Hooniverse Asks: Hooniverse Book Club?

Kamil Kaluski

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At the Overland Expo East I bought both of Dan Grec’s books; The Road Chose Me and 999 Days Around Africa. We chatted, I took pics of his Jeep, and he signed the books for me. I am currently halfway through The Road Chose Me and it’s really good. More on the books and Dan’s Jeep later.

Reading this book made my realize that perhaps we should start something like The Hooniverse Book Club©®™. There we would recommend and discuss books on automotive, transportation, travel, and basically anything-car related topics. Service manuals, while likely most widely read, would be excluded.

What good automotive books have you read? My last one was The Act of Racing in the Rain. I don’t remember any of it other than that it was good.

About

Kamil Kaluski

Kamil Kaluski

East Coast Editor. Races crappy cars and has an unhealthy obsession with Eastern Bloc cars. Current fleet: 4Runner, Integra, Regal, Lada

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15 responses to “Hooniverse Asks: Hooniverse Book Club?”

  1. caltemus Avatar
    caltemus

    The Unfair Advantage by Mark Donohue hooked me until I finished it. It made seeing the 917/30 at the Indy Museum even more special.

    Reply
    1. nanoop Avatar
      nanoop

      I have read it after I got a recommendation here. Indeed interesting!

      Reply
  2. 0A5599 Avatar
    0A5599

    I am sure I would like Smokey Yunick’s posthumous autobiography, but have not purchased it yet.
    http://www.smokeyyunick.com/autobiography.php

    I liked Brock Yates’s book on Enzo Ferrari.

    https://books.google.com/books/about/Enzo_Ferrari.html?id=iVmnDwAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description

    Reply
  3. GTXcellent Avatar
    GTXcellent

    Not car related, but definitely snowmobile racing related
    https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41-DgPiI7ML._SX298_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
    Really, really entertaining read of the wild, wild west snowmobile racing scene in the ’60s and ’70s – from the beginnings to the tragic end of the Polaris factory race team in 1978.

    Reply
  4. Zentropy Avatar
    Zentropy

    As enthusiastic about cars as I am, I don’t think I’ve ever read a legitimate automotive book (other than repair manuals or reference catalogues).

    Reply
  5. onrails Avatar
    onrails

    BS Levy’s The Last Open Road is an excellent fiction read as are the next two in the series, Montezuma’s Ferrari and The Fabulous Trashwagon.

    Reply
  6. Kamil K Avatar
    Kamil K

    I have had Bob Lutz’s Car Guys vs. Bean Counters sitting on my bookshelf forever.

    Reply
  7. SlowJoeCrow Avatar
    SlowJoeCrow

    Brock Yates’ Sunday Driver is a classic, and since it’s Tuesday, A Twist of the Wrist by Keith Code and Tuning for Speed by Phil Irving

    Reply
    1. Number_Six Avatar
      Number_Six

      Lee Parks’ Total Control is a pretty good bikey guide to go with Code’s book.

      Reply
  8. Xander Avatar
    Xander

    Engines of Change: A History of the American Dream in Fifteen Cars by Paul Ingrassia is the auto history book I recommend to most anyone. It only focuses on 15 cars but goes deep into detail about WHY each one was so impactful and the stories behind it. It makes the cars relatable beyond their own merits and brings in cultural context.

    Reply
  9. P161911 Avatar
    P161911

    W.O. Bentley’s “My Life and My Cars”
    Great insight into early LeMans racing. Funny to read how he sandbagged Mercedes.

    Reply
  10. caltemus Avatar
    caltemus

    CAR by Mary Walton is a great insight into the design process of the 1996 ford taurus, and modern vehicles in general

    Reply
  11. Rspcharger Avatar
    Rspcharger

    Anything written by Peter Egan.

    Reply
  12. crank_case Avatar
    crank_case

    “Car Design Asia: Myths, Brands, People” – by Paulo Tuminelli is the only one that really sticks.

    Probably the only book about Asian cars I’ve read that doesn’t approach it with western pre-conception and dismantles a lot of snooty Euro-centric assumptions about design intent. e.g. Europeans used to mock Toyota Crowns and the like as knock-off Mercedes, when in fact they were apeing Cadillac. It’s pretty funny how it disarms that sense of self importance. Also, it has lots of Pictures and less words.

    Not read “The Art of Racing in the Rain”, but I’d take a lot of convinicing that a novel featuring reincarnation as a dog played entirely sincerly as a plot point is going to be good.

    Reply
  13. longrooffan Avatar
    longrooffan

    While I have read many auto related and themed books over the years, this kid’s novel, published in 1968, may best indicate the love thejeepjunkie and I have for all things Jeep. Back in the day, we read it until it was “dog eared” and I am pretty sure that original copy still sits on a shelf in his home to this day. A few years ago, I tried to “borrow” it from him but he would not let it out of his sight. Ahhh….simpler times to be sure. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6cf5598a25bd31828beea3a4b41258efe5da107b6b4f902c46ca0b57cba5ea9c.jpg

    Reply