Stock-car racing star, country singer, and sports broadcaster Kyle Petty shares his familial legacy, intertwined with NASCAR’s founding and history, in Swerve or Die―written with Pulitzer Prize-winner Ellis Henican, the New York Times bestselling coauthor of In the Blink of an Eye.
“Born into racing royalty. The only son of NASCAR’s winningest driver ever. The grandson of one of the sport’s true pioneers. The nephew of our very first Hall of Fame engine builder. It’s quite a family to represent, and through it all, I’ve somehow managed to keep being Kyle.”
Kyle Petty won his very first stock-car race, the Daytona ARCA 200, in 1979 when he was eighteen. Hailed as a third-generation professional NASCAR racer, he became an instant celebrity in circles he had been around all his young life. Despite being the grandson and son of racing champions Lee Petty and Richard Petty, Kyle didn’t inherit innate talent. Working in his family’s North Carolina race shop from an early age, he learned all about car mechanics and maintenance long before he got behind the wheel. And although Kyle continued the family business, driving “Petty blue” colored cars emblazoned with his grandfather’s #42―a number once used by Marty Robbins―his career took a different route than his forebears’.
In Swerve or Die: Life at My Speed in the First Family of NASCAR Racing, Kyle chronicles his life on and off the racetrack, presenting his insider’s perspective of growing up throughout the sport’s popular rise in American culture. In between driving and running Petty Enterprises for thirty years, Kyle took some detours into country music, voiced Cal Weathers in Pixar’s Cars 3, and started his annual motorcycle Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America. And when his nineteen-year-old son Adam, a fourth-generation racing Petty, tragically lost his life on the track, Kyle founded Victory Junction, a camp for children with chronic and serious medical conditions in Adam’s name―with help from Academy Award-winning actor and motorsports enthusiast Paul Newman.
Filled with NASCAR history, stories of his family’s careers, and anecdotes about some of stock-car racing’s most famous drivers, Kyle’s memoir also tackles the sport’s evolution, discussing how welcoming diverse racers, improving car and track safety features, and integrating green technology will benefit NASCAR’s competitors and fans in the future.
Smaller-scale replicas of dream vehicles capture the imagination and touch the child in each of us. Here are Jaguars, Bugattis, Ferraris, Jeeps, MGs, and many, many others, made from 1900 to the present day, powered by pedals, electricity, or gasoline. It covers a spectrum of cars made from the turn of the century to the present day. Over 300 photos of children’s automobiles make this book valuable to collectors, restorers, and researchers alike. Detailed captions for each car explain the model, its unique qualities, current value, and interesting restoration information. A large supplement loaded with catalog material presents children’s vehicles produced by the Tri-Ang company. Both toy and full-size vehicle enthusiasts will stop to enjoy this interesting corner of the automotive world.
During the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, hot rods followed very definite trends. It seems every hot rod built in the ’70s reflected the somewhat garish tastes of that decade, and every one had a small-block Chevy powering it. In the ’80s and ’90s, many rods were built to seamless perfection in a modern high-tech style, laden with billet, smooth seams, no rough edges, and a huge price tag.
You had to know there would be a backlash, and rat rods are the backlash to the extreme. As a response to the high-dollar billet-based street rod trend, budget-limited home-based rod builders looked to the past for inspiration and style, and rat rods were the result. These ‘imperfectly fine’ rods rarely sport paint jobs of any kind, and their owners aren’t scared to drive them. They represent a rebellious attitude, but never take anything too seriously either.
