Books published by publisher Motorbooks Intl

Mickey Thompson offers a now-impossible (Thompson and his wife were murdered in 1988) first-person telling of the legendary racer and motorsport impresario’s high-speed life, from his earliest days through the height of his competition exploits on drag strips, at Bonneville, the Indy 500, Baja, and more—complemented by some 200 rare images culled from family archives, the NHRA museum, and the collections of friends and fellow racers. Four decades after his tragic death, Mickey Thompson’s name and accomplishments remain legendary among motorsports and automotive enthusiasts. Thompson did it all on four wheels: land-speed racing, drag racing, off-road, NASCAR, Indianapolis…anything involving speed. Armed with a restless mind and a keen business sense, Thompson moved from success to success. In the early 1970s, motorsports writer (and former drag racer) Tom Madigan and Thompson embarked on a project to write the latter’s autobiography. After two years, extensive interviews, and a near-finished manuscript the whole enterprise fell apart for a number of reasons. Type-written sheets, neatly stacked, were boxed, stored, and mostly forgotten.Mickey Thompson: The Untold Story of the Original Speed King is that never-published work—an amazing biographical artifact from what many consider the golden age of automotive racing.

Fly with the best in Top Gun: 50 Years of Naval Air Superiority—the definitive, highly illustrated, in-depth look at the Navy's famous fighter unit, including its history, technology, and culture.Top Gun: 50 Years of Naval Air Superiority begins with a fascinating behind-the-scenes account of the blockbuster film that helped America shake off the trauma of the Vietnam War and once again take pride in its military. The book then launches into the even more incredible story of why and how such men consistently capture the imagination of children, adults, pilots, and audiences around the world. Chapters spotlight pivotal military movies and television shows that presaged the movie Top Gun, including edge-of-the-seat vignettes and anecdotes of pilots and their lifestyles, the origin of the Navy’s fighter pilot program and its rigorous training, and how it inspired the Air Force’s counterpart, Red Flag. Other chapters highlight what it takes to be a pilot in other branches of the armed forces, and takes a look back in time at the most notorious (and feared) pilots of World War I and World War II from all around the globe. Fast forward to the jet age, when the first aces flew hair-raising missions over Korea and Vietnam, and learn how past and contemporary aerial dogfighting really works. The book also reveals the many technological advances that transformed aerial combat from the dangerous, unsynchronized machine guns that bounced bullets off propellers in World War I to today, where air-to-air missiles are launched by pilots who have no visual contact with an adversary, and finally illustrates how drones are adding a new dimension to the meaning of Top Gun. Finish with an in-depth look at Naval Station Fallon, one of the most modern and renowned American naval stations, located outside Fallon, Nevada. Top Gun: 50 Years of Naval Air Superiority concludes with a look at Top Gun 2, the highly anticipated sequel to one of the biggest action movies of all time and the one that made Tom Cruise a worldwide superstar. Featuring over 200 photos, new interviews and stories from aces, engineers, commanders, and more, and written by best-selling author and president of the Military Writers Society of America, Dwight Zimmerman, Top Gun: 50 Years of Naval Air Superiority is the must-have guide to the fastest, deadliest, most storied aerial combat squadron the world has ever known.

For the Corvette enthusiast, there is no greater source of speculation, pent-up excitement, and anticipation than the pending introduction of a new-generation 'Vette. Since unveiling the original American sports car in 1953, GM has upped the ante with each successive model and along the way, the Corvette has evolved from 6-cylinder boulevard cruiser to street racer to Le Mans winner to world-class sports car. Sixty years of constant refinement have ensured that the next-generation Corvette will give its global competitors a strong run for their money. For the making of Corvette Stingray: The Seventh Generation of America's Sports Car, GM granted author Larry Edsall exclusive access to engineers, designers, and other Corvette team members, as well as its own photographic archives, to create the complete inside story of this top-notch sports car. The seventh-generation Corvette (C7) again raises the bar, not only for outright performance but also for performance-for-dollar. Capable of running with - and in many cases outclassing - the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, Audi, and other European legends, Chevy's newest Corvette delivers the goods with a new look and even more performance technology. With more than 300 historical and behind-the-scenes photographs that take you as close to the car as you can get without sitting behind the wheel, Corvette Stingray is a must-own book for any serious gearhead--whether you're a long-time 'Vette junkie, a sports car devotee, or simply an admirer of beautiful machines.

