The DVD jacket summarizes the decade of the 1950’s in motorsports nicely:

“The 1950’s was a magnificent era in which motor racing truly ‘came of age.’ It was during this golden decade that some of the world’s most influential manufacturers and drivers made their mark, leaving us with an extensive archive of dazzling technical innovation and exciting characters.”

What “Exciting Characters” are documented on the DVD? How about…

Giuseppe Farina: World Champion 1950
Juan Manuel Fangio: World Champion 1951, 54-57
Alberto Ascari: World Champion 1952-53
Mike Hawthorn: World Champion 1958
Jack Brabham: World Champion 1959-60
Jose Froilan Gonzalez
Luigi Villoresi
Stirling Moss
Tony Brooks
Peter Collins
Enzo Ferrari
John Cooper
Colin Chapman
Sir David Brown: Aston Martin
Sir William Lyons: Jaguar
Sir Alfred Owen: BRM
Guy Anthony Vandervell: Vanwall
Raymond Mays and Peter Bertham: BRM

Motoring historian Neville Hay “recalls the major stepping stones of this memorable period with a wealth of facts, anecdotes, research papers, interviews and glorious racing footage.” It’s the GLORIOUS RACING FOOTAGE that makes this DVD such a fantastic work. The archival footage covers most of the Formula One Grands Prix but also Le Mans, the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio, Nurburgring, Sebring and other major events. Drivers wore open-face helmets and clear goggles so we can see their expressions…and watch their arms flail and hands move on the steering wheel as they battle their open-cockpit monsters through the pages of history. What a treat!

My favorite moments in the DVD happen just six minutes into the 132 minute feast…the checkered flag flies off the flagman’s staff as he greets the winning driver and Alberto Ascari nearly drops the championship trophy…the expression on his face is priceless.

Some of the remarkable “facts and anecdotes” from the DVD…

The 1950 Mille Miglia had 743 entries!

Watch for the massive out of place Cadillac in the 1950 Le Mans footage.

In 1952-53 Alberto Ascari won 11 of 14 Grands Prix. (And both World Championships)

In the tragic 1955 Le Mans race, the Mercedes 300 SLR had a driver activated air brake/spoiler that helped to off-set Jaguar’s disc brake advantage. Juan Manuel Fangio in the Mercedes and Mike Hawthorn in the Jaguar “drove Le Mans like it was a Grand Prix,” setting lap records. When Pierre Levegh’s Mercedes launched into the crowd after hitting the rear of Lance Macklin’s Austin-Healey, over 80 spectators would perish and motor racing would never be the same. Why was the race not stopped after the tragedy? The DVD says that 200,000 spectators trying to leave the circuit would have crippled the rescue effort and made things worse. The sad footage is included on the DVD.

In the 1955 Mille Miglia, Stirling Moss’s co-driver, Dennis Jenkinson used “pace notes” (like in modern World Rally) to help Moss set a MM record of 98.5 MPH.

From 1950-59 Grand Prix points were paid for positions 1-5. Points were 8,6,4,3,2 and 1 point for the fastest lap of the race.

From 1950-56 drivers who shared a car also shared the points.

Spare parts and tools were left in the pits instead of in the cars at Le Mans starting in 1957.

In 1958 Stirling Moss won the Argentine GP in a rear-engined car. Stirling tells how he lost the World Championship by 1 point.

“The History of Motor Racing: 1950’s” is a fast forward trip down memory lane and rates four out of five lug nuts.

The Bible has 66 books. Keith Martin’s “Bible” of car collecting has 66 articles and a resources section that includes a listing of Car Clubs and a Glossary of Car Terms.

The cover proclaims:

Your Complete Resource for Buying, Selling, and Enjoying All Types of Collector Cars

Exclusive! 1,000 Recent Top Sales of Collectible Sports, Classic, Exotic and Muscle Cars

All-Time Record-Breaking Million-Dollar Sales

Hard-Hitting Expert Advice on Best and Worst Buys in Today’s Market

Tips on Saving Money When You Insure and Finance Your Car

Price Guide with Real Market Prices and Investment Ratings for over 2,000 cars

How to Choose the Best Affordable Collector Cars

From Ferraris to Corvettes, from Shelbys to Porsches, the Straight Talk and Real Market Information the Pros Use to Make Their Decisions

Keith Martin is our “tour guide” through this collector car journey. He has been involved in the collector car hobby for more than 40 years, founded “Sports Car Market” magazine and is a well respected writer, publisher, TV host, commentator, emcee and judge who has participated in the crown jewels of collecting- including Pebble Beach, Amelia Island, Meadow Brook and Concorso Italiano.

“Keith Martin’s Guide to Car Collecting” is 283 cubic inches...I mean pages… of wonderful information. The photography is spectacular. Some of the cars are so beautifully presented they may cause drooling in the reader. The articles are fun, informative and often laced with a wicked sense of humor.

