Barney Oldfield: The Life and Times of America's Legendary Speed King (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A must