Shelby American gained almost instant recognition from the moment the first Cobra hit the street. The entire original Cobra/Ford GT/Shelby Mustang period spanned just over eight years, eight years filled with countless racing accomplishments, the World Manufacturer's Championship, a 1-2-3 finish at LeMans, you name it and Shelby won it. The underdog did it, and to this day we are still rooting for him. And deservedly so.

The stories and accomplishments are legendary, but none more so than what can only be described as the magic this company and its cars possess to this day. It was the perfect storm. Shelby found the right ingredients, the right talent, the right sponsors, the right drivers, and enough unbridled enthusiasm to take what some had called "a bunch of junk" out into the world and not come home until there wasn't a challenge they didn't win. Call it what you will - dumb luck, stubbornness, or just being in the right place at the right time, nobody can deny that we will never see the likes of anything like Shelby ever again.

The Complete Book of Shelby is just that - a complete listing of Shelby automobiles. It is the story of every car ever touched by that Shelby magic. From Cobras to Mustangs, race cars to street cars, AC Cars to Toyota, it is your ticket to knowing a little more about every vehicle that Shelby "messed with" as the big Texan would say. Like anybody else, and any other manufacturer, Shelby had its ups and downs. There were great cars and cars we'd rather forget. But the story is indeed one of legend, and larger than life. The tale and the cars transcend traditional boundaries. It doesn't matter if you are a Chevy person or a European car enthusiast, a drag racer or a road racer, into NASCAR or sports cars, or even if you're not even really a "car person" there is something about Shelby that appeals to us all. It is an American success story. And not one of us can ever deny we always respect the underdog who beat all the odds to come out on top. That, in a nutshell, is the story of Shelby American. And every one of the cars that follows has that DNA in it. Grab a copy of the Complete Book of Shelby, fasten your lap belt, and enjoy the ride.

My Life and Work written by Henry Ford is the autobiography of the founder of the Ford Motor Company. In My Life and Work Henry Ford details his strategies and philosophies for life and business. The same strategies and philosophies that allowed him to rise to the top of his industry and in the process made him one of the most successful and wealthiest entrepreneurs that America has ever produced. My Life and Work by Henry Ford is a very inspiring book and it should be a part of everyone's personal library.

In its nearly six decades, Chevrolet's Corvette--America's only sportscar--has been produced in just three factories, first in St. Louis and now in Bowling Green. This book is the first to offer an up-close view of the process of building an automotive legend. From the rudimentary hand-formed fiberglass bodies in the St. Louis factory, to the state of the art production on the modern line in Bowling Green, The Corvette Factories takes readers through the story of the Corvette's evolution as the world's performance benchmark. Detailed archival photographs and the latest images provide a unique behind-the-scenes look at the Corvette as an exemplar of General Motors' most advanced technology. Indispensable to Corvette fans and sportscar aficionados, this volume is also a critical chapter of automotive history.

It was a driver's dream: Along with the full factory warranty, your car came with a guarantee of 11.5-second quarter-mile times. It was also Joel Rosen's dream, and in 1964, he set out to make it a reality. First he built fast cars. Then, taking a page from Ford's "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" strategy, he built a reputation by beating all comers on drag strips and in street races. By 1967, Rosen's Motion Performance was the place to go if you wanted a true muscle car--and, if you ordered a Baldwin-Motion Chevrolet, a muscle car with a full factory warranty. Motion Performance tells the inside story of how it all happened. Brilliantly illustrated with period pictures and modern color photos, the book takes readers along as Cobras, Chevrolets, Oldsmobiles, even Volkswagen Beetles roll into the shop to get torn down and rebuilt into cars unbeatable on the streets and drag strips. Marty Schorr gives a first-hand account of seven years of high-performance life--and of how it all came to a screeching halt at the hands of the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency. A once-in-a-lifetime tale of power and speed, told by one of the principals who put that performance within reach, Motion Performance makes the story of a briefly and thrillingly lived dream available to everyone.

More than any other sporting pursuit, racing is a test of both human and machine. This beautifully illustrated book is a celebration of that unique union of sweat and grease, blood and gasoline, courage and fear, elation and terror, triumph and tragedy. Through vivid, human detail, writer and photographer Basem Wasef brings to life more than two dozen racing legends, including the story of Mario Andretti and the Lotus 79 that he drove to the 1978 Formula 1 world championship--a triumph trumped by the tragic loss of his teammate, Ronnie Peterson. We ride along with the incomparable Stirling Moss as he pilots his Mercedes-Benz SLR to an improbable victory at the 1955 Mille Miglia. And we feel our teeth rattling and our bones shaking as we race for nearly seven grueling hours with Ray Harroun in his Marmon Wasp, en route to a controversial win at the very first Indianapolis 500 in 1911. Filled with fascinating stories of humanity and machinery, this book is a must for all race fans.

The ultimate car book-a love letter to the most beautiful 86 cars ever manufactured by an award -winning car columnist and important cultural and design critic.
The story of the car is the story of how objects of industry became a medium of artistic expression. Memorials of our tastes, yearnings, and capabilities, these machines have layers of meaning and can (as Henry Ford knew) be read like a book . . if only you know how.
Stephen Bayley, car columnist, design authority and cultural commentator knows how, and in this opinionated volume, presents a spectacular study of achievements in car design. Bayley's 86 favorite designs range from the 1908 Ford Model T, to the 1961 Jaguar E-Type, to the 2003 BMW 5. All presented in chronological order, each automobile also makes a statement about the national character of the country of manufacture.
In addition, hundreds of ravishing photographs (including full-body, interior and detail shots) and an elegant slipcase, make CARS the perfect gift book for all car enthusiasts and design aficionados.



(2009)