How did horsepower and speed get so out of control? Do young people still like cars? Who are the automotive icons that will shape car culture for years to come?
Slow Car Fast: The Millennial Mantra Changing Car Culture For Good offers answers to the questions on the mind of every kid who grew up with a poster on their wall and dreamed of owning their dream car one day, ferreted out through the first-hand reporting of veteran auto journalist Ryan ZumMallen.
ZumMallen goes inside the automotive zeitgeist to explain how modern car culture came to be, from the old-school (massive improvements in engineering and technology) to the new-school (the rise of video games and social media).
Featuring interviews with dozens of influential voices and ride-alongs in today’s automotive unicorns, Slow Car Fast is a must-have for anyone who knows that getting behind the wheel is only the beginning.
There is one direct link between Alfa Romeo and Ferrari and its name is Enzo Anselmo Ferrari. Born on the 18th of February 1898, he joined Alfa Romeo in the early 1920s to become one of their many race drivers. In the beginning he participated in local events, but thanks to his positive results; later also competed in more prestigious races.
Nevertheless his real talent was the management. Thanks to this, he founded in ’29 the Scuderia Ferrari, which became the official Alfa Romeo racing team. Until 1932 Enzo continued as racing driver and after this he concentrated on being the team manager. In ’37 Alfa Romeo reduced his position to sports director, what means practically that his possibility to take decisions had been drastically limited. For Enzo this was not tolerable and as consequence he left the company in ’39.
Apart from this, the ways of both manufactures still crossed many times, as key employees changed from one company to the other or as both used the same coachbuilders to design their fast and elegant creations. Even technology transfer happened up to today, as the new top version of the 2016 Alfa Romeo Giulia will include a Ferrari-based engine.
“Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Art & History” is not just another publication, but tells the history of these two iconic Italian car manufactures, from one of their first creations in 1911 until today. Therefor the author uses official die-cast model cars and regarding art prints. For this you will not only find texts and boxes of technical specifications, but images celebrating the unique design of the vehicles, which are a reflection of their engineers’ visions and eras.
More than ordinary automobiles, even more than sports cars; both, Alfa Romeo and Ferrari produced design objects for the global pop culture, sometimes reflecting the actual zeitgeist, other times being ahead of it and sometimes even creating the fashion. As fascinating as the cars their-selves are, the many stories are behind and around them.
As each of the more than 300 presented cars is unique, they all have their own particular story. This is not limited to Alfa Romeo and Ferrari, but also relates to others companies as Fiat, Lancia, Lamborghini, General Motors and Ford. Famous design studios are included, like Pininfarina, Zagato and Bertone.
To have a complete picture, besides presenting production cars, the book is also including the racing machines and rare show cars.
“King of the Kustomizers” is the sobriquet given to George Barris, the most phenomenal kustom car builder ever. His contributions to American car culture include creating some of the best known cars of the 20th Century, like the original TV Batmobile and Munsters Koach, as well as made-to-order vehicles for movies, TV, corporate sponsors and the private use of the rich and famous. A multimedia artist in his own right whose designs have embraced toys, model kits, mini-bikes, motor homes and motorized surfboards, Barris has also enjoyed success as a photographic chronicler of celebrity and pop culture over decades, capturing the car-crazed zeitgeist of his times as it carried him to the crest of fame itself. The definitive work on a legend, King of the Kustomizers: The Art of George Barris features nearly 500 pages jam-packed with never-before-seen photos, concept drawings and blueprints covering the full spectrum of Barris’ design genius and celebrity lifestyle. Written by an all-star line-up of contributors, the book contains many untold stories and rare images from both the famous and not so famous works of George Barris that helped define American pop culture as we know it. A generous selection of Barris tribute art —some created especially for this volume —by a legion of artistic admirers is also included to showcase his enduring influence and legacy. This is one ride you don’t want to miss!
