Christmas books for the family gearhead
The words “road trip’’ were never uttered with such vigor as in the fraternity spoof “Animal House.’’ That same kind of enthusiasm for hitting the highway can be found between the pages of two new books that will delight your favorite car fanatic in the year ahead.
First up, 100 Things Every Gear Head Must Do Before They Die by Jason Fogelson (Reedy Press. $18). In his 160-page book, Fogelson breaks down his suggested adventures by chapter: Ride and Drives, Auctions, Car Museums, New Car Shows, Classic Car Shows, Factory Tours, Concours d’Elegance, Land Speed Records, Motorcycle Museums, Off-Roading, Racing, and Rallies.
Interviews with celebrities like Jay Leno, suggested car-themed trips, and more can be found in 100 Things Every Gear Head Must Do Before They Die.
You’ll also find a few quick-read Q&A’s with celebrity gearheads such as Andover native Jay Leno, (he picked, when pressed, F1 McLaren as the pinnacle car of the last century), Adam Ferrara, and Alonzo Bodden to name a few.
Locally, the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline made the 100 Things cut, along with such national houses as the Henry Ford Museum. The Land Rover Experience in Vermont is included with such superb rock roads as the Rubicon Trail and the Jeep Jamboree.
Fogelson also recalls the Esta Manthos Indian Motocycle Museum in Springfield (yes, the “r’’ in “motorcycle’’ was purposely omitted back in the day), which closed in 2006. Springfield was home to that most famous of American-made cycles, and Fogelson enthusiastically reports that museum owner Manthos donated more than 24 bikes from her collection to the Museum of Springfield History, which has them permanently on display. The museum is also showing a 1904 model formerly owned by cofounder Carl Oscar Hedstrom.
A useful compendium, Fogelson’s book offers times of tours, historical anecdotes, and best times of the year for exhibits visits in his thoughtfully written guide.
Hidden treasures are often found after pouring over maps, checking charts, and making repeated efforts to recover buried gold or valuable artifacts. For those addicted to searching for old cars abandoned in backyards or outbuildings, Barn Find Road Trip: 3 Guys, 14 Days, and 1,000 Lost Collector Cars Discovered by Tom Cotter and Brian Barr (Motobooks, $35), with photography by Michael Alan Ross, is the perfect stocking stuffer. To find these abandoned collector cars, the two sleuths hit country roads, talked to locals, and eventually forced open old barn doors to discover metal hulks that have seen better days but are worthy of resurrection.
Search for hidden automotive treasures in Barn Find Road Trip.
The two enthusiasts saddled up Cotter’s ’39 Woody and spent two weeks traveling through North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, and up into Hershey, Pennsylvania, using little more than intuition and hunches. Each day is represented in a chapter, beautifully illustrated by Ross’s photographs.
At each stop, using their Woody to attract attention, the pair would tell of their quest and inquire at local diners, a Waffle House, and various watering holes about any old cars rusting nearby that they could see and document. The responses far exceeded their expectation, allowing them to hit their target goal of discovering 1,000 classic cars.
The result is a beautiful hardcover book that uses nearly 200 pages to display more than 400 color photos that accompany anecdotal stories that tell the tale behind the photo.
Among the 1,158 cars, trucks, and motorcycles located were a 1940 American LaFrance Hook and Ladder with a 100-foot tiller, a Willy’s car, and a Corvair pickup truck. The authors provide their “Top 10 Rules of Barn-Find Hunting,’’ which alone are worth the price of the book, given its common sense approach.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com