’s thrill-a-minute account is an inspiring chronicle of his many fascinating adventures from a lifetime of aviation exploits. Ride along at over 400 mph as he describes remarkable events from his early days of training to setting records and winning trophy after trophy in numerous Unlimited Class Air Races at Reno, Cape May, Miami, and more.
Howie Keefe started his flying career in 1941 flying a Piper J-3 Cub on skis while in the Civilian Pilot Training (CPT) program. After the Navy gave him a pair of gold wings, and retiring from military service in 1950, Howie found a surplus North American P-51, and highly modified it — then flew it to victory at the air races under the name “Miss America.” The airplane became an icon within racing circles and is still racing today. Galloping on Wings is the story of this distinguished aircraft and the man who flew her through both trying times and victory.
Many World War II historians feel the Army Air Corps’ North American P-51 Mustang was the vehicle that truly ended the war in 1945. The designers of this famed aircraft manufactured a fast, maneuverable single-engine fighter that to this day is still considered one of the most beautiful examples of the culmination of aviation art and science in the world. The legendary P-51 has acquired an almost mythical quality and remains one of the most recognizable and revered aircraft of all time.”
These heretofore-unseen pictures illustrate a time that was unique. As the years have swept past I’ve come to appreciate how lucky I was to have been there to capture many of those moments on film.” -Jesse Alexander.
In a career spanning more than 50 years, Jesse Alexander has captured some of the most unforgettable moments in motorsports history on film. From his revealing portraits of famous drivers to his vivid images of action at Le Mans and classic grand prix circuits, his work has appeared in countless magazines, books, galleries, and museums. Many of his images-such as his famous portrait of Jim Clark, or his behind-the-scenes shots of the Ferrari and Porsche teams, have become icons in their own right.
But these well-known images represent only a small portion Alexander’s total body of work. For every photograph that racing fans already know and love, there are thousands more that have remained largely unseen. Inside The Archives brings the best of these rare images to light for the first time, revealing a fresh, often unexpected side of Alexander’s art and the world of cars and racing.
Some are new takes on classic events, such as a sweeping shot of Stirling Moss leaping into an Aston Martin DB3 at Le Mans, or the procession of red Ferraris lined up for the start at the Targa Florio. But many others treat the reader to unusual cars, lesser-known drivers, and startling settings that have never appeared in Alexander’s other books. There’s the innovative, championship-winning Vanwall driven by Stuart Lewis-Evans at the 1958 Grand Prix of Morocco, a race that would prove fatal for the Englishman. There are the beautifully prepared Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar D-types waiting to face American Indy cars at Monza’s short-lived “Race of Two Worlds” in 1957. And in a stunning departure from the pageantry and lush scenery found at so many European venues, there is a startling mix of home-built hot rods and exotic land-speed racers set against the otherworldly background of the Bonneville salt flats in 1965.
Regardless of the subject or setting, each of the images in Inside The Archives reflect Jesse Alexander’s unique gifts as a photographer as well as a fascination with the world or motorsports that has endured for more than half a century.
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