It is
time to get a gift for the gear head at
home. Throughout the year I review books on the subject of things on wheels. In no
particular order here is a list that I am sure will please most fans. Here are
the 2021 TOP TEN car books for this holiday season.
Corvette Stingray: The
Mid-Engine Revolution, $45.00
Nothing
stokes the fires of Corvette enthusiasm like the introduction of a new
generation of America’s original sports car. The Mid-Engine Revolution takes
the reader from those 60s-era prototypes through the design and engineering
process used to create today's eighth-generation supercar. It's the Corvette
story every car fan will want in their automotive library!
Jaguar Century: 100 Years of Automotive Excellence by
Giles Chapman
$75.00
Automotive
historian Giles Chapman showcases how visionaries developed the brand in the
trying prewar years before restarting Jaguar after the war, first with the
XK120, then the XK140 and XK150. Sporting sedans like the Mark 2 and Mark X
established further standards for four-door luxury in the 1950s and ’60s, while
the stunning E-Type unveiled in 1961 became a holy grail of automotive design
and gave Jaguar a genuine 150-miles-per-hour sports car. Chapman even covers
Jaguar’s rich motorsport heritage, including open-wheel Formula 1 racers and
the sports cars that went head-to-head with Ferrari, Porsche, and others at
legendary circuits such as Le Mans over the decades. If you are a fan of
classic sports cars or automotive excellence, Jaguar Century is a definitive
volume you will not want to be without.
Goldenrod: The resurrection of America's speed king by
John Baethel,
$99.
The
Summer's brothers designed and put together the most sophisticated
"bullet" on wheels in 1965 and it reached 409 miles per hour. This
book, with historical photos and technical details throughout, is one of the
best books I have seen in years. The story and the odds against were many, but
a milestone was reached not by a manufacturer but a group of passionate
individuals that did not give up. The restoration project is included in this
handsome book that deserves to be in everyone's automotive library. A must-read
indeed.
1970 Maximum Muscle: The
Pinnacle of Muscle Car Power by Mark Fletcher and Richard Truesdell
$45.00
The
1970's saw the perfect storm of mind-bending horsepower and outside forces,
such as an energy crisis and increasing environmental concerns. This book
explores the factors and detail dozens of cars that made 1970 the
climax of the muscle car era. As the war among GM, Ford, Chrysler, and AMC
played out at dealerships, drag strips, and drive-ins, gear heads drove off
dealer lots in potent behemoths like the Buick GSX, Oldsmobile 4-4-2, and Ford
Torino Cobra. The American muscle car was as fast and outrageous as it would
ever get. 1970 Maximum Muscle dives head-first into the storm
before the calm.
BMW M: 50 Years of the
Ultimate Driving Machines, by Tony Lewin $50.00
BMW’s
M division was launched in 1972 as its motorsports arm (hence “M”). In 1978, it
offered its first production car, the M1, and has never looked back. BMW
M celebrates the 50th anniversary of this important
German enthusiast brand detailing both its production and Motorsport stories
including iconic cars like the M3, M5, and M6 as well as the contemporary M2,
M4, M8, and high-performance X-Series SUVs. It's the ultimate history of the
ultimate driving machines!
Ferrari Formula 1 Car by
Car: Every Race Car Since 1950 by Stuart Codling
$60.00
The
great Italian marquee has contested the F1 series since 1950, its debut year.
Over that time, Ferrari has fielded any number of epic, legendary cars from its
first 125 to the 156 “Sharknose” of the early 1960s to Niki Lauda’s 312T of the
1970s to today’s awe-inspiring technological tour de force SF71H. Ferrari
Formula 1 Car by Car examines every racer Ferrari has campaigned since
1950.
The IROC Porsches: The
International Race of Champions, Porsche’s 911 RSR, and the Men Who Raced Them by
Matt Stone $60.00
The
IROC’s contention was that if all cars were truly equal, then the drivers with
the most talent and skill would shine as the victors, and thus the world’s
best. It proved a rollicking formula, with great drives from racers like George
Follmer, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mark Donohue, Bobby Unser, Richard Petty, and
more. It also proved historic as the only season to feature Porsche’s awesome
911 RSR—subsequent years would feature American manufacturers. The IROC
Porsches recounts the thrill of the racing as well as the story of how
the RSR was created and came to be one of Porsche’s most legendary race cars.
Nissan Z: 50 Years of
Exhilarating Performance by Pete Evanow $45.00
This
is a handsomely illustrated coffee-table book celebrating fifty-plus years of
Nissan’s immensely popular Z-Cars, from the ground-breaking 1970 240Z to
today’s top-performing 370Z, including the all-new Z Proto. The story begins
with the introduction of Nissan's (then Datsun) first foray into the sports-car
world, the Datsun Roadster then gets into the details regarding the creation of
the legendary 240Z. A fitting tribute to
its proud heritage.
Porsche at Le Mans 70 Years
by Glen Smale $75.00
This
is the definitive detailed illustrated history of this race legacy. Since the
marque's memorable debut in 1951, Porsche has won outright at Le Mans more than
any other marquee, with a record series of seven consecutive victories from
1981 to 1987. This extensively illustrated book is the definitive history of
Porsche's participation at Le Mans, From the Porsche 550 Spyder, 718 RSK, 904,
906, 907, 908, 910, 911, 917, 936, 935, 956, 962, and GT1—right up to the
hybrid 919 that won from 2015 through 2017. Meticulously researched by noted
Porsche historian Glen Smale, Porsche at Le Mans is created
with full access to the Porsche archives in Stuttgart. The result is a treasure
trove of history, photographs, and data indispensable to any serious Porsche or
motorsport enthusiast.
The Big Book of Tiny Cars:
A Century of Diminutive Automotive Oddities by Russell Hayes
$40.00
From
tiny homes to little lending libraries, people everywhere are resetting the
premium they put on size. In The Big Book of Tiny Cars, readers
will witness the automotive industry's history with "tiny" going back
to the car's earliest days. Richly illustrated and entertainingly written, this
collection presents lively profiles of automotive history’s weird, sublime, and
revolutionary microcars, minicars, bubble cars, kei cars, and subcompacts from
around the world. This is the ultimate collection of more than 100 years of
forward-thinking automotive marvels.