Most car collectors exhibit a healthy enthusiasm for their favorite hobby, a tendency to dig into their favorite marques, chase parts, swap stories, and generally live the car-guy life. Some, however, step over that fine line between enthusiasm and obsession—and that’s the place from which spring the legendary car-collector stories. In Strange but True Tales of Car Collecting, Keith Martin and the staff of Sport Car Market Magazine recount the wildest car-collecting stories of all time, focusing on tales of the most eccentric and over-the-top collectors and collections. Have you heard of the fellow who squirrelled away dozens of Chevelles, Camaros, and other classic muscle cars in semi trailers? How about the president of Shakespeare fishing rods who in the 1960s sold 30 now-priceless Bugattis for a mere $85,000? The English nobleman who cut up and buried his Ferrari horde in an elaborate insurance scam? Or how about the Duesenberg abandoned in a Manhattan parking garage for decades and uncovered by Tonight Show host Jay Leno? These are just a few of the amazing stories explored in this entertaining book, a must-have title for any car enthusiast. Both car collectors and fans of outrageous classic car, muscle car, and sports car stories will find entertainment in these tales of collectors who’ve gone off the rails.

Recognized by their long forks and chopped frames, choppers have found new appeal among today's motorcycle enthusiasts and continue to inspire motorcycle customizers around the globe. Choppers takes a unique look at these classic pieces of twentieth century Americana.Written by experienced motorcycle writer Mike Seate, Choppers provides a comprehensive look at how choppers originated and evolved and what has fueled the current resurgence of interest in building and riding custom motorcycles. Early chapters explore the post-World War II bob job Harleys that predated the chopper. Interviews and historical photos detail the development of the chopper from its earliest days, through the outlaw longbike period of the 1960s and 1970s, to the twenty-first century chopper renaissance.

When Mickey Thompson and his wife Trudy were assassinated in their driveway in the pre-dawn hours of March 16, 1988, the salacious details of the crime and the years of legal wrangling that followed made for hundreds of splashy headlines and sexy television soundbytes.After all, the story had it all . . . unknown hooded gunmen riding into a gated Southern California community on bicycles, ambushing their victims and brutally ending their lives while neighbors ate breakfast and read the morning paper.Leaving behind more than $70,000 in jewelry, the killing was an obvious “hit,” and those close to Mickey and Trudy immediately pointed to Mickey’s hot-headed former business partner Michael Goodwin as the mastermind behind the tragedy. Nearly 20 years later, Goodwin was found guilty by a Pasadena Superior Court jury in 2006 of two counts of first-degree murder. The actual gunmen were never identified or apprehended.John Walsh and America’s Most Wanted did multiple episodes leading up to the conviction. Robert Stack featured the murders on Unsolved Mysteries. CBS’ 48 Hours Mystery got in the act. Everyone wanted a piece of the story.A good story, however, has much more than a powerful ending.Who was Mickey Thompson? What made him more than just another victim of violent crime in America? This is what Mickey Thompson: The Fast Life and Mysterious Death of a Racing Legend explores. Mickey was one of the most influential figures in early American motorsports. While he did have loyal and longtime friends, Mickey always did things one way . . . his way. And he did it with speed . . . he did everything with speed.From his 1950s adventures in the Carrera Panamericana, ending with five dead and dramatic pictures in Life Magazine in 1953, through making a one-way run of 406.60 miles per hour at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1960 in his famed Challenger, through multiple trend-setting entries in the famed Indianapolis 500 and into the creation of some of the most popular off-road racing series and motor sportsstadium shows, Mickey’s life was full of “firsts.”And in a world that seems to be moving faster than even Mickey Thompson could have imagined, the complete story of this true American legend is one worth slowing down for.