Cars: Off the Fast Track


Book Description

Lightning McQueen and his best friend Mater love having fun. One night, the two friends race to the tractor field to enjoy their favorite activity: tractor-tipping! But when Sheriff pulls up and spoils their fun, Lightning and Mater have to go to traffic court. As punishment, the judge sentences Lightning and Mater to community service! But each time Lightning and Mater try to help out in the community, they are more interested in having fun than getting to work. Will the two friends be able to buckle down and help their friends in Radiator Springs?




High Voltage


Book Description

A behind-the-scenes look at the robustly competitive race to dominate the market for electric cars, the larger-than-life moguls behind them, and the changes that are transforming the auto industry In the 1980s, it was unimaginable that the home computer would become as common and easy to use as a toaster. Today, plug-in charging stations and smart grids seem like something still far off in the future. But by 2020, the auto industry will look very different from today's field of troubled auto giants. The combination of technological breakthroughs and charging networks driven by global warming and peak oil makes it clear that revolutionary change in the auto industry is happening right now. In High Voltage, Jim Motavalli captures this period of unprecedented change, documenting the evolution from internal combustion engines to electric power. Driven by the auto world's ambitious and sometimes outlandish personalities, the book chronicles the race to dominate the market, focusing on big players like Tesla and Fisker, as well as a tiny start-up and a battery supplier. Flashing forward to the changes we'll see in the coming years, High Voltage shows a not-so-distant future where we will live on a smart grid, our cars "fueling," that is, charging, while we shop or sleep. The ramifications of these changes will be on a grander scale than most of us ever imagined—altering foreign policy, reducing trade deficits, and perhaps even ending global warming.




Road & Track Crew's Big & Fast Cars


Book Description

The fastest, funniest page-turner on the planet! This is the ultimate book for kids who love slick supercars, powerful monster trucks, and record-smashing speed machines. Buckle up — the only thing more exciting than reading this book about big and fast cars is sitting behind the wheel of one crossing the finish line at the Indy 500! Inside you’ll find amazing color photos, mind-blowing facts, and answers to some very urgent questions, like: Do you know why the van was embarrassed around its friends? Because it had a little gas! Since the invention of the wheel, people have been building machines that go faster and faster and look cooler and cooler. The first cars went about 10 mph, now they easily break 200 mph — and some even drive themselves! Speaking of which, ever wonder whose fault it is if two self-driving cars get in an accident? Pick up this book and find out! Under the hood you’ll discover: Incredible auto-related facts like record setting rides (check out the 763 mph ThrustSSC rocket car!) and answers to seriously silly questions (How do race car drivers pee during a race?) Many S.T.E.A.M. learning opportunities such as the science of how cars work and the history of cars from the Model T to electric cars to a Tesla in space! Behind-the-scenes stories of people with great car-related jobs such as a Hot Wheels designer, the guy who created the Batmobile, a scientist who controls rovers on Mars, and of course, record-setting drivers like Danica Patrick, Alexander Rossi, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and teen sensation Chloe Chambers. Fun activities such as drawing lessons (create your own car cartoon character!) matching games, quizzes, plus tons of jokes. Sneak peeks inside the garages of your favorite famous car-collection celebs like The Rock, Lady Gaga, Guy Fieri and other car-obsessives! The only thing readers need to drive Road & Track Crew Big & Fast Cars is a license for fun. So turn the key, step on the gas and let’s go!




Hard and Fast


Book Description

The sequel to Flat-Out Sexy, starring a bad boy race car driver hero who's met his match-from a hot USA Today bestselling author. Grad student Imogen Wilson realizes she's hit on the perfect thesis for her sociology degree. If she follows the so-called "rules" on how to get a man, can she steer her way into the world and hearts of stock race car drivers, and establish their dating- and mating-patterns? Although sexy and reckless racer Ty McCordle is the ideal test subject, Imogen knows that for the sake of science, she can't give in to her growing attraction for him. Yet he's the one who's chasing after her, and Imogen realizes that she actually wants to be caught. A southern gentleman like Ty will satisfy all her curiosity-and make all the risks worthwhile...




Speed Secrets


Book Description

Shave lap times or find a faster line through your favorite set of S-curves with professional race driver Ross Bentley as he shows you the quickest line from apex to apex! With tips and commentary from current race drivers, Bentley covers the vital techniques of speed, from visualizing lines to interpreting tire temps to put you in front of the pack. Includes discussion of practice techniques, chassis set-up, and working with your pit chief.




Midget Cars


Book Description

Midget cars might be small and light, but they’re fast, traveling at speeds up to 150 miles (241 km) per hour! Originally called “doodlebugs,” midget cars got their start back in 1919 in Los Angeles, California. Today, midget car fans from the United States to Australia and New Zealand love to watch these speedy little cars race. Midget cars were so popular in the 1950s that several movies were made about them. Inside, dazzling photographs of midget cars tearing up the track are sure to interest readers of all ages.




Meet the Cars


Book Description

You might know all about Lightning, Sally, Finn, Holley, and Mater, but the world of Cars, Cars 2, and Cars Toons is full of other vehicles with their own stories.




Fast Forward


Book Description

Travel back through time to experience 18 iconic moments in motor racing history in this lavishly illustrated book, which gives you the inside track on classic cars, routes, and racers. Race 'The Green Hell’ in a Porsche 911, complete the course at Le Mans in a Ford GT40, compete in the Festival of Speed at Goodwood in a Jaguar E-type, and take on the Nascar drivers at Daytona’s Speedway. Bursting with facts, figures, stats, and racing stars, this is a racing book of dreams.




The Most Beautiful Girl in the World


Book Description

This is work in the best tradition of cultural analysis, refashioning a seemingly banal cultural object into a newly complicated and eye-opening thing.




Muscle Car Special Editions


Book Description

“Get one before one gets you!” Motion Performance’s catchy sales pitch for builder Joel Rosen’s Phase III Specialty Muscle Cars sums up the escalating performance scene in the late 1960s. Special edition muscle cars were essential to keep pace. Joel and other independent car builders (such as Carroll Shelby, George Hurst, Dick Harrell, Mr. Norm, and Jim Wangers) did what the factories couldn’t do: take the muscle car and turn it into a tire-burning monster. Although the Pontiac GTO established the muscle car category in 1964, a host of corporate safety restrictions restrained factories from offering turn-key race cars off the showroom floor. Independent car builders enhanced appearance and amplified performance in an attempt to do what the manufacturers wouldn’t. Motion Performance issued a written guarantee: Phase III cars would run 11.5 at 120 mph down the quarter-mile! Some of the most iconic nameplates in automotive history were applied in this era with names that included Cheetah, Black Panther, Royal Bobcat, Super Hugger, Manta Ray, Super Snake, Deuce, Fast Track, and The Machine. How did manufacturers stealthily promote these special edition muscle cars as “halo cars” while pretending not to endorse them? What happened to these innovators when factories assimilated their ideas? It’s all covered inside. Muscle car historian Duncan Brown takes us through these special edition muscle cars, their creators, and the behind-the-scenes forces that shaped these wild beasts into legends that left a lasting legacy.