Some of my favorites:

What is Car Collecting?
Collecting Strategies
Million Dollar Sales in 2008-09
Top 1,000 Sales in 2008-09 by Price
Top 100 Muscle Car Sales
All-Time Top 10 Sales
Why Buy a Collector Car?
Starting Out: Buying Your First Collector Car
Nine Exotics You Can Afford
Fun Collectible Cars Under $25,000
Five Best Ferraris Over $1,000,000
Five Porsches to Avoid
Nine Muscle Car Sleepers
Eight Corvettes to Run Away From
Buying Collector Cars Online
Buying Techniques That Work
How to Finance a Collector Car
Lemon Laws
Restoring Your Dream Car

Some tidbits:

A 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa sold for $12,402,500 at Maranello, Italy on May 17, 2009. It is the highest total ever paid at public auction.

20,000 collector cars sold at auction in 2008-09. The Top 1,000 ranged from the 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa at $12,402,500 to a 1969 Dodge Daytona at $173,250.

A 1963 Shelby Cobra 289 Competition Roadster topped the Muscle Pack at $1,732,500. (Shelbys took 9 of the Top 10 Muscle Car spots.)

The Top Ten All-Time Winners include four Ferraris, three Bugattis, two Mercedes and a Rolls-Royce.

The Four Fun Collectible Cars for under $25,000 include:
1966-69 Alfa Duetto
1965-67 MG B-GT
1965-66 Ford Mustang Coupe
1972-74 BMW 2002 tii

A Porsche to avoid…All 924 Turbos. Martin writes:
“This model is truly one of Porsche’s darkest moments, a car to avoid even if you’re given one as a gift.” (Ouch!)

“The red-headed stepchild of the Shelby world is unquestionably the Sunbeam Tiger. These cars cost pennies on the dollar against anything else as interesting.”

“British car owners know driving shoes must also be comfortable walking shoes.” (Tongue in cheek, I hope.)

“There’s nothing like showing your 40-year old (Muscle Car) taillights to a Honda festooned with more wings than a Wright Brothers experiment.”

Nine Muscle Car Sleepers:
1975 Chevrolet Corvette
1962 Chrysler Newport
1960 Ford Galaxie
1964 ½-1966 Ford Mustang Coupe
1964-66 Plymouth Barracuda
1968-70 American Motors AMX
1964-66 Dodge Dart
1964-65 Chevrolet Malibu
1964-65 Ford Falcon

“It’s not what you know, it’s where to find what you need to know.” “Keith Martin’s Guide to Car Collecting” has to be one of the best resources available at ANY price. At $21.99 it is an amazing value. It rates five out of five lug nuts and is available at SPEEDtv.com. Keyword: “Books.”

Joe Scalzo is one of my favorite writers. I have reviewed two of his books: “The American Dirt Track Racer” and “City of Speed: Los Angeles and the Rise of American Racing.” “Grand National” rightly takes its place in the triumvirate.

“Joe Scalzo, a survivor of the lost Grand National culture, colorfully recaptures the golden era of American motorcycle life, when racing wasn’t a business but a lifestyle. ‘Grand National’ covers the series’ early days in the 1950s, the heydays of the 1960s, the high-end bikes of the 1970s, and the changes that brought Grand National into the twenty-first century. Scalzo’s firsthand stories, along with two hundred photos, capture the bikes, the characters, and the races that made Grand National fast, roughhouse, and a little crazy-both on and off the track.” So says the dust jacket.

“A LITTLE crazy?” Screaming around rutted mile dirt tracks with a rocket between your legs? A LITTLE crazy? With nicknames like “Ax,” “Assassin,” “Hammer Dick,” “Digger,” “Iron Man,” “Bad Bart,” “Burritto,” “Godfather,” “Great White Father,” “King,” “Mooch,” “Swede,” and “Willie,” the cast of characters could be stars of a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western, a John Wayne shoot ‘em up or a Marlon Brando gangster film. The action and violence may have been very similar to what took place on the silver screen. The big difference? The riders were their own stunt doubles.

Scalzo writes:

“If adventure was your deal, and risk-taker your mentality, Grand National was almost too good to be true. Rider, scooter, and slave-labor pit crew came away from a typical Grand National weekend raced-out, partied-out, and doll-babied out-if they’d been lucky! Aboard their ‘Hogs,’ ‘Lime Juicers,’ and ‘Rice Burners,’ the celebrity nicknames fought it out in a fiendishly difficult gypsy tournament demanding five entirely different speed disciplines, everything from dirt mile-tracking to road racing.”

The cast of characters would fill any movie marquee…Brad Andres, C.R. Axtell, Bob Bailey, Don Butler, Chris Carr, Dick Hammer, John Hately, Ed Kretz, Mert Lawwill, Joe Leonard, Dick Mann, Bart Markel, Gary Nixon, Jan Opperman, Kenny Roberts, Gene Romero, Barry Sheene, Jay Springsteen and many more.

The locations…Ascot Park, Castle Rock, Colorado Springs, Columbus, Daytona, Del Mar, DuQuoin, Indianapolis, Laconia, Peoria, Sacramento, San Jose, Santa Rosa, Springfield, and others.

