The History Of Amc Motorsports

When thinking of a manufacturer's racing involvement, AMC is not a manufacturer that immediately comes to mind. Yet even from the very beginning of American motorsports, the companies that became AMC had some serious involvement in motorsport. From the early Nash and Hudson models all the way through the muscle car era, AMC had direct involvement in racing. The success of Nash and Hudson in early NASCAR racing, AMC Javelins in Trans-Am racing, and AMC's involvement with Mark Donahue and Roger Penske in both their Trans-Am and 1970s NASCAR teams prove that AMC was "in it to win it." The History of AMC Motorsports from veteran racing journalist Bob McClurg covers it all, from a Nash–American Motors corporate history, the first years of NASCAR, the 1960s efforts that included Trans-Am and drag racing Super Stock programs, to the Craig Breedlove land speed record efforts when 106 world records were shattered and covered by Hot Rod magazine. And let's not forget the 1970s Trans-Am championships with Donahue and Penske, and finally the NASCAR success with Bobby Allison in the always-curious looking Matador, which is also covered here. Never before has a single volume chronicled the events that encompass AMC racing history. Whether a hardcore racing history fan or a casual enthusiast of the AMC street offerings, The History of AMC Motorsports provides a unique showcase vital to every enthusiast's library.

This comprehensive reference guide reviews the literature concerning the impact of the automobile on American social, economic, and political history. Covering the complete history of the automobile to date, twelve chapters of bibliographic essays describe the important works in a series of related topics and provide broad thematic contexts. This work includes general histories of the automobile, the industry it spawned and labor-management relations, as well as biographies of famous automotive personalities. Focusing on books concerned with various social aspects, chapters discuss such issues as the car's influence on family life, youth, women, the elderly, minorities, literature, and leisure and recreation. Berger has also included works that investigate the government's role in aiding and regulating the automobile, with sections on roads and highways, safety, and pollution. The guide concludes with an overview of reference works and periodicals in the field and a description of selected research collections. The Automobile in American History and Culture provides a resource with which to examine the entire field and its structure. Popular culture scholars and enthusiasts involved in automotive research will appreciate the extensive scope of this reference. Cross-referenced throughout, it will serve as a valuable research tool.

American Performance V-8 Specs: 1963-1974 (Second Edition) provides extensive information on all the performance V-8 engines in Muscle Cars, Pony Cars, and Supercars. Also included are sports cars such as Corvette, Cobra, GT40, and Pantera. Numerous tables and charts display engine information in a clear and concise style. This data-packed book is a valuable resource for automotive enthusiasts. Says automotive writer Diego Rosenberg: “This book is laid out in a manner that embraces your interest and keeps you entertained with historical takes on the era. It’s a seminal piece of automotive history that should be a mandatory reference for every enthusiast.” Each chapter is dedicated to a manufacturer and contains five sections: (1) Engine specs including bore, stroke, horsepower, torque, compression ratio, carburetion, rod length, bore spacing, block height, valve size, journal diameters, and firing order, (2) Engine application charts for American muscle car and sports car models, (3) Road test results from automotive magazines of the 1960s and 1970s (over 1,000 total tests), (4) Additional engine details and historical background, and (5) Gallery of color photographs (over 400 total photographs).

Follow the history of hot rodding through this nostalgic look at vintage speed equipment. When most people think of speed parts, they rewind a few decades and think back to the Ford flatheads that were so prevalent in the 1940s and 1950s. However, did you know that the speed parts industry began way back in the Model T era? It's true. As soon as vehicles were mass produced, manufacturers were looking for ways to make them faster. Manufacturers, such as Roof, Rajo, Winfield, Miller, Frontenac, and Holley, made speed parts for 4-cylinder Model T engines and accomplished speeds of up to 100 mph! In Vintage Speed Parts: The Equipment That Fueled the Industry, veteran hot rod historian Tony Thacker looks at the history of hot rodding through the eyes of speed equipment manufacturers. Covered chronologically, the book begins with the early 4-cylinder engines. In 1932, Henry Ford introduced the flathead V-8, which was slow to be adopted as the engine of choice in racing until the parts industry caught up. Once it did, the flathead, although interrupted by the war, was the engine to run until the automobile manufacturers introduced overhead-valve V-8 engines in the late 1940s. Chrysler's early-1950s Hemi and Chevrolet's small-block V-8 in 1955 spelled the end for the flattie. Both mills dominated well into the 1970s, and the speed industry was there to support all platforms in spades. During that period, every auto manufacturer made a V-8 worthy of modification, and the speed industry boomed. Eventually, the speed equipment manufacturers grew to the point of becoming corporate entities, as mergers and acquisitions became the much less interesting story. Parts covered include special cylinder heads, magnetos, camshaft and valvetrain upgrades, downdraft carburetors, headers, multiple-carburetor setups, and even superchargers. Everyone figured out how to make engines more powerful, upgrading with the type of parts that were being produced decades later, even to today. Join in the fun of reviewing the history of speed through this fascinating tale of vintage speed parts.

Though American Motors never approached the size of Detroit's Big Three, it produced a long series of successful cars that were distinctive, often innovative and in many cases influential. This history examines AMC's cars from the company's formation in 1954 through its absorption by Chrysler in 1987. The Gremlin, Pacer and Eagle vehicles are examined in detail, as are the AMC custom cars of George Barris and Carl Green. The text details AMC's 1980s involvement with the French firm Renault and the design legacy of that joint venture, which includes the Hummer. The evolution of Jeep is covered from the 1960s through the 2000s. Features include some 225 photographs; a listing of AMC / Rambler clubs, organizations and business entities, with contact details; tables of detailed specifications and performance data; data on technical devices, trim packages and all model variations; a comprehensive account of AMC / Rambler appearances in film, television and cartoons.

The legendary history of the pony car wars comes to life in this softcover edition of The Cars of Trans-Am Racing. The SCCA Trans-Am Racing Series launched in 1966 and was designed to showcase a new class of sporty domestic cars racing on road courses. Each major automotive manufacturer participated heavily in the Trans-Am Series, and in a few short years, it became the ultimate American automobile showdown. When the modified muscle cars of the series were seen performing well on the country’s finest tracks, fans wanted a model of their own in the driveway. These "pony cars" boasted a new look and style not seen before, and their all-around performance eclipsed anything accomplished by production-based American GT cars up to that point. This softcover edition of The Cars of Trans-Am Racing is unique in that it focuses on the cars used in this legendary series. These vintage Mustangs, Camaros, Challengers, Barracudas, Firebirds, Cougars, and Javelins all are extremely popular with collectors and enthusiasts today. Seeing them in their “full-competition” versions when they were new will bring back many fond memories for those who were fans of this series. In addition, enthusiasts who enjoy these cars today look to the Trans-Am Series cars for styling inspiration and performance hints as part of the growing Pro Touring trend. Many of these historic cars have been restored to race-ready condition. Additional insight and interviews from the original builders and the teams that maintained the cars provide an insider’s viewpoint never before seen in print.