Rat rods are high on style but low on budget, and that’s why so many love them. Rat Rods: Rodding’s Imperfect Stepchildren is a celebration of this trend, and almost as importantly, the lifestyle that accompanies it. Never has rodding been so cosmetically indifferent, so socially oriented, so affordable, and most importantly, so much fun! Author Scotty Gosson watched the Rat Rod trend start, grow, and blossom into what it is today. He shares the story with sharp wit, honesty, and a smile on every page. Cars from all over America and around the world are featured, and no two are the same
More and more people are hitting the road to the middle of nowhere. Along less-traveled paths they are heading up mountains and down dunes in converted mobile homes, campers, trucks, or vans. They are enjoying the drive and the view through mud-splattered windshields as much as the stops and evening campfires amid stunning terrain. Although many of us love living in cities, we have a growing longing to escape into nature. The outdoor scene is booming and many people are heading off to discover it with their own converted vehicles. This way, they can determine their own routes, itineraries, and pace, as well as how many challenges they’d like to meet along the way. After a day on the go, these multifunctional vehicles also serve as kitchens, campgrounds, and sleeping quarters that offer a great deal more improvised fun than a standard, perfectly equipped RV. Conventional luxuries are eschewed for the sake of greater freedom, tranquility, and adventure. Off the Road captures the special mood of such trips by solo travelers, couples, or families who are seeking an alternative to a more standard vacation or want to live their lives differently ―at least for a while. On the one hand, the book shows how familiar models, such as VW buses, Land Rovers, jeeps, and Toyotas are being rediscovered and repurposed for these exploits. On the other, it presents automotive dreams turned into customized, homey vehicles that offer tailgate breakfasts or roof beds to better admire the stars and that can, in an emergency, cross a river or drag a fallen tree from the road. Whether exploring the desert, showing children the world, or navigating polar landscapes, the journeys collected in Off the Road are as unique as the people who take them. From radical escapists to fans of nature looking for their next trip, the book celebrates the joy of being on the go on four wheels.
Celebrate six decades of outrageous, unforgettable Lamborghini cars with this must-have volume featuring fascinating history and stunning photography.
Sixty years ago, Ferruccio Lamborghini put the sports car world on notice with the introduction of his V-12-powered 350 GT. Just three years later, in 1966, Lamborghini stunned the automotive establishment with its introduction of the stunning Miura, the first mid-engine production car. Rivals at the 1966 Geneva Auto Show could only stare in wonder. Wrapped in a svelte Marcello Gandini–penned body and powered by a 350-horsepower V-12, the Miura instantly made every other sports car look antiquated, including those offered by Lamborghini’s Italian rival, Ferrari. It would be two years before Ferrari offered its own mid-engine reply in the form of the 206 Dino GT.
For Lamborghini, there was the time before the Miura and the time after the Miura. It marked a sea change not only for the Sant’Agata manufacturer but for the sports car world broadly. The Supercar had arrived.
In 1974, Lamborghini again shocked the automotive world with the mad Countach (an Italian expression one might utter at the sight of a beautiful woman), another Gandini masterpiece. Wide, low, and purposeful, the Countach completely redefined the supercar template, in the process becoming the poster car of choice for children of all ages the world over.
As Supercars evolved to Hypercars, Audi acquired Lamborghini, giving new life to the firm and unleashing a series of amazing cars from the Murcielago to the Gallardo to the Aventador and Huracan. Today, there is even the all-purpose Urus SUV!
In this richly detailed survey spanning 60 years of extreme performance, each of Lamborghini’s seminal cars is detailed and complemented by historic and commissioned photography and technical specifications. Captivating to read and beautiful to behold, Lamborghini Supercars: 60 Years belongs in every sports-car fan’s collection.
The latter half of the twentieth century was full of illusions. We lived in an illusion of peace, an illusion that Europe was not at war and that the horrors of the Second World War would not be repeated. But in reality, society was preparing for the next war. As children we donned thin plastic ponchos and practiced how to survive a chemical or nuclear attack out in the fields. The threat of a new military conflict hung in the air constantly. History now denotes this time of apparent peace more accurately as the Cold War. It lasted for several long decades, passed through various phases, crises, milestones, victories and defeats, but peace was only illusory.
Air forces were one of the most important military branches during this era. East and West competed in speed, flying range and numerical superiority. Technical development forced both sides to quickly replace large numbers of machines, which is why we can now find surplus aircraft from the Cold War on display in military museums.
As I started my search, I soon found that, as opposed to old cars, planes are not often found in barns or backyards. It is not easy for private owners to get their hands on military machines. I hence focused on museums and associations for aviation enthusiasts. The Czech Republic is a wonderful country in this sense, because Czechs are sentimental people and try to keep things alive even if it does not make sense financially. I presume that is why we have so many aviation museums. But the thing is, I am not interested in those nicely restored, polished planes. I am after old, rusty ones. And so I had to look for collectors who could not afford expensive restorations and who were showing history the way I wanted it – authentic and dilapidated. And since repairing planes is such a demanding hobby, I ended up finding plenty. The photos were taken 2014–2019 in five countries: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Poland and Cuba.