The Contents:

Chapter 1: WFO!
Chapter 2: Zounds, The Sounds
Chapter 3: Floyd Clymer Was Right
Chapter 4: Salud, Springer!
Glossary of Nicknames

Scalzo’s photo captions are always informative. The cutline below an image of riders at Ascot Park tells us much more than the photograph. “From 1959 to 1991 (Ascot) decided half a dozen Grand National championships. Another Ascot record was the seven future No. 1s it graduated: Myrtle the Turtle Lawwill, Burritto Romero, Mark Brelsford, Kenny Roberts, Gary Scott, Steve Eklund, and Ricky Graham.”

“Grand National dirt tracks came in four different sizes: mile, half-mile, short-track, and TT steeplechase, which was really flat-tracking complete with right-hand corners and a hurtling jump. Then came Grand National’s fifth and joker discipline-road racing across pavement.”

Scalzo’s profiles of Grand National greats read like mini biographies. Joe Leonard is summarized thusly…

“Hunky Hog hero and criminally handsome three-time No. 1, Leonard, during his reign of 1954, 1955, and 1957, was Grand National’s icon. Almost everybody wanted to be like ‘Gentleman Joe.’ When at home in California he won everywhere, including Hollister, which inspired Marlon Brando’s and Lee Marvin’s big, botched bike matinee (‘The Wild One’), the island Grand Prix at Catalina in the Pacific off L.A.; and at fast and fogbound Belmont below Frisco Bay. But most of Joe-the-Gentleman’s time was spent chasing the No. 1 and making reckless sorties beyond the Big Muddy so he could bag Daytona, Laconia, Springfield, Peoria…Joe later became a famous race-car chauffeur. One year he came up just nine miserable laps short of possibly winning the Indianapolis 500; in two others he was national titlist of Indy car racing.”

“Grand National: America’s Golden Age of Motorcycle Racing” earns four out of five lug nuts. Purchase it at SPEEDtv.com…Keyword, “Books.”

“The Big Book of Car Culture…for readers who love cars and the open road, here’s the ultimate armchair compendium to automotive Americana-a whimsical collection whose subjects range from the old chestnuts to the off-beat but no less fascinating:

Road Trip Must-Sees
Style on Wheels
Drive-thru Culture
Automobilia
Pit Stops
Highways and Byways.”

“Illustrated with hundreds of photos, period ads, postcards, gas station giveaways, and more, this whimsical collection of nearly 150 roadside icons features diners, drive in restaurants and movie theaters, service stations, Route 66…the Weinermobile, AMC Gremlin, breathalyzer and Earl Scheib.”

The Introduction echoes the book’s mission: “This book is in essence a scrapbook containing a series of time capsules that chronicle the evolution of our national obsession with all things automotive. As such, it is also a trip down memory lane for a few and a peek into the past for those who are too young to remember.”

The photographs on the cover are a time machine for me. A 1959 Rambler is like the one my Grandma drove. The view of Mount Rushmore takes me back to a family vacation in our 1962 Ford Galaxie. The Truck Stop on the back is one I’ve driven by in rural Ohio. The AMC Gremlin looks like a tennis shoe in profile and transports me to my days of selling cars. The Airstream trailer reminds me of scores of them I saw in Yellowstone campgrounds.

139 “Chapters” fill Six Sections in this 320 page delight. Some examples:

1: Only Twenty Miles To…
“The Thing”
Area 51
Lucy the Elephant
Cadillac Ranch
Pedro’s South of the Border
Graceland
Mount Rushmore
Wall Drug
See Rock City

2: Safety, Comfort and Style: The Evolution of Automotive Essentials
Crashes and Survival: The Modern Era of Automotive Safety
Radio: Theme Songs for the Road
Whose Idea Was That? Unsung Heroes of the Automotive Culture
CB: Reach Out and Touch Someone
Advertisements and Jingles: Sell the Sizzle, Not the Steak
Hood Ornaments: Icons, Mascots and Flights of Fancy
Earl Scheib: “I’ll paint any car any color for only $29.95.”
Tail Fins: Monument to an Era of Dreams

3: The Ride
Airflow: The end of the stagecoaches
Airstream: Roughing it in style
Ambulance: A brief history of portable hospitals
The Last Ride: Going out in style
Checker: An urban legend
Corvette: America’s sports car
Edsel: Lemon or lemonade?

