The history of hot rodding and performance cars has been well chronicled through the years. Books and magazines have covered the cars, builders, pioneers, engineers, early racers, muscle cars, street racers, etc. Most take a nostalgic and fun look at the cars that many have loved their entire lives. Some even cover the lifestyle, the hobby as it involves people, and the effort, time, and commitment people put into it. It is more than just a hobby to most, and to many, a certain wave of nostalgia comes over them when remembering what the car scene was like "back in the day." The local speed shop is an important element of the nostalgic feeling that people have when fondly remembering their hot rodding youth. Speed shops were not just parts stores, they were a communal gathering place for car guys wanting to talk smart, bench race, and catch up on the local scene, as well as to solicit the expert advice from the owner or staff behind the counter. Here, longtime hot rodder and industry veteran Bob McClurg brings you the story of the era and the culture of speed shops as told through individual shop's histories and compelling vintage photography. He covers the birth of the industry, racing versus hot rodding, mail-order, and advertising wars. You learn about the performance boom of the 1960s and 1970s, lost speed shops as well as survivors, and a overview of the giant mail-order speed shops of today.

The compellingly self-confident, handsome, gifted race driver, and mechanical genius named Frank Lockhart has long captured the imagination and curiosity of generations of automobile racing fans as a classic example of the "What if he had lived?" enigma. There remains even today a certain mystery about Frank's amazing talent and fearless driving ability. There also have been a sizeable number of myths about his life that have grown up over the years and have been repeated so often as to become accepted as the gospel truth. In a careful historical effort to set the story straight, authors Sarah Morgan-Wu and Jim O'Keefe have combined their efforts to delve into all aspects of Frank's life and career. They have left no stone unturned in an attempt to verify every bit of information. It is to their credit they have uncovered much long forgotten or hidden information that sheds important light on the true nature of Frank and his remarkable if all too short flash of brilliance on the stage of American automobile racing.--Publisher's description.

It is the dream of many to own the world’s most beautifully designed automobiles, but most often only a handful of collectors ever come close. Now, The Impossible Collection of Cars makes that dream come true, showcasing the one hundred most exceptional cars of the twentieth century in ASSOULINE's third volume in the Impossible Collection series. Each luxury automobile—from the 1909 Blitzen Benz to a 1996 McLaren F1—was chosen for its revolutionary engineering, magnificent lines, and head-turning capabilities. Assouline is pleased to announce this exquisite tome, which features cars owned by celebrities like Marlene Dietrich, Ralph Lauren, Greta Garbo, Pablo Picasso, and Elvis Presley. This Impossible Collection volume is presented on cotton paper in a beautiful black rubber clamshell box with a cutout metal plate.

Every hot rod needs a good chassis, whether it's a traditional Model T track roadster, a Pro/Street fat-fendered Chevy, or something in between. "In How to Build Hot Rod Chassis," author Timothy Remus works with the pros at the SO-CAL Speed Shop, and other builders, to show you how to build a chassis that'll do the job right. Need to know what kind of spring to use? Don't know how to build a frame that's straight and square? This book shows you how, with detailed step-by-step how-to photo sequences. Chapters include information on: Planning your hot rod chassis. Building a frame. Front suspensions. Rear suspensions. Shocks and springs. Brakes. Hardware and plumbing. Drivetrain. Wheels and tires. There's also a detailed source guide that will help you find the parts you need, plus interviews with some of the country's top hot rod builders and stylists to lend valuable insight into hot rod building techniques and strategies.

After 12 years of research, plus thousands of miles driving Germany's Autobahn, Rask, a lifelong automotive and racing enthusiast, exposes half-truths and myths about the speed factor in traffic accidents in America. He analyzes the combination of safety and speed on the Autobahn and offers an exciting new direction for America's interstates that would make speeds of 100 mph or more commonplace on open stretches of rural freeway, with far greater safety than ever imagined at 55 mph. Includes bandw photos of highways and vehicles. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR

The All-American Hot Rod is your personally guided tour through the saga of one of the most popular icons in American history, brought to life in the stories of well-known and respected automotive historians and celebrities, automotive journalists, and other hot rodders with their own tales to share—with more than 350 illustrations to add to your appreciation of these remarkable machines. The hot rod—each one unique, fierce, loud, and bold—has been an American icon and a symbol of performance, freedom, and creativity for decades, influencing everything from movies to music. The All-American Hot Rod is a history by those who lived it, the numerous voices and images of people who know and love the hot rod like nothing else. Relive the thrills with their great stories, complemented by fabulous period artwork and current photographs of original T-buckets, Deuces, coupes, roadsters, custom cars, street rods, rat rods, and more. It's truly an all-American tale with an exhaust note heard 'round the world. Now, step on the gas and go!

Lucsko offers a rich and heretofore untold account of the culture and technology of the high-performance automotive aftermarket in the United States, offering a fresh perspective on the history of the automobile in America.

“Get one before one gets you!” Motion Performance’s catchy sales pitch for builder Joel Rosen’s Phase III Specialty Muscle Cars sums up the escalating performance scene in the late 1960s. Special edition muscle cars were essential to keep pace. Joel and other independent car builders (such as Carroll Shelby, George Hurst, Dick Harrell, Mr. Norm, and Jim Wangers) did what the factories couldn’t do: take the muscle car and turn it into a tire-burning monster. Although the Pontiac GTO established the muscle car category in 1964, a host of corporate safety restrictions restrained factories from offering turn-key race cars off the showroom floor. Independent car builders enhanced appearance and amplified performance in an attempt to do what the manufacturers wouldn’t. Motion Performance issued a written guarantee: Phase III cars would run 11.5 at 120 mph down the quarter-mile! Some of the most iconic nameplates in automotive history were applied in this era with names that included Cheetah, Black Panther, Royal Bobcat, Super Hugger, Manta Ray, Super Snake, Deuce, Fast Track, and The Machine. How did manufacturers stealthily promote these special edition muscle cars as “halo cars” while pretending not to endorse them? What happened to these innovators when factories assimilated their ideas? It’s all covered inside. Muscle car historian Duncan Brown takes us through these special edition muscle cars, their creators, and the behind-the-scenes forces that shaped these wild beasts into legends that left a lasting legacy.