Camaro Exposed: 1967 – 1969:  $24.95

Camaro Exposed was a very special project for me. I wrote it while I was recovering from cancer. I also had the honor of interviewing some great people who had worked at Chevrolet in the mid Sixties and were involved with the development of the 1967 Camaro like Paul King, Dave Holls and Alex Mair. They shared a lot of inside stories, pictures and designs that were part of the process that brought the 1967 Camaro to market to do battle with the Mustang. Maybe one of the most surprising things I uncovered during my research was the drive report from GM’s Milford test center. They had gotten their hands on a 1964 ½ Mustang and had test-driven it a few weeks before it was introduced to the public!

There’s plenty of photos in Camaros Exposed, including shots from the GM styling studio of Camaro development clays that have never been shown before (like a station wagon concept and a two-seat roadster proposal) and there’s a color section showing restored and original 1967 – 1969 Camaros. If you like pace cars, I found a lot of inside information on what it took to convert the ’69 Camaro to perform its duties at the 1969 Indy 500. I think you’ll like reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Camaro Exposed is 178 pages long and sells for $24.95.

Barracuda & Challenger:  $24.95 

I wrote Barracuda and Challenger in 1991 and never dreamed that 16 years later it would still be one of the all time favorite books for E-body fans. Researching this book was challenging, but the help I got from people like Plymouth designer Milt Antonick and Dodge designer Carl Cameron provided me with information on what it was like to work at Plymouth and Dodge in the Sixties and how hard it was to compete against Ford and GM’s huge styling budgets.

The Barracuda section starts before there was even a Valiant compact. Elements of the Barracuda’s design (like the huge rear window) were first penned back in the late 1950’s. Plymouth was even going to use the "Super Sport" nameplate for some of their 1962 models. Chevrolet beat them to it in 1961 with the Impala SS, so Plymouth chose the name "Formula 1" instead.

Dodge was the last carmaker to dive into the ponycar market in 1970. What they did to make the Challenger different from the Barracuda is a story I think you’ll enjoy reading. For me, the last chapter is truly poignant. It tells the story of the Barracuda and Challenger that might have been. The clays of the 1975 models were gorgeous, and if they had been built, there’s no question Dodge and Plymouth’s ponycars would have blown Ford and GM right out of the water.

Mopar fans have emailed me over the years expressing how much they’ve enjoyed Barracuda & Challenger. I hope you will too. It’s 130 pages with both color and black and white photography and sells for $24.95.

Pontiac's Greatest Decade 1959-1969: The Wide Track Era: 

WAS:  $29.95

SALE PRICE:  $21.50 

For years, I’ve wanted to write a book about the incredible convergence of talent that Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen assembled in 1956 when he was assigned the task of saving Pontiac Motor Division. Few car companies have ever had a decade of success like Pontiac did from 1959 – 1969. Those were the Wide-Track years, and the cars that Knudsen, Estes and DeLorean produced in that glorious decade are today’s valued classics. Cars like the Bonneville, GTO, Grand Prix and Firebird broke new ground and influenced a generation of Detroit’s engineers and designers.

Pontiac’s Greatest Decade 1959-1969: The Wide Track Era tells the inside story of the people and the cars they built. The legacy they left behind of a small car company raising to number 3 in sales, battling Chevy and Ford, and becoming a leader in product innovation is unique to Pontiac. There’s no way their success will ever be repeated in Detroit again. That’s the fascinating story of Pontiac’s Greatest Decade 1959-1969: The Wide Track Era. The story is told in 160 pages filled with a number of pictures not seen before. My friend, Jim Wangers, "Godfather of the GTO," was kind enough to write the introduction. Pontiac’s Greatest Decade 1959-1969: The Wide Track Era sells for $29.95 (SALE PRICE ONLY $21.50 FOR A LIMITED TIME).

How To Restore Your Musclecar: 

WAS:  $34.95

SALE PRICE:  $26.50

Back in the late 1980s, restoration guru Greg Donahue and I decided to write a book on musclecar restoration. We had been writing dozens of restoration "how-to" articles for Musclecar Review magazine, and decided it was time to go one step further and put together a book on how to restore musclecars, be it GM, Ford or Chrysler, with step by step instructions from roof to road and bumper to bumper. In the process, we used 12 cars, including a 1968 Yenko Camaro, 1966 Pontiac GTO, 1969 Dodge Charger 500, 1963½ 427 Galaxie 500 Fastback, 1973 Pontiac Super Duty Trans Am, 1966 L79 Nova SS, and a 1966 Dodge Hemi Coronet to illustrate everything you’d need to know about musclecar restoration. That included selecting the right car, having the necessary tools, all the steps in the restoration process, and taking the completed car out for it’s first drive.

The first edition of the How To Restore Your Musclecar went out of print sometime in 1995. I figured people didn’t want a 400-page book with 1,300 photos on how to restore a musclecar. The book dropped out of the catalogs and disappeared. Only thing was, people hadn’t forgotten about it. Four years ago, a friend of mine wanted to buy a copy, and went on GOOGLE to see if he could find it. To our amazement, copies of How To Restore Your Musclecar were going for as much as $125 in good condition. I had no idea people wanted the book that badly. When I told Motorbooks Publishing, they decided it was high time to republish the book for a whole new generation of musclecar restorers. I’m very grateful that they did republish the book, and this time around it’s been a terrific seller. The best news is you don’t have to spend $125 to get a copy. How does $34.95 (SALE PRICE ONLY $26.50 FOR A LIMITED TIME) sound for a brand new, revised edition?

GTO: 1964 – 1967: 

WAS:  $24.95

SALE PRICE:  $16.50

Of all the books I’ve written in the last 25 years, GTO: 1964 – 1967 is my favorite. Everything came together perfectly for this book. Jim Wangers not only provided me with a lot of information about his days at working with Pontiac on the GTO, but I also interviewed others who had been part of Pontiac Motor Division back in the Sixties. They shared a lot of memories that gave the book an historical depth I could never had been able to attain myself.

What also worked so well was the beautiful layouts done by the art directors at Motorbooks. They took my pictures and laid them out with a touch that I consider to be masterful. I used to study the photography done in the Pontiac brochures from the Sixties, and I tried to emulate that creative influence all through GTO: 1964 – 1967. I think it was some of the best photography I had ever done. Oh, about the ’66 GTO on the cover… That was my GTO and the picture was taken the day I sold it in June 1990. I’ve regretted letting it go ever since. GTO: 1964 – 1967 is 130 pages and sells for $24.95 (SALE PRICE ONLY $16.50 FOR A LIMITED TIME).

The Collector's Guide to GTO 1964-1974

I wrote this book some years ago for Motorbooks with the title, The Illustrated Buyer’s Guide to the GTO. The idea was to have a reference guide for anyone looking to buy a GTO.  After selling well for a quite a long time, it went out of print. Funny thing was the book remained in demand. Copies on eBay and Amazon were going for as much as $50. The great folks at Iconografix agreed to republish the book, and we renamed it The Collector’s Guide to GTO 1964 – 1974. The 1965 GTO on the cover is the one and only Hurst giveaway car with gold anodized wheels and 24karat shifter.

I included all the essential information to know your GTO — codes, colors, production, options, accessories and basic historical information. The text is accompanied by a lot of detailed black and white photos of the engine compartment, interior and exteriors.  One review said, “This book is a vital resource in determining authenticity and value, and is helpful for making an educated purchase or to find information quickly.” I couldn’t say it better myself. The Collector’s Guide to GTO 1964 – 1974 is 128 pages and sells for $19.95.