4: The Culture of the Road
Bates Motel
Billboards and Burma Shave: Signs of the times
Postcards and Bumper Stickers: Wish you were here
Coffee Shops and Diners: Eating with the locals
Drive In Theatre: Passion pits and family fun
Miniature Golf:
Easy Rider: “You know what, Billy? We blew it.”
Route 66
American Graffiti

5: Gasoline Alley
AAA: A century of service
Gas Pumps
The Stations
Giveaways
Restrooms: Some things just can’t wait
Mini-Mart

6: The Open Road
Alcan Highway
Breathalyzer: The public got MADD
U.S. 99 and U.S. 101
The Bridges
Ferries
Interstate Highways
Parking Meters
The Lincoln Tunnel
Route 66
Tollbooth
Pennsylvania Turnpike

If you are a baby boomer like me, chances are you’ll uncover a memory on nearly every page. The Pennsylvania Turnpike chapter brought a tear to my eye when I remembered our family trips from Western Pennsylvania to Glen Burnie, Maryland…Zelienople to Breezewood. My brothers and I were asleep in the back seat of our 1948 Chevy and my parents always woke us up when we got to the tunnels. Why? There really wasn’t much to see…please just let me sleep! I’d give almost anything to get a chance to relive those wonderful days.

Our Yellowstone trip in the mid-sixties in our 1962 Ford Galaxie pulling a popup camper
took us through many memories preserved in “The Big Book of Car Culture.” Wall Drug, Mount Rushmore, Burma Shave Signs, Corvettes, Edsels, Billboards, Postcards, Bumper stickers, Miniature Golf, Gas Pumps, Restrooms, McDonalds, Neon, Howard Johnson’s, Dairy Queen, U-Haul, Neon, AAA, Phillips 66 and Esso.

“The Big Book of Car Culture” rates four out of five lug nuts and is available at SPEEDtv.com, Keyword “Books.” Enter “Americana Gift Set” in the search and get a set of four wonderful books at a substantial discount.

“We put an in-car camera in a works Rothmans Porsche 956 with Derek Bell, giving you a terrific driver’s-eye-view as he takes you round seven of the world’s greatest racing circuits at up to 220 mph! The circuits: Silverstone, ‘Old’ Nurburgring, Le Mans, Spa Francorchamps, Brands Hatch, Fuji Speedway and Kyalami. Plus a bonus lap of Mosport with Vern Schuppan.”

“In Car 956” is 62 minutes of heart-pounding excitement, much of it narrated by Derek Bell WHILE he is driving. He must have had things well under control because I never heard his voice raise by an octave…not even at Le Mans or the Nurburgring. There were times when I as a viewer was ready to scream in sheer delight.

The Nurburgring “Nordschleife” footage is amazing. It is 14 miles of adrenaline. Bell says, “With 157 corners it is the most demanding circuit in the world.” Some of his commentary is priceless:

“On the throttle…off the throttle….a dab of the brakes…”

“It’s very important to be smooth at all times because the cambers can lead you astray.”

“The vibrations and bumps are astonishing. You can hardly hold the car at all.”

“That’s a tricky bit…the car is tippie-toeing…”

“You can see the Nurburg Castle…not that I’m ever looking at that…”

At 9:20 of the DVD another Porsche 956 goes flying by Bell. Derek doesn’t miss a beat: “Oh, there incidentally is Jacky Ickx on his qualifying lap, who is very fast indeed because HE doesn’t have a camera in his car.”

Be amazed as Bell shows you the correct line through Bergwerk, the Karussell, Wippermann, Schwalbenschwanz, and the Flugplatz.

The Le Mans footage was my favorite. It took me back to the time I attended the 24 Hour race in person. Derek blazes down the Mulsanne Straight (“The most famous straight in the world.”) at over 220 MPH. It seems to go on and on…and in the “pre chicane” days, Bell takes the kink flat out. The DVD takes us on a few blindingly fast laps…the Dunlop bridge, the esses, Tertre Rouge, the Mulsanne, Indianapolis, Arnage, Maison Blanche. In 1983 the Porsche 956 was clocked at 246 MPH down the Mulsanne and Jacky Ickx’s pole speed was over 152 MPH.

Highlights of the circuits in the DVD “In Car 956”

Silverstone: Copse, Maggots, Becketts, Chapel Curve, Hangar Straight, Stowe, Vale, Club, Abbey, Priory, Brooklands, Woodcote.

Spa-Francorchamps: Eau Rouge, Les Combes, Malmedy, Rivage, Stavelot, Bus Stop, La Source.

Brands Hatch: Paddock, Hailwood, Druids, Graham Hill, Cooper Straight, Surtees, Pilgrim’s Drop, Hawthorn Hill, Westfield, Dingle Dell, Stirling’s, Clark Curve, Brabham Straight.

Fuji: Dailchi Corner, Suntory Corner, Hairpin, Dunlop Corner.

Kyalami: Gestetner Straight, Total Curve, Nashua Corner, Sunset, Clubhouse, Esses, Wesbank Corner, Caltex Mineshaft, Sweep.

“In Car 956” is a wonderful time capsule that enables the viewer to ride along with one of the greatest sports car racers in history in one of the most iconic cars on some of the world’s most demanding circuits. It rates 4 out of 5 lug nuts and may be purchased at SPEEDtv.com, Keyword “Books.”

I’ve just added another motorsports hero to my list. “The David Jefferies Story” is a superb 2-hour- plus DVD and a wonderful tribute to an amazingly courageous rider.

