An illustrated autobiography, putting Williams' work in the context of his hot rod background, and telling of the wild formative years behind one of America's biggest underground artists.
This book has almost 600 old photos taken from hot rodders albums that show the greatest days of hot rodding; the 1930s to 1950s. The photos show the ideas and modifications that went into the hot rods of over 50 years ago. Here is an excellent reference to learn about the hot rods of the past. Hardbound - 192 pages - 597 photos
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.
This comprehensive reference guide reviews the literature concerning the impact of the automobile on American social, economic, and political history. Covering the complete history of the automobile to date, twelve chapters of bibliographic essays describe the important works in a series of related topics and provide broad thematic contexts. This work includes general histories of the automobile, the industry it spawned and labor-management relations, as well as biographies of famous automotive personalities. Focusing on books concerned with various social aspects, chapters discuss such issues as the car's influence on family life, youth, women, the elderly, minorities, literature, and leisure and recreation. Berger has also included works that investigate the government's role in aiding and regulating the automobile, with sections on roads and highways, safety, and pollution. The guide concludes with an overview of reference works and periodicals in the field and a description of selected research collections. The Automobile in American History and Culture provides a resource with which to examine the entire field and its structure. Popular culture scholars and enthusiasts involved in automotive research will appreciate the extensive scope of this reference. Cross-referenced throughout, it will serve as a valuable research tool.
This book is a collection of Bud Drakes columns from Rod Action and Goodguys Gazette for which he has written, respectively, the columns Fifties Flashback and Flashing Back. Within it is a wealth of historical essays and colorful writing on the people, machines, movies and cultural events that shaped hot rod culture.
Soon after the first automobiles were introduced in the United States, auto racing became a reality. Since that time, motorsports have expanded to include drag racing, open wheel racing, rallying, demolition derbies, stock car racing, and more. Motorsports have grown to such an extent that NASCAR is now the second most watched professional sport in America, behind only football. But motorsports are about much more than going fast and finishing first. These events also reflect our culture, our society, our values, and our history. In Motorsports and American Culture: From Demolition Derbies to NASCAR, Mark D. Howell and John D. Miller bring together essays that examine the relevancy of motorsports to American culture and history, from the late nineteenth century to the present. Addressing a wide spectrum of motorsports—such as stock car racing, demolition derbies, land speed record pursuits, and even staged train wrecks—the essays highlight the social and cultural implications of contemporary and historical moments in these sports. Topics covered include gender roles in motorsports, hot rods and the creation of fan and participant identities, the appeal of demolition derbies, the globalization of motorsports, the role of moonshine in stock car history, the economic relationship between NASCAR and its corporate sponsors, and more. Offering the most thorough study of motorsports to date from a diverse pool of disciplines and subjects, Motorsports and American Culture will appeal to motorsports and automobile enthusiasts, as well as those interested in American history, popular culture, sports history, and gender studies.
In the late 1950s, as designers from the Big Three became more daring, their do-it-yourself counterparts in the custom-car world found that the new designs from Detroit worked exceptionally well with custom treatments like shaving, lowering, “lakes pipes,” and the ever-wilder custom painting of the day—aesthetics that would come to dominate this peak custom car era. Professional freelance photographer James Potter captured the epicenter of this landmark scene in what was then suburban Los Angeles. In this photographic history of that time and place, Thom Taylor presents the best of Potter’s collection depicting the cars of “Kustomland.” Two- and four-page features on two-dozen renowned customs from mild to radical feature not only Potter’s exemplary work, but brief capsule histories of the cars and their owners and captions detailing the cars’ features. Taylor also includes features on legendary custom painter Larry Watson and the Renegades car club, as well as a biography of Potter and a historic overview of Kustomland and the areas it encompassed. See Motorbooks author Thom Taylor interviewed by Jay Leno on JayLenosGarage.com: http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/kustomland/882803/
This book is the story of the exciting blown gas coupes in the 1960s' drag racing. It shows and tells about the evolution of the cars and the technical improvements in both the engines and chassis design.It discusses the fierce competition, the hype and challenges that made many of the guys famous. Hardbound - 192 pages - 313 photos.