Documents the friendship between Steve McQueen and his Le Mans co-star Siegfried Rauch
•Includes photos of Rauch’s family album, as well as original photos of the film set and of rare documents
•Features interviews with contemporary witnesses
Steve McQueen: actor, filmmaker, racing driver – and friend. Siegfried Rauch, who plays McQueen’s unyielding rival in the film classic Le Mans, was a close friend of the actor in real life. Rauch takes us through this book and, for the first time, tells us how it was: what McQueen was like, the time he ate sauerkraut at the Rauch’s, or played with their children – and how he became their godfather. Rauch shows a different, private side to the ‘king of cool’.
The other stars of Le Mans have their say as well: the real racing drivers. Herbert Linge reminisces about the Porsche 908 – which belonged to McQueen – that Linge drove as a dolly during the race. Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood tell about their victory in the Porsche 917 – the first Porsche overall victory at the Sarthe. Stuntman Dr. Erich Glavitza, who also prepared the cars, explains what happened in 1970 during the shooting in ‘Solar Village’, and David Piper, who lost a leg during the production.
This unique book offers completely new insights into the filming of what has become a cult classic.
Here is the perfect alphabet book for racing fans who want to share their interest with young children. In rhyming verse that has introductory information, one or more terms are attached to each letter of the alphabet. Although a few choices are stretches, most accurately use real racing terms. “X is for X-factor-at each and every curve./Expect the unexpected and don’t lose your nerve.” Zenz’s illustrations, in a blocky, cartoon style, convey the color and speed of the sport. Pictures of the cars feature numbers, but none of the sponsors’ decals, so that readers are not exposed to advertising. Although white men dominate the characters pictured, a woman fan and a minority pit crew member appear. This book, attractively packaged with an appealing cover and end pages featuring racing flags, is sure to be popular where there is interest in stock-car racing.
Two women who scarcely know each other, but with a common love of exotic landscape, vintage wheels, and high adventure (one a well-heeled Pacific Heights motorcycle enthusiast, the other a Santa Cruz-based automotive journalist, car fanatic, and mother of two small children) join forces to tackle an arduous endurance rally, driving a classic car over ten thousand miles of rough and exotic terrain in the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge. Prince Borghese’s Trail is a classic travel adventure narrative in the tradition of Alexandra David-Neel and Beryl Markham.
A Celebration of Beetle Culture
For everyone who ever drove one, crammed into one, or plays Punch Buggy when one drives by, here comes The Volkswagen Bug Book. Filled with 200 color and black-and-white photos of everybody’s favorite car, The Bug Book is a high-design trip back to when Beetles filled the highways, Flower Children roamed the streets, and Love and Bug were forever linked. Author Dan Ouellette combed the archives of the official Volkswagen museum in Wolfsburg, Germany, for the best historical photos. Back home, Ouellette collected photographs of the most remarkable vintage VWs in the country as well as some less than pristine but nevertheless lovable models. The Bug Book is filled with personal anecdotes, detailed history and little known facts about the German car that zoomed into America’s heart. For new Bug owners, there’s a chapter devoted to Bug 2.0 and how it grew. It’s the collector’s most comprehensive Beetle book yet, and for everyone else, it’s the book that coffee tables can’t resist.
In the summer of 2003, the last original Beetle rolled off the assembly line in Puebla, Mexico and an era ended. In fact, author Dan Ouellette was featured at the time on The Connection with host Michael Goldfarb on WBUR/Boston. But like the car it celebrates, The Volkswagen Bug Book isn’t going to fade away — it has gained a new life, in an updated paperbound edition.
One of our early goals for the American Hot Rod Foundation was to publish a book that would attract young people to hot rodding. With so much focus on academics today, it’s easy to forget the practical skills, sheer fun, and the great friendships offered by this special hobby. We finally found the right author for our dream book, and it’s way better and appeals more broadly than we ever imagined. Whether you know nothing about the history and technology of hot rodding, or you’re a full-bore hot rodder today, you will love this book. Michael deLesseps is a lifetime rodder and car builder, a witty storyteller, and a fabulous artist. His wonderful book contains no photos – just sixty amazing watercolor diagrams and pictures! Perfect for children, teens, relatives and friends of rodders, people who are just curious, and anyone already in the hobby today. A beautiful, full-color hard-bound book, printed in America of course. Buy one for yourself, or share it as a gift!
