What began as a solution for transportation has evolved into a desire for speed, luxury, personal expression, and freedom. For many, the thrill of the drive has eclipsed the pure utility of the automobile. And the pursuit of that thrill is the driving force behind 365 Cars You Must Drive. From the Ford Model T to the Porsche Carrera GT, there are certain cars that any self-respecting auto enthusiast just has to know—and experience from the driver’s seat.
With homage to the greatest cars and good-natured mockery of the strangest, authors Matt Stone and John Matras detail which cars to drive and why, how to get behind the wheel, where to drive them, and who to invite along for the ride. Each entry contains a colorful spec box noting the car's claim to fame, a Did You Know? factoid, the author's clever suggestions for "The Perfect Passenger" and the "Soundtrack" coming out of the speakers, Behind the Wheel notes, and a "Perfect Drive" for the marque or model covered. Engine details, production information, the price when it debuted and the collectible price now - all of it adds up to at-a-glance fun reading to go with informative essays on each car, archival and full-color photos, and more.
See Motorbooks author Matt Stone interviewed by Jay Leno on JayLenosGarage.com: http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/jays-book-club-matt-stone/1164286/

365 Cars You Must Drive

Engineering & Transportation

Stone, Matt

Matras, John

Automotive

Motorbooks

He made movies best remembered for their wild car chases, mad motorcycle dashes, and hair-raising races, but no one forgets the man at the wheel--Steve McQueen, the King of Cool. No other Hollywood star has been so closely linked with cars and bikes. It is this connection that McQueens Machines explores, giving readers a close-up look at the cars and motorcycles McQueen drove in movies, those he owned, and others he raced.
From the 1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback he drove in Bullitt (in the greatest car chase of all time) to his Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow in "The Thomas Crown Affair", from the Triumph motorcycle of "The Great Escape" to the Gulf-Porsche 917K he actually raced in "Le Mans", the cars and bikes that McQueen made famous in films make another appearance here.
The book also features the cars, motorcycles, and even airplanes that McQueen owned over the years, including two motorcycles that fetched record prices at a recent auction: a 1937 Crocker "Hemi-head" V-Twin and a 1920 Indian Powerplus Daytona. Among notable cars profiled in the book are a 1959 Porsche Speedster bought new by McQueen, a 1957 Jaguar XKSS, a 1963 Ferrari 250 Lusso, a 1953 Siata 208S, a 1965 Ferrari 275 NART Spyder, and a 1969 "Le Mans" Porsche 911S.
With a foreword by Steve's son, Chad McQueen, and a wealth of details about the stars amateur racing career, his movie stunt work, and his car and motorcycle collecting, McQueens Machines draws a fascinating picture of one outsized mans driving passion.
See Motorbooks author Matt Stone interviewed by Jay Leno on JayLenosGarage.com: http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/jays-book-club-matt-stone/1164286/

Mcqueen's Machines: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon

Sports & Outdoors

Motorbooks Intl

Everyone has a story about that first car. Whether it was new, a hand-me-down, or a junker, it was freedom on four wheels, independence, responsibility, and something that would always hold a special place in your heart. Well, you're not alone. My First Car captures those wonderful moments of automotive initiation as they were lived by such luminaries as Jay Leno, Mario Andretti, Patrick Dempsey, Danica Patrick, Sir Stirling Moss, Gregg Allman, and more. Accompanying many of these stories are photographs of the neophyte drivers with their first cars. For anyone who ever slid behind the wheel and tooled down the road for the first time, this wonderful book awakens memories of what it was like.

My First Car: Recollections of First Cars from Jay Leno, Tony Stewart, Carroll Shelby, Dan Ackroyd, Tom Wolfe and Many M

Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman

Winner of International Automotive Media Gold Award 2010 For all his fame as one of Hollywood’s great actors, a world-class humanitarian, and the proprietor of a natural food empire, the late Paul Newman had another intriguing facet that was less known and perhaps closer to his heart than all the rest of his well-chronicled life. He was an avid, successful and well respected car racer and team owner. This book tells that story--from Newman’s racing career, begun in earnest at an age when many race car drivers contemplate retirement; to the partnership he formed in 1983 with Chicago racing entrepreneur and team owner Carl Haas; to the impressive stable of automobiles he owned, from the Porsches and Ferraris to quirkier modified VWs and Volvos. This is the tale of a life full of passion and skill, of someone who entered the 24 Hours of Daytona at the age of 70 and made his last professional race outing at 82; whose roster of drivers for Newman/Hass reads as a who’s who of open wheel racing; and whose interest in cars extended from the likely suspects to old trucks and new hybrids. And then there’s the charming pal who, when the incorrigible prankster Robert Redford had a miserably wrecked Ferrari dropped at his front door, returned the favor by having the car, crushed into a cube, delivered to Redford’s living room. The anecdotes, the races, the cars--all are here, adding up to what for many would be a full life, but for Paul Newman was simply another side of a man of talent, conviction, and enduring spirit. See Motorbooks author Matt Stone interviewed by Jay Leno on JayLenosGarage.com: http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/jays-book-club-matt-stone/1164286/

