Motorworld

Melissa Holbrook Pierson

The Perfect Vehicle: What It is about Motorcycles

In a book that is "a must for anyone who has loved a motorcycle" (Oliver Sacks), Melissa Pierson captures in vivid, writerly prose the mysterious attractions of motorcycling. She sifts through myth and hyperbole: misrepresentations about danger, about the type of people who ride and why they do so. The Perfect Vehicle is not a mere recitation of facts, nor is it a polemic or apologia. Its vivid historical accounts-the beginnings of the machine, the often hidden tradition of women who ride, the tale of the defiant ones who taunt death on the racetrack-are intertwined with Pierson's own story, which, in itself, shows that although you may think you know what kind of person rides a motorcycle, you probably don't.

Bosch Automotive Handbook

7th edition of the worlds definitive automotive technology reference The BOSCH handbook series on different automotive technologies has become one of the most definitive sets of reference books that automotive engineers have at their disposal. This new edition of the highly regarded and easy to use reference contains just about anything relevant to automobile design, development and quality engineering. Providing concise technical data and insights with contributions by experts from automotive manufacturers, universities and Bosch itself.With 23 revised and expanded subjects as well as 26 new subjects.Includes 1,000+ diagrams, illustrations, sectional drawings and tables.Contains handy conversion charts and an easy-to-use topic index. This book will benefit automotive engineers and design engineers, automotive technicians in training and mechanics and technicians in garages. It may also be of interest to teachers/ lecturers and students at vocational colleges, and enthusiasts.

Samuel Hawley

Speed Duel: The Inside Story of the Land Speed Record in the Sixties

The quest for the land speed record in the 1960s and the epic rivalry between two dynamic American drivers, Art Arfons and Craig Breedlove. "Interesting and complex. . . .The best job I've seen done on the subject so far." -- Craig Breedlove Until the 1950s, the land speed record (LSR) was held by a series of European gentlemen racers such as British driver John Cobb, who hit 394 miles per hour in 1947. That record held for more than a decade, until the car culture swept the U.S. Hot-rodders and drag racers built and souped up racers using car engines, piston aircraft engines and, eventually, jet engines. For this determined and dedicated group, the LSR was no longer an honor to be held by rich aristocrats with industrial backing -- it was brought stateside. In the summer of 1960, the contest moved into overdrive, with eight men contending for the record on Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats. Some men died in horrific crashes, others prudently retired, and by mid-decade only two men were left driving: Art Arfons and Craig Breedlove. By 1965, Arfons and Breedlove had walked away from some of the most spectacular wipeouts in motor sport history and pushed the record up to 400, then 500, ...