For more than half a century the Morris Minor Traveller has been a familiar feature of rural and small-town Britain. Unpretentious, uncomplaining, half-timbered in an age of sleek pressed steel, Travellers were to be seen everywhere, laden with schoolchildren, dogs, jumble for the jumble sale, buzzing bravely along at no great speed. Ray Newell is the unchallenged authority on Minor matters, and here he begins by providing in-depth descriptions of the 803cc, 948cc and 1098cc Traveller models, with details of production and specification changes. Next he looks at special purpose versions as used by, among others, the armed forces, the coastguard and even the Barbados police. Then comes a section on one-off Travellers including an intriguing three-door conversion first built in the early 1950s. Countless Traveller owners have had to face the need for replacement of the timber framework of the body, a major undertaking, and an outstanding feature of this book is the chapter by Steve Forman devoted to this task, which is set out in step-by-step format with accompanying photographs. The final section of the book deals with upgrades available to bring the Minor’s performance, braking and suspension up to more modern standards. These include engine replacements, five-speed gearboxes and disc brakes as well as less radical modifications. With some 300 colour and black-and-white illustrations accompanying the text, this is truly the owner’s complete companion to the Minor Traveller.
“Blue Ray DVD
Let’s Go to the Reno Air Races DVD
The next best thing to being there
If there are children in your life who love the sights, sounds, and thrill of airplanes, then Let’s Go to the Reno Air Races is guaranteed to delight them. This high-quality video production brings front-and-center excitement right into your home, and it also provides aviation education that feels like fun and entertainment.
Our cameras provide high-definition, crystal-clear images that make you feel as if you’re right where the action is. You’ll see:
The majesty of great vintage airplanes as they move around the ramp
The awe of massive radial and Merlin engines roaring to life
Up-close-and-personal runway views of Formula One and Biplane aircraft
Rarely seen views of the T6-Class as they roar around the racing pylons
Unique shots of the Jet Class and Unlimited racers as they thread the pylons on the 8-mile course
Dramatic take-offs, taxiing, and landings
Let’s Go to the Reno Air Races also features interviews with top pilots in each of the racing classes. They share what it’s like to race each of these planes and explain how you, or your kids, can one day be a participant in the world’s fastest motorsport. They also offer information about airports and aviation in general, such as the purpose of a windsock and the meaning of the numbers and letters next to the runway.
This video takes you inside the races and gives you information and exciting visuals like no other production available today. If you combine this DVD with the official Reno Air Race DVD, you’ll have a great complement of entertainment and education that you can enjoy over and over again.
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Visually stunning experience that will leave you feeling like you just experienced Route 66 road trip yourself. The journey of America’s oldest highway has been documented many times, but never from this point of view. Sometimes funny, sometimes ironic and sometimes sad but always true, this film goes far beyond simple journey. America’s history and culture are mirrored in this interesting project that speaks to children as well as adults.
This book is dedicated to the Soviet Space Dogs, who played a crucial part in the Soviet Space program. These homeless dogs, plucked from the streets of Moscow, were selected because they fitted the program’s criteria: weighing no more than 15 pounds, measuring no more than 14 inches in length, robust, photogenic and with a calm temperament. These characteristics enabled the dogs to withstand the extensive training that was needed to prepare them for suborbital, then for orbital, space fights. On 3 November 1957, the dog Laika was the first Earth-born creature to enter space, making her instantly famous around the world. She did not return. Her death, a few hours after launching, transformed her into a legendary symbol of sacrifice. Two further strays, Belka and Strelka, were the first beings to make it back from space, and were swiftly immortalized in children’s books and cartoons. Images of the Space Dogs proliferated, reproduced on everyday goods across the Soviet Union: cigarette packets, tins of sweets, badges, stamps and postcards all bore their likenesses. Soviet Space Dogs uses these unique items to illustrate the story (in fact and fiction) of how they became fairytale idols. The first book to document these items, it contains more than 350 images, almost all of which are previously unpublished, and many of which have never been seen before outside Russia. The rich and varied ephemera (from cigarette packets to sweet wrappers and children’s toys) of Soviet graphics will have immense appeal to the art and design market, as well as appealing to dog-lovers everywhere.