Biographies & Memoirs

Lerner, Preston

Arts & Literature

No other Hollywood star has been so closely linked with cars and bikes, from the 1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback he drove in Bullitt (in the greatest car chase of all time) to the Triumph motorcycle of The Great Escape. McQueen’s Machines gives readers a close-up look at the cars and motorcycles McQueen drove in movies, those he owned, and others he raced. With a foreword by Steve’s son, Chad McQueen, and a wealth of details about of the star’s racing career, stunt work, and car and motorcycle collecting, McQueen’s Machines draws a fascinating picture of one outsized man’s driving passion. Now in paperback.

McQueen's Machines: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon

Humor & Entertainment

Rumors, myths, and fantastic stories have swirled around the automobile since the first car appeared over 100 years ago.Did you know that after James Dean’s death behind the wheel of his Porsche 550 Spyder, parts of the car were sold off, and said parts then cursed their new owners? Or did they? Did you know Bonnie and Clyde stole Ford V-8s almost exclusively as getaway cars because they were the fastest cars of their day? Or that Clyde Barrow wrote Henry Ford a “thank-you” note for building the cars that made escaping his bank heists so successful? NASCAR has been the source of countless myths and legends. Did you know, for example, that a monkey by the name of Jocko Flocko once won a Grand National race? (Hall of Fame driver Tim Flock helped.) Or that one of the most famous stock cars in NASCAR lore—a Chevelle built by legendary rules-bender Smokey Yunick—never actually turned a lap on a racetrack? Did you ever hear the one about the 1964 Impala that flew into a cliff—at 350 miles per hour—in the Arizona desert, thereby winning the inaugural Darwin Award? How about the Ford Pinto that flew like a bird? Or the 68-horsepower Hyundai Excel that maxed out at 115 miles per hour while speeding Rodney King to a rendezvous that would eventually lead to the L.A. Riots? What was the first car to break the sound barrier? Who won the first Indy 500? What kind of car was dancer Isadora Duncan in when she was killed? What car performed the most spectacular stunt in the James Bond movie oeuvre? In all of these cases, the answers may not be what you think.These are just a few of the automotive world’s crazy stories, mysteries, myths, and legends. History’s Greatest Automotive Mysteries, Myths, and Rumors Revealed compiles a juicy selection covering subjects from racing to automakers, crime to pop culture, and historical to modern day. Read it and be amazed!

History's Greatest Automotive Mysteries, Myths, and Rumors Revealed: James Dean's Killer Porsche, NASCAR's Fastest Monke

Puzzles & Games

Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman is also the title of the 2015 documentary about Paul Newman from director Adam Carolla. Read the book that inspired the film!
Though he is famous as one of Hollywood's greatest actors, a world-class humanitarian, and the founder of the Newman's Own natural food empire, the late Paul Newman had another intriguing and lesser-known passion: he was an avid, successful, and well-respected car racer and team owner. In Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman, Matt Stone of Motor Trend teams up with Preston Lerner of Automobile magazine to bring you the incredible racing biography of a man whose serious racing days began at an age when many race car drivers contemplate retirement. It is the story of someone who entered the 24 Hours of Daytona at the age of 70 and made his last professional race outing at 82; whose roster of Newman Haas drivers reads like a who's-who of open-wheel racing; and whose interest in cars extended from the likely suspects to old trucks and new hybrids. Newman is also the charming pal who, when a miserably wrecked Ferrari was dropped at his door by the incorrigible prankster Robert Redford, returned the favor by having the car, crushed into a cube, delivered to Redford's living room. The anecdotes, the races, the carsâ?¬â?Winning contains them all, adding up to an award-winning and unprecedented look at Paul Newman's racing talent, unwavering conviction, endearing charm, and enduring spirit.

All of the weird, wonderful, and amazing tales of cars and the characters who drove them.
The automotive world is filled with crazy stories, mysteries, myths, rumors, and legends. Here are just a few covered in History's Greatest Automotive Mysteries, Myths, and Rumors Revealed.
- After James Dean's death behind the wheel, parts of his car were sold off -- and cursed their subsequent owners.
- Bonnie and Clyde almost exclusively stole Ford V8s as their getaway cars because they were the fastest cars of their day. Clyde Barrow even wrote Henry Ford a thank-you note for his unsuspecting help.
- Peanuts in the shell are considered bad luck at NASCAR races.
- James Brown's wife once claimed diplomatic immunity when fighting a traffic ticket because her husband was "the ambassador of soul."
- Harry Houdini learned to drive late in life only because he needed to get to an airport for a stunt, and it was the only drive he ever made.
- There is a myth of a 200-miles-per-gallon carburetor that oil companies and auto manufacturers are rumored to have kept hidden from the public.
- A mechanic working in a car's trunk was once mistaken for a kidnapping victim.
History's Greatest Automotive Mysteries, Myths, and Rumors Revealed covers every aspect of the intersection between people and their machines. The racing, manufacturing, crime, pop culture, and mechanical lives of cars are explained, along with the shockingly poor judgment of some human characters. Separate the fact from the fiction and learn where the truth lies!