The DVD jacket proclaims:
“The David Jefferies Story is a reminder of the much loved and much missed Yorkshireman. It covers the remarkable rides and records of his career, features interviews with family and friends and captures some of DJ’s fun-loving character. DVD extras include extended interviews with DJ’s Dad, Tony Jefferies, Jack Valentine and John McGuinness.”

“DJ had become synonymous with the Isle of Man TT, holding the lap records and overall race records for the Formula 1, Senior and Production classes. He became the first rider to lap the TT course at 125 mph, 126 mph, and 127 mph, the first to complete a sub 18-minute lap and the only rider in TT history to have treble wins in 3 consecutive years. He also left his mark on the British Superstock Championship, winning it in 2000 and 2002, the Scarborough Gold Cup, winning it a record 5 times, and enjoyed victories in the Ulster Grand Prix, World Superstock and many other international racing events throughout his illustrious career.”

The DVD is a wonderful mix of on-track footage and poignant interviews. The Isle of Man aerial and trackside views are breathtaking. The on-bike footage is remarkable. David was called “The Man Mountain” because he was a very big guy with very great talent….especially at the Isle of Man where he carved his legend… one turn at a time.

David said of the Isle of Man, “You’ve got to give the place the respect it deserves. The conditions were absolutely horrendous…a lot of standing water about. I was getting wheelspin at 140 miles per hour…pretty scary.” PRETTY SCARY? Are you kidding me? This guy was superhuman.

“The main objective is to win the race at the slowest possible speed. I can do every corner in my head. I made a fool of myself when I went to a pub with friends, had a few beers and talked my way through a lap (of the Isle of Man.) The disappointing thing is it took me 35 minutes! I hope I can do it a little quicker than that.” (on a bike) DJ

He did. He clocked a lap of the 37 ¾ mile course in under 18 minutes. He was the first to do laps at 125, 126, and 127 mph.

“I don’t know what the limit is. The limit is how comfortable you feel on that day. I do not ride beyond my limit at the Isle of Man. I don’t take unnecessary risks.” DJ

On his record lap: “It was one of the best laps I’ve ever done. It just seemed to flow together. I HAD to concentrate. I thought one corner ahead all the way around.” DJ

David was 6’ 2” tall and 200 pounds. “Everybody says I’m too big. I’ve proved them wrong so many times.”

David was a third generation motorcycle racer. His father, Tony broke his back racing at Mallory Park. David was one at the time. David was well aware of the dangers of motorcycle racing. “My father is in a wheelchair from racing but that was a fluke accident.” David made his reputation at the Isle of Man and unfortunately paid the ultimate price there on May 29, 2003.

His dad, Tony was interviewed in the DVD and choked me up when he described watching David race at the TT. “Suddenly, off he went. I watched him go…then I wheeled my way to the back...out of the way… and I cried my bloody eyes out. He had no idea what a big hero he was.”

Close friend, John McGuinness said, “One of my closest friends in racing has paid the ultimate price. In true DJ style he was flat out through the Crosby section…”

David’s tombstone is inscribed with a line that was his mission statement…and is a good philosophy for all of us.

“Those Who Risk Nothing
Do Nothing
Achieve Nothing
Become Nothing”

“The David Jefferies Story” rates four out of five lug nuts. Purchase it at SPEEDtv.com, Keyword, “Books.”

The cover photograph immediately grabbed my attention. Kurt Busch’s “winged” Car of Today lines up next to a trio of original Chrysler “winged cars” of yesteryear on the high banks of Daytona. My mind contemplated…“If only”…and “Wouldn’t it be cool if that could happen in real life? Which ‘winged warrior’ would win?”

The back jacket copy proclaims:
“A Heritage of Excellence. A Heritage of Speed. From its very beginning in 1925, Chrysler Corporation has based its reputation on engineering excellence and backed up that reputation on the proving grounds of competition. From the dirt tracks and superspeedways of NASCAR to the quarter-mile drag strips of the NHRA, from the salt flats of Bonneville to the high-speed European racing venues of Le Mans and Spa- Francorchamps, Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth cars and engines have dominated their rivals on their way to rewriting the record books. This is the story of the all-conquering Hemi engine, of “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, the greatest drag racer of all time, of Richard Petty, the King of Stock Car Racing, and many others. Proving Ground: A History of Dodge, Chrysler, and Plymouth Racing is the first full history of Chrysler’s racing efforts. This is the book that fans of Mopar racing have been waiting for.”

Eight Chapters, illustrated with scores of excellent photographs, tell the Mopar story in 192 pages.

1: The Birth of a Heritage: 1924-1941
2: The Dawn of an Era: 1949-1958
3: NASCAR: The Factory Battles: 1959-1970
4: Drag Racing’s Super Stock Era: 1960-1969
5: Racing in Other Fields and Waters: 1959-1980
6: NASCAR Circuit Racing: 1971-Present
7: Road Racing, Rally and Land Speed Record: 1981-Present
8: Drag Racing’s Pro Stock Era: 1970-Present

“Proving Ground” provided many fascinating tidbits of trivia that filled in my knowledge gaps.

Chrysler Corporation was founded in 1925 by Walter P. Chrysler.

The 1924 Chrysler Model 70, was named for its 70MPH top speed.

“The first-recorded major Chrysler racing entry was not on U.S. soil and not accomplished by American drivers.” (It was in the 1925 24 Hours of Le Mans, when Henri Stoffel and Lucien Desvaux drove a Chrysler Model 70 roadster in the French race.)

Malcolm Campbell drove a Model 70 to victory at Brooklands in 1925 at an average speed of 99.61 MPH.

A Chrysler Imperial E-80 paced the 1926 Indianapolis 500. It was driven by Louis Chevrolet.

The first Chrysler-powered car to compete in the Indy 500 was the “Slade Special” driven by Roland Free in 1930.

A 1934 Chrysler Airflow was driven to 72 AAA speed records at Daytona Beach then did a cross-country economy run from Los Angeles to New York averaging 18.1 MPG.

Jimmy Thompson finished 10th in a 1946 Chrysler in the first NASCAR Strictly Stock race at Charlotte on June 19, 1949.

Lee Petty won Chrysler’s first NASCAR “Cup” race at Heidelberg Speedway near Pittsburg, PA in a 1949 Plymouth on October 2, 1949.

Carl Kiekhaefer’s Chrysler team dominated NASCAR Cup racing from 1955-56. They won the title both years and an astonishing 52 of 101 races.

In 1967 Richard Petty’s Plymouth Belvedere won an amazing 27 NASCAR Cup races…including 10 in a row.

The 426 Hemi engine first ran under its own power on December 6, 1963. It would soon become legendary.

When Chrysler boycotted NASCAR in 1965 when the Hemi was banned, Richard Petty and David Pearson went drag racing. Petty drove the #43 Jr. Plymouth Barracuda and Pearson drove a Dodge Dart wagon called “Cotton Picker.”

The winged 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona made its debut at the inaugural race at Talladega. It took pole at 199.466 MPH and won the race. Charlie Glotzbach had earlier run a lap at 243 MPH on the five mile Chrysler Chelsea Proving Grounds track.

Don Garlits’ Swamp Rat VI was the first dragster to break 200MPH on August 1, 1964 at Great Meadows, NJ.

These are just a few of the Chrysler highlights documented in “Proving Ground.” The book also contains photographs of famous people, places and cars in the Chrysler legacy including:
Sam Posey in the 1970 Dodge Challenger Trans Am machine
Buck Baker in the 1956 Chrysler 300B
The 1956 DeSoto Fire Flite Indy Pace Car
Dan Gurney’s 1970 Plymouth SuperBird
Dick Landy’s 1964 Hemi Dodge…the first “ Funny Car”
Woody Walcher’s 1965 Hemi Plymouth Pikes Peak hill climber
“Goldenrod”
“Miss Chrysler”
Bob Tullius’ Group 44 Dodge Dart
Woodhouse Performance Viper
Al Teague’s Streamliner
Joey Saldana’s World of Outlaws sprint car
Sox & Martin’s Hemi Barracuda
The “Motown Missile”
Gary Scelzi’s Mopar Funny Car
And many, many more.

“Proving Ground” rates four out of five lug nuts and may be purchased at SPEEDtv.com, Keyword, “Books.”

The DVD jacket of “Hot Rod Heaven” provides a nice summary of the 108 minutes of content:

“The cult of hot rodding took root in 1940s America, amongst young car enthusiasts with little or no money who were eager to play around with this new machine. This program traces the evolution of the hot rod-from its post-war explosion in California, through the days of illegal street-racing, to the international spectator sport of drag racing. Along the way we interview the people who have shaped this phenomenon, including Alex Xydias, Pete Chapouris, Tony Thacker, Jimmy Shine, and Andy & Roy Brizio.”

“We pay a visit to the Bonneville Salt Flats, regarded as one of the birthplaces of hot rodding, to break the 200mph record with the guys from the “So-Cal Speed Shop.’ Plus, we check out the Grand National Roadster Show in San Francisco, and the biggest nostalgia drag race in Famosa, CA-capturing plenty of tyre smoke, ear-splitting noise and awesome speeds! Finally, we search out some of today’s coolest street machines. Recreated using a mixture of archive and modern footage, alongside insightful interviews with the men who made it happen, this is the story of an American passion and the desire to build a dream.”

Where is Hot Rod Heaven?
“Anywhere in the world where a guy can make a car go faster and look different than the one sitting next to him at the stoplight.”

This universal appeal is indicated on the DVD where “flatheads, highboys, and Model A sedans and deuce roadsters are dragging each other on a strip in middle England no more than ten miles from the birthplace of William Shakespeare.”

I’m sure if the bard were alive today he would comment about “the sound and the fury.”

The DVD claims that Henry Ford was one of the world’s first hot rodders. In January of 1904 he drove a Ford Arrow on a one mile course on frozen Lake St. Clair to a land speed record of 91.4 mph.

The “deuce” coupe name comes from the year…1932.

The dry lakes of California’s Mojave Desert…”Muroc and El Mirage became temples to the disciples of speed.”

“The Mecca was the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.”

In 1948 Robert Petersen published “Hot Rod” Magazine.
Wally Parks was its first Editor.

In 1949 Wally Parks founded the NHRA to take drag racing off the streets.

Alex Xydias, the founder of So-Cal Speed Shop said, “Veterans coming back from World War II. still wanted excitement in their lives.” So-Cal fulfilled their “need for speed.”

So-Cal’s first race car was a belly tank car. It was fabricated from a P-38 fighter’s 350 gallon fuel tank. Its tear-drop shape was very aerodynamic.

In 1949 So-Cal ran 193 mph in a streamliner that incorporated pre-war Auto Union aero ideas.

In 1953 Ak Miller entered his “Iron Horse” hot rod in the Carrera Panamericana Mexican road race and ran at 125mph...as fast as the Ferraris. It finished 8th with gear problems.

Carroll Shelby built the first Cobra in the hot rod shop of Dean Moon.

In 1960 hot rodder Mickey Thompson blasted Bonneville at 406 mph in Challenger I. He was unable to make a record-setting return run due to mechanical issues.

In 1965 the Summers Brothers took “Goldenrod” to 409 mph at Bonneville. Their record would stand for 26 years.

Footage from the Famosa vintage drag racing meet at Bakersfield and the Grand National Roadster Show anchor the DVD. Beautiful images of A la Carte, Smoothster, Cadzilla, Invader, Alien and other gorgeous cars show why they have become automotive icons.

“Hot Rod Heaven” rates four out of five lug nuts. It may be purchased at SPEEDtv.com, Keyword “Books.”

“Drive to Survive!” may be the best investment you will ever make. For the price of a discount oil change you will learn tips that may save your life or that of a loved one. Curt Rich’s advice will pay dividends every time you sit behind the wheel of your car.

“It’s a hostile world out there. People get carjacked. They also get shot at, sometimes with no apparent provocation. They are robbed in parking lots and in their garages. Drivers on the road are becoming more and more aggressive, less caring or aware of the effects of their actions on other drivers, and far more dangerous.

“From simple situational awareness to evasive maneuvers like the bootlegger hairpin turn, ‘Drive to Survive!’ gives you the tools and techniques to become a ‘combat master’ of your automobile. Author Curt Rich draws on his personal experience and expertise as a former Army Captain, graduate of numerous high-performance driving schools, two-time SCCA National Rally Champion, and as an instructor for the Porsche Club of America to instruct readers how to avoid becoming the victims of road rage, car jackings, kidnapping, and even traffic accidents. Complete with 50 diagrams and photos that illustrate how to carry out the techniques, ‘Drive to Survive!’ is a necessary tool for all drivers who want to survive the ravages of the modern-day road.”

I read “Drive to Survive!” in an evening. I was fascinated at Rich’s common sense approach to driving. Unfortunately, common sense is all too uncommon today and many of the things we were taught in Driver’s Ed are NOT correct. The book is divided into an Introduction and nine short chapters.

Combat Survival Techniques for the Road
A Guide to Situational Awareness
Combat Concepts for the Road
Avoiding the Dumb Accident
High-Performance Driving Techniques for the Road
Avoiding the Crazies
Evasive Driving Techniques
Kidnapping and Carjacking
Defeating Murphy
Putting it All Together

Curt Rich is an entertaining writer. He draws upon sources as varied as combat training and the Bible.

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.” Matthew 10:16

“Having people trying to kill you makes you a fast learner. Learning by experience is usually fatal in combat. You have to learn by the experience of others.” Rich utilizes his combat training in teaching us driving techniques. We’ve heard the expressions “It’s a jungle out there,” and “It’s a war out there,” in describing our morning commute. In reality we are dealing with hundreds of two ton missiles every day.

“The key to survival in any hostile environment is situational awareness, how to know what’s going on around you. If you are going to survive, the first thing to learn is how to stay alert so no one sneaks up on you and you get a chance to react to potentially dangerous situations.” It starts with correctly adjusting your rear-view and side-view mirrors. Chances are you have been taught incorrectly!

Do you think someone is following you?
Rich gives a foolproof way of finding out. You make three consecutive right turns. If the car is still behind you…you ARE being followed. What do you do next? DON’T go home! Call 911 on your cell phone and drive to the nearest police station, fire station, hospital emergency room entrance or even a full-service gas station.

Some techniques are so simple…and so often ignored.

The two second rule in following another vehicle.

The two second pause at a green light.

Look where you want to go...not at what you want to hit.

“Studies have shown that drivers using cellular phones are as dangerous as drunk drivers.”

The correct hand position on the steering wheel. (Why the 9 and 3 position also protects your arms from airbag deployment.)

Why you should drive “thumbs up.”

How can you determine the correct distance you should sit from the steering wheel and pedals?

“Set yourself above the incompetence. Drive competently and avoid the incompetent.”

Leave yourself at least half car length behind the car in front of you when you stop at a stop light, in case a carjacker exits from either the car in front of you or the one behind. You can shoot the gap and drive away. Constantly scan your mirrors for suspicious activity.

I have barely scratched the surface of the valuable information in “Drive to Survive!” that could save your life. It rates four out of five lug nuts. Buy copies for all the drivers in your family at SPEEDtv.com, Keyword, “Books.”

TITLE: “Slot Car Racing: Tips, Tricks and Track Plans”

AUTHOR: Robert Schleicher

love
Would you like to own your own race track, but your name isn’t Bruton Smith and you’re not a member of the France family? Perhaps you’d like to have a multi-car race team but you don’t have the financial resources of Penske, Ganassi, Roush or Hendrick. Have no fear … ”Slot Car Racing” is here! Robert Schleicher gives us 232 pages of slot car wisdom with the help of scores of truly spectacular color and black and white photographs.

On page 8, a color photograph of Bobby Isaac’s Dodge Daytona at Riverside Raceway in 1970 is placed above a slot car replica of the same car … and it is almost impossible to tell one from the other. Similar shots of Dan Gurney’s winged Plymouth Superbird are done on pages 186 and 187. Tracks and cars have come a long way from the Strombecker kit with its Jaguar D-types I remember from when I was a kid.

“Slot Car Racing” is divided into 13 lucky chapters.

1.Today’s Model Racing Cars.
2.What’ll She Do? Track Tests of 39 Cars
3.Real Racing Action
4.Race Car Prep and Performance
5.Sixty Car-by-Car Comparison Shoot-Outs
6.Build Your Own Race Car
7.The Snap-Together Home Raceway
8.Racetracks on Tabletops
9.Real Racetracks for Your Home
10.Sedan Racing: NASCAR, Trans-Am, DTM, and WRC
11.Your Racetracks
12.HO Race Car Track Tests
13.HO Tracks and 11 Track Plans

Robert Schleicher is not only an expert on slot car racing but he is a very good writer. He is able to relay technical information in a way that even I can understand it. Some excerpts from his book are in order.

Mini Michael motors at mini Monaco.

“Model car racing is now closer to real car racing than ever. The cars are almost indistinguishable from the real racing machines they replicate. You have a choice of speed, anything from true-scale miles per hour with infinitely controllable power slides to flat-out rail’n it speeds that define the term ‘slot racing.’ There’s no realism in rail’n it, but it is a thrill. At the realistic end of the speed spectrum, improved tires and the ability to run six cars in one lane make 1/32 scale model racing virtually 1/1 racing.”

“The list of available ready-to-race cars grows by about 100 (not counting different paint schemes) each year. Technology has reached tabletop racing in the form of digital cars and controllers that allow you to run up to six cars on a two-lane track. Controller-operated lane-changing tracks allow you to choose either the “fast” or “passing” lane at the flick of a button. No longer must you have a six-lane slot-car track to race six cars-two lanes are enough. You can duplicate the real racetrack of your dreams in a space as small as 5x9 feet or have a full-house experience in as little as 8x16 feet.”

“There are many new pit buildings, grandstands, control towers, and crowds of scale- model people available so you can make the track almost as realistic as the cars. One of the joys of model racing is that you can have a replica of just about any real racing car from almost any time period. You can even have the complete grid of cars from just about any race in history on a replica of any real racing track-and you can have it all in your own home.”

“Slot Car Racing’s” track tests of race cars would make “Consumer Reports” proud. Cars are tested on two identical test tracks made of two different brands of track. Cars are driven for 50 laps on each track and the fastest time is recorded for each lane. Then the cars are driven on five skid pads. The results are tabulated and charted. The cars are ranked numerically. But the coolest ranking is by photographing them on a model race track in the grid order of how they performed. It looks like the pace lap of a major motor race!

Only a half second separates first from last in these 60’s Sports/GT/Le Mans slot cars.

In “Race Car Prep and Performance” Robert gives dozens of step-by-step tips (complete with close up photographs) of how to “tune up” your race car for maximum performance. Perhaps his best piece of advice in the entire book is, “I strongly suggest you invest in a lap counter/timer so you can time how fast the car is going before and after you make each change.” This tip is worth the price of the book and will save hours of “trial and error” and “by guess and by gosh” attempts at tuning up your race car.

Essentially, with slot car racing you can BE Bernie Ecclestone or Brian France. You can do something impossible in the real world of racing … race cars from different decades or even different series on the same track at the same time. It’s a fun-filled automotive time machine. You can build your own custom designed race track, combining the best features of the great circuits from motor racing history. You can stock the infield with your favorite die cast cars. Cannibalize your train set for interesting buildings, trees, shrubs and miniature people. Let your imagination go wild. Share this wonderful hobby with your children and grandchildren, neighbors and friends. It is one of the few hobbies that can be enjoyed by nearly anyone of any age, even those with serious physical and mental challenges. “Slot Car Racing” earns four out of five lug nuts. 

For this and other exciting titles go to www.speedtvbooks.com and start collecting.