Thanks, Wes, for the great book review. I think that all of should keep the
"group" in mind if you find a book of interest. If you give just a quick
synopsis or a great book report, it doesn't matter. What it does is alert all
of us to a book that we might not be aware of.
Bob D.
-----Original Message-----
From: Wester Potter <wester6935@comcast.net>
Sent: Apr 17, 2005 3:44 PM
To: LSR list <land-speed@autox.team.net>
Subject: Hot Rod history
Borders Books had a special deal for educators over the last couple of
days. My wife went out to pick up some books for school and I tagged
along. While browsing in the Transportation section I ran across a
book by Brock Yates titled "The Hot Rod ... Resurrection of a Legend".
Motorbooks, ISBN 0-7603-1598-1 published in 2003.
Of course I had to buy it. I spent much of the remainder of the
evening enjoying his recounting the history and restoration of a 1950's
road racing hot rod. There's a chapter that details some of the early
dry lakes racing that will make this read a must for those of us who
treasure hearing about those days. His details about the late 50's and
early 60's road racing are also fun. The part I was totally uninformed
about was the early board tracks in what is now Beverly Hills and West
Los Angeles. I know what is in those areas today but had no idea that
they, like Riverside Raceway, fell victim to property values and family
housing.
The description of the racing exploits of the car, how it came into his
possession, the restoration and all make for a fun read. Some of the
suspension details may be of interest to salt flats racers. So will
the details of his build up of a new car with a similar nose and a
Wescott body and Viper engine. Yates tells a fun story.
There are also some fun photos of the specific car in question and
some shots of other race cars. One thing I take exception to is the
failure to mention Ab Jenkins when talking about cross country driving
records in the late 1920's. That's just a private gripe I have. I'd
recommend the book as a fun read and a small window on hot rodding
history.
Wes
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