History's Greatest Automotive Mysteries, Myths, and Rumors Revealed: James Dean's Killer Porsche, NASCAR's Fastest Monkey, Bonnie and Clyde's Getaway Car, and More

The long-departed Steve McQueen is still the coolest man on two wheels. Get an intimate look at his coolest bikes right here, right now, in McQueen's Motorcycles.
Even thirty years after his death, Steve McQueen remains a cultural icon. His image continues to appear in advertising and pop culture and his fan base spans from car lovers to racing enthusiasts to motorcycle obsessives. In his movies, McQueen's character always had an envy-inducing motorcycle or car, but in his personal life, motorcycles were always McQueen's first true love. McQueen's Motorcycles focuses on the bikes that the King of Cool raced and collected.
From the first Harley McQueen bought when he was an acting student in New York to the Triumph "desert sleds" and Huskys he desert raced all over California, Mexico, and Nevada, McQueen was never without a stable of two wheelers. His need for speed propelled him from Hollywood into a number of top off-road motorcycle races, including the Baja 1000, Mint 400, Elsinore Grand Prix, and even as a member of the 1964 ISDT team in Europe. Determined to be ahead of the pack, McQueen maintained his body like it was a machine itself. He trained vigorously, weight lifting, running, and studying martial arts. Later in his life, as he backed away from Hollywood, his interests turned to antique bikes and he accumulated an extensive collection, including Harley-Davidson, Indian, Triumph, Brough Superior, Cyclone, BSA, and Ace motorcycles.
Today, McQueen still has the Midas touch; anything that was in the man's possession is a hot commodity. McQueen's classic motorcycles sell for top dollar at auctions, always at a multiple of what the same bike is worth without the McQueen pedigree. McQueen's Motorcycles reveals these highly sought-after machines in gorgeous photography and full historical context.

McQueen's Motorcycles: Racing and Riding with the King of Cool

â??Hot Rod Empire details Robert E. Petersen's creation of Hot Rod Magazine in the 1940s and the Petersen Publishing empire that grew to the mainstream juggernaut we know today. The end of World War II marked the release of pent-up war-years energy and the desire to live. For many this meant indulging in long-denied purchases, like a new car. For another group, including young vets, it meant a return to car building and racing. Money, exciting new cars, and speed parts all flowed freely in post-war America. Robert Petersen, a young SoCal-based photographer and Army Air Corps vet, noted the rapidly growing hot rod scene in and around Los Angeles. His first move was to organize the Los Angeles Hot Rod Exhibition in 1948. His second, and brilliant, move was to launch at the same event the first edition of Hot Rod magazine. From this launch pad, Petersen Publishing Company would grow to become the most influential enthusiast publisher in America. Petersen’s magazines were rallying points for all aspects of the car, truck, and motorcycle hobbies, well as nurturing and promoting all aspects from car building to racing to show events. Hot Rod, Motor Trend, Car Craft, Motorcyclist, Off-Road and Four Wheel Drive and some 75 other enthusiast titles dominated magazine racks and provided substantial influence over transportation and numerous other hobbies. Hot Rod Empirecelebrates the birth and explosive growth of the transportation hobby under Petersen’s watch.

Hot Rod Empire: Robert E. Petersen and the Creation of the World's Most Popular Car and Motorcycle Magazines

Professionals & Academics

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Stone, Matt. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Stone, Matt

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Stone, Matt. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

365 Cars You Must Drive

Mcqueen's Machines: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon

My First Car: Recollections of First Cars from Jay Leno, Tony Stewart, Carroll Shelby, Dan Ackroyd, Tom Wolfe and Many M

Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman

McQueen's Machines: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon

History's Greatest Automotive Mysteries, Myths, and Rumors Revealed: James Dean's Killer Porsche, NASCAR's Fastest Monke

Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman

History's Greatest Automotive Mysteries, Myths, and Rumors Revealed: James Dean's Killer Porsche, NASCAR's Fastest Monkey, Bonnie and Clyde's Getaway Car, and More

McQueen's Motorcycles: Racing and Riding with the King of Cool

Hot Rod Empire: Robert E. Petersen and the Creation of the World's Most Popular Car and Motorcycle Magazines