Book Reviews

COPO Camaro, Chevelle & Nova: Chevrolet’s Ultimate Muscle Cars

You may have heard of COPO Camaros; and maybe even know that COPO stands for Central Office Production Order, and that it was the backdoor way for those “in the know” to get the ultimate muscle cars from Chevrolet. But you probably won’t know the full story until you read Matt Avery’s COPO Camaro, Chevelle & Nova: Chevrolet’s Ultimate Muscle Cars. It’s a treasure chest of information on Yenkos, 427s, Gibbs, ZL1s, Stingers, and Deuces.  Accompanied by some high quality photography of course. It’s one high performance Must Read for any Bow Tie muscle fan.

Can-Am 50th Anniversary

No matter which racing series you follow today, it’s an unfortunate fact that all of the cars racing against one another, are more alike than they are different. But there was a time when that wasn’t the case. George Levy celebrates those times in Can-Am 50^th Anniversary: Flat Out with North America’s Greatest Race Series 1966-1974.  Can-Am was one racing series where “run what you brung” was truly taken to heart; and was accompanied by many advances in automotive technology that we take for granted today, particularly in the area of aerodynamics. It was a time when backyard engineers truly could keep up with the big boys and their limitless resources. It’s one fun and informative Must Read.

The Definitive Camaro Guide: 1970½ – 1981

While 1st gen Chevrolet Camaros draw most of the collector car attention, it’s a matter of fact that the original Camaro was a hastily assembled compromise based on the Chevy II, so that GM would have something to counter the wildly popular Ford Mustang. It wasn’t until the ground-up design of the 2^nd generation that GM really had something on their hands. 

And indeed, it was the most popular generation to date, with almost 2-million sold.  If you want to learn more about these American classics, pick up a copy of The Definitive Camaro Guide: 1970½ - 1981.  In this Must Read, Jason Scott tells the story behind the development, as well as gives you a complete run through of model year changes; along with plenty of pictures, so you know what to look for if you’re in the market for one of these highly collectible, highly fun hot rods.

Tyler Alexander: A Life And Times With McLaren

If you’re a follower of Formula 1 racing or just high performance cars, you may think you know everything there is to know about team McLaren. Chances are, you don’t.

But there’s no better place to get the full story than directly from someone who was there from the beginning. Tyler Alexander.

Released just prior to his death unfortunate passing, this autobiography, “Tyler Alexander: a life and times with McLaren,” gives you the full story how a Massachusetts born lad became an integral part of the British racing team for 46 years.

With a year by year account of both their trials and great victories, including McLaren’s most recent Formula 1 championship with Lewis Hamilton in 2008. It’s one high performance MUST READ that flies by at full speed.

The Complete Book of Classic Volkswagens

The name pretty much says it all for this Must Read. It’s The Complete Book of Classic Volkswagens: Beetles, Microbuses, Things, Karmann Ghias, and More by John Gunnell. If it’s air-cooled and built by Volkswagen in the 50s, 60s, 70s, or 80s; you’ll read about it here. Accompanying the wealth of facts and figures, are plenty of technical drawings and period advertising. It’s a great resource for the VW faithful, as well as just an enjoyable read for any car enthusiast.

Porsche: The Classic Era

Call us crazy, but even with all of the Porsche books we’ve read over the years, we can’t get enough of them. The latest to cross our desk is Porsche: The Classic Era by Dennis Adler. The first part of this book focuses on Ferdinand Porsche’s early years as a highly sought after automotive engineer who always dreamed of building an affordable sports car. But that dream kept getting put on the back burner due to other priorities, such as designing the Volkswagen Beetle, developing race cars, and yes unfortunately getting forced into engineering vehicles for the German war machine. So, it wasn’t until 1948, that the first Porsche 356 prototype hit the streets. The rest, as they say, is history. From there, the book fast forwards to the development of the 911, does a cursory look at Porsche’s racing cars, and even runs through some Porsche advertisements and literature. So, no matter how many Porsche books you’ve already read, you’re sure to learn something new from this Must Read.  

Automobile Design Graphics

In the automobile’s infancy, the biggest hurdle for the burgeoning industry wasn’t necessarily designing and building cars, but creating a demand for them. Thus began the art of automobile advertising. The manufacturers that have survived to today, realized early on that the key to success wasn’t necessarily about the product you build, but the lifestyle you can create around it. Those early ads and brochures are the subject of Automobile Design Graphics, a multilingual Must Read assembled by Jim Heinmann, Steven Heller, and Jim Donnelly. Unlike the photography-based ads of today, these were true works of art; and there are hundreds of them here in this high quality hardback, for you to enjoy.