Forums » Off-topic discussion » Recommended Car Books 1 2

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  Feb. 25, 2011 3:05 p.m. aussiesmg SuperDork

  I have read the series by BS Levy, a bunch of autobiographies, Toly Arunutoff, and a lot more.

  Ordered books by Tommy Byrne and both Stigs but haven't got them yet.

  I am looking for additional car book recommendations.

  Maybe start a book nerd/worm's thread

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  Feb. 25, 2011 3:25 p.m. NickF40 Reader

  Cannonball!

  Best book i've read! There is so many good ones

  "With that you are in for a whole night of suck squeeze bang blow"-James May

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  Feb. 25, 2011 3:28 p.m. wcelliot HalfDork

  NickF40 wrote: Cannonball! Best book i've read! There is so many good ones

  +1

  Awesome book!!!

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  Feb. 25, 2011 4:34 p.m. 4cylndrfury SuperDork

  • The art of racing in the rain by Garth Stein (I think)
    
  • Who was it on here who wrote the performance EFI book? I got the free sample in iBooks for the iPad, and it was pretty good. Im gonna get the full version in print (hopefully for my b-day)
    

  Im in the market for a good suspension for dummies type book. Im looking for outlines of different suspension types, general math basics, applications, pictures etc. Anyone got recommendations?

  Real cars only have one header!

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  Feb. 25, 2011 4:46 p.m. Woody SuperDork

  Cannonball and The Art of Racing in the Rain both suck.

  Read something by Toly. He deserves it.

  I lift things up and put them down.

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  Feb. 25, 2011 5:24 p.m. aussiesmg SuperDork

  Toly's second book is on hold while he recovers, I have his first book, a signed copy I bought from him at the Rolex

  Cornering is like bringing a woman to climax. Jackie Stewart

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  Feb. 25, 2011 5:27 p.m. 93EXCivic SuperDork

  4cylndrfury wrote: Im in the market for a good suspension for dummies type book. Im looking for outlines of different suspension types, general math basics, applications, pictures etc. Anyone got recommendations?

  For a very basic one, I would recommend Chassis Engineering by Herb Adams.

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  Feb. 25, 2011 5:41 p.m. 4cylndrfury SuperDork

  93EXCivic wrote:

  4cylndrfury wrote: Im in the market for a good suspension for dummies type book. Im looking for outlines of different suspension types, general math basics, applications, pictures etc. Anyone got recommendations?

  For a very basic one, I would recommend Chassis Engineering by Herb Adams.

  Thanks!

  Real cars only have one header!

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  Feb. 25, 2011 6:10 p.m. Jay_W HalfDork

  The Racing Driver by Denis Jenkinson. He codrove for Moss...Sure it's old but car control is car control. Awesome fun informative read, and just look at what safety gear was at the highest level of motorsport when Fangio was competing.

  And how many times the author mentions "the late so and so" when captioning photos....

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  Feb. 25, 2011 6:32 p.m. Maroon92 SuperDork

  I think this thread comes up once every year or so.

  There is only one car guy book that EVERY car guy should consider required reading. -The Unfair Advantage by Mark Donohue. I sold my copy to someone here on the forums, I hope it continues circulating until everyone has read it. I am still looking for a signed 1973 copy...

  XBL GamerTag: bcbrownell Racing is the process of turning money into noise.

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  Feb. 25, 2011 7:15 p.m. Chebbie_SB HalfDork

  If the photography of incredible cars is of any interest, check into these Simply phenomenal !

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  Feb. 25, 2011 7:30 p.m. Stealthtercel Reader

  Jackie Stewart's "Winning is not enough: The autobiography" – I got mine autographed.

  And is anybody on here old enough to remember "The Red Car" by Don Stanford?

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  Feb. 25, 2011 7:31 p.m. Javelin SuperDork

  The Art of Racing in the Rain is a good book, but it is not a "car book". It has obscure racing references that are fun, but it's far from a car book.

  The Man in the White Suit is a must-read. Y'all have to realize the Stig gig wasn't full time, and it didn't exactly pay well. (I'm honestly not convinced that the whole row was real at all, I suspect it was actually an amicable split with some hype thrown in for marketing after the cover was blown).

  Michael Pinto - 73 AMC Javelin / GoKart / 93 Miata STS / 01 Grand Prix GT / 06 Mazda5

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  Feb. 25, 2011 9:33 p.m. Teqnyck Reader

  Not exactly "easy reading" but my wife just bought me a couple of Corky Bell books. Good reads

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  Feb. 25, 2011 10:28 p.m. motomoron HalfDork

  The Unfair Advantage

  Is an awesome biography of Mark Donohue. I literally couldn't put it down.

  The BS Levy series were great, but you might have to be of a certain age to get it. I had a stack of my dad's old Sports Car and Road and Track magazines from the late 50's when I was little, so they made sense to me.

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  Feb. 25, 2011 10:38 p.m. Lesley SuperDork

  Alex Zanardi's bio makes some really compelling reading. Meeting him is on my bucket list - the man is so humble and so brave. And of course, there's the wonderful "French Kiss with Death" on the making of "Le Mans" by my friend Michael Keyser.

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  Feb. 25, 2011 10:52 p.m. friedgreencorrado SuperDork

  Lesley wrote: Alex Zanardi's bio makes some really compelling reading. Meeting him is on my bucket list - the man is so humble and so brave. And of course, there's the wonderful "French Kiss with Death" on the making of "Le Mans" by my friend Michael Keyser.

  There's also a print companion to Keyser's "The Speed Merchants" that ain't half bad, either. Especially if you're into racing photography.

  Is there a good Jesse Alexander compilation out there somewhere?

  How can it be a midlife crisis, when I've driven sportscars my entire life?

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  Feb. 25, 2011 11:14 p.m. Lesley SuperDork

  I've got both the "Speed Merchant" books too :-)

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  Feb. 26, 2011 1:30 a.m. 93EXCivic SuperDork

  motomoron wrote: The BS Levy series were great, but you might have to be of a certain age to get it. I had a stack of my dad's old Sports Car and Road and Track magazines from the late 50's when I was little, so they made sense to me.

  I don't think so. I enjoy those books despite only being 22.

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  Feb. 26, 2011 3:26 a.m. racerfink HalfDork

  If you've ever worked on cars, you'll get the BS Levy books.

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  Feb. 26, 2011 3:32 a.m. grafmiata Dork

  Also have to go with Unfair Advantage... No idea how many times I've read that. My Sweetest Victory by Zanardi is also very good.

  A couple other good ones are Flat-Out... Flat Broke by Perry McCarthy which is hilarious, and Unless I'm Very Much Mistaken... by Murray Walker, just because it's Murray Walker.

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  Feb. 26, 2011 5:59 a.m. ST_ZX2 Reader

  Unfair Advantage.

  Fast Guys, Rich Guys and Idiots--Sam Moses

  Sunday Driver--Brock Yates

  I actually love reading the book forms of Peter Egan's 'Side Glances' series too.

  Erik B. _/\__/\__/\__/\__/\_

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  Feb. 26, 2011 7:04 a.m. ddavidv SuperDork

  Woody wrote: *Cannonball* and *The Art of Racing in the Rain* both suck. Read something by Toly. He deserves it.

  Ignore this post. Both are brilliant, though the latter is admittedly fiction and not really about cars that much. Anyone who has ever worked on a rusty old POS project vehicle really must read John Jerome's classic "Truck". While it does occasionally meander off into some zen philosophy, the bulk of it is a good read as well as educational if you aren't really hip on how engines work. My favorite chapter is his visits to the various junkyards. A vanishing thing now, his description of a typical old style junkyard, it's office and it's inhabitants was spot-on an LOL funny. Add to that a call of nature and a trainload of girl scouts... "The Hemi in the Barn" series is good. Also anything by Peter Egan. "The Gold Plated Porsche" is a good read, though not so much about the Porsche as a autobiography of a guy who's got some great stories to tell.

  Moved to the fastest run group so I can drive "flat out"

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  Feb. 26, 2011 7:22 a.m. Woody SuperDork

  ddavidv wrote:

  Woody wrote: *Cannonball* and *The Art of Racing in the Rain* both suck. Read something by Toly. He deserves it.

  Ignore this post. Both are brilliant, though the latter is admittedly fiction and not really about cars that much. Anyone who has ever worked on a rusty old POS project vehicle really must read John Jerome's classic "Truck". While it does occasionally meander off into some zen philosophy, the bulk of it is a good read as well as educational if you aren't really hip on how engines work. My favorite chapter is his visits to the various junkyards. A vanishing thing now, his description of a typical old style junkyard, it's office and it's inhabitants was spot-on an LOL funny. Add to that a call of nature and a trainload of girl scouts... "The Hemi in the Barn" series is good. Also anything by Peter Egan. "The Gold Plated Porsche" is a good read, though not so much about the Porsche as a autobiography of a guy who's got some great stories to tell.

  I thought that the first half of Racing in the Rain was fantastic; among the best books that I've ever read. The second half, however, reminded me of a high school term paper that was begun after midnight on the night before it was due. It was a very weak and far fetched conclusion.

  I'll back off on my statement about Cannonball, though. I've always enjoyed Brock Yates' writing, but when I read that book, it was as if he just kept bragging, "You wouldn't believe how cool I was in the 70's!".

  I have read everything else that David recommends, and I would agree with him on all of those choices.

  I lift things up and put them down.

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  Feb. 27, 2011 11:00 p.m. friedgreencorrado SuperDork

  One I overlooked while thinking of racing books, "Driving Like Crazy" by P. J. O'Rourke. It's a collection of his freelance work for street car magazines (mostly that great stuff he wrote for Car and Driver during its "Golden Era").

  How can it be a midlife crisis, when I've driven sportscars my entire life?

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