Published: March 27, 2020, 4:00 AM
Updated: April 16, 2020, 4:57 PM
Books for Auto Enthusiasts
No group gatherings; no racing to watch; what's an automotive enthusiast to do? Head for your bookshelf! If it's empty, there's plenty of automotive content to fill it, available from online bookstores. Here's a sampling of suggestions to help fill those free hours, whatever your automotive interest. Most, if not all, are available either new or used from Amazon or other online bookstores.
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Mustang - by Peter Henshaw
If you are a Mustang fan, or just like to look at pictures of cool cars, this book is for you. It traces the history of the original pony car from initial ideas and early prototypes through every model from 1964-1/2 to 2000. In words and lots of pictures!
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A Century of Car Design - by Penny Sparkes
With an introduction by Patrick le Quement, 'A Century of Car Design' traces the design of the automobile from its early 20th-century roots to modern day, from multiple perspectives, including epochal trends and the works of individual designers and design houses. It's a must-read for any student of vehicle design, or for those who just love cars.
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Enzo Ferrari - by Luca Dal Monte
Few individuals in any industry were as well known as Enzo Ferrari. Yet, while his racing successes were widely celebrated, his personal life was particularly reclusive. This epic biography that bears his name, sub-titled 'Power, Politics, and the Making of an Automotive Empire', delves into the details of the great man's life and business like none other before.
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Hemi Muscle 70 Years - by Darwin Holstrom
Few, if any, engines have the name recognition and performance reputation of Chrysler's fabled Hemi. This book traces its history, not with detailed specs and technical minutia but through the many Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth models it powered, on the streets, drag strips and NASCAR tracks - with photos an almost every page.
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Ford vs Ferrari - by Anthony Pritchard
You've seen the movie - now read the real story! Pritchard's account is a straightforward factual history that encompasses all the key players involved - of which there were many - not just the Shelby perspective. It's a compelling story from start to finish, written by one who was there, then.
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Ford: The Dust and the Glory - by Leo Levine
In this definitive history of Ford racing, Levine chronicles the brand's exploits from Henry Ford's fortuitous 1901 ice-race through the company's triumphant 1967 Le Mans victory - not just from the headlines but from deep behind the scenes. It's mesmerizing stuff!
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Dan Gurney - by Karl Ludvigsen
Winning Le Mans in a Ford GT MkIV in 1967 was just one in decades of highlights for Dan Gurney, who translated his driving successes in everything from Formula 1 to NASCAR and Indy, into those of a constructor, with entrants and victories in multiple series. In this partial biography, Karl Ludvigsen, who is among the elite of automotive historians, covers the driver period of Gurney's career, through the McLaren Can-Am days.
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Billy, Alfred and General Motors - by Wilfred Pelfrey
From a different era, this book is a study of contrasts between Billy Durant, who founded and twice lost control of General Motors, and Alfred P. Sloan, his successor, who grew it into the behemoth it became by the mid-twentieth century. Beyond just the men, it's a vivid characterization of American society in those halcyon days.
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Drive! - by Lawrence Goldstone
Sub-titled, 'Henry Ford, George Selden and the Race to Invent the Auto Age', this book is a fascinating narrative of a nascent industry in the making, focused on lawyer George Selden's questionable patents, with which he held the whole industry at ransom, and maverick Henry Ford's ultimate victory over those bogus claims, based on a technicality.
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Into the Red - by Nick Mason and Mark Hales
Looking at history from a different perspective, 'Into the Red: Twenty-one Classic Cars That Shaped a Century of Motor Sport', is a deep-dive into the nuances of Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason's personal car collection - all on the track! That collection ranges from a 1958 Maserati 250 F1 car and a Ferrari 250 GTO to the Ferrari Gilles Villeneuve drove to his first F1 win - in Montreal. Best of all, the book comes with a CD of the cars' engine sounds at full song!
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A Century of Indian - by Ed Youngblood
For those whose motoring fancy extends to two wheels, this book was the catalog for an exhibition of 100 years of Indian motorcycles held at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum in 2002. Beautiful photographs depict the exhibition bikes at the museum, including rare racing bikes, while the text covers the history of the venerable brand, from its founding to its latter-day day trademark battles.
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Driving Force - by Heather Robertson
Like a real-life novel, 'Driving Force' tells the sweeping story of Sam McLaughlin and his family, the founding of the McLaughlin Motor Car Company, its transition into General Motors of Canada, and 'Colonel' Sam's lifelong devotion to the company, all against the backdrop of developing automotive and Canadian history.
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In the Shadow of Detroit - by David Roberts
In many ways a parallel to the Mclaughlin story, 'In the Shadow of Detroit' is part biography and part corporate history, covering the life and career of Gordon M. McGregor, who founded and led Ford of Canada in 1904. With no automotive background and minimal technical expertise, McGregor led Ford to become the country's leading automaker during the first two decades of the twentieth century.
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Pieces of Silver - by Mike Breslin
For something completely different, this novel imagines the life of a fictitious British race driver (not unlike Richard Seaman) who earned a ride in the Silver Arrows of the mighty Auto Union Grand Prix team in 1938, with all the personal, political and ethical conflicts such circumstances would entail. Intriguing!
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The Star and the Laurel - by Beverly Rae Kimes
Covering the same era and much more, 'The Star and the Laurel: The Centennial History of Daimler, Mercedes, and Benz, 1886-1986' is the definitive story of Mercedes-Benz and its predecessors. Written by noted automotive historian Beverly Rae Kimes, it's a must-read for devotees of the three-pointed star.
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The Star and the Laurel - by Beverly Rae Kimes
Not just text, 'The Star and the Laurel' is replete with exceptional artwork, drawings and photographs.
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Cord Complete - by Josh B. Malks
For those who revere the captivating Cord designs of Alan Leamy and Gordon Buehrig – and what true auto enthusiast cannot? – this is the one book you truly need. It chronicle's the fascinating story of the creation and marketing of one of the most recognizable cars ever built in America and its contributions to the worlds of automobile and industrial design.
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Cord Complete - by Josh B. Malks
The book's large-format design and glossy paper enables spectacular photographic presentation and there are 48 pages of full-colour reproductions, as well 600 black and white illustrations in its 300+ pages, including many original charts and graphs. The leather-bound edition is delivered in a custom slipcase which commemorates the art deco showroom floor of the original Auburn Automobile Company, now the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum. It is itself a work of art!
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Books for Auto Enthusiasts
Even if you can't read all the books you want during this period of social isolation, think of it as a good excuse to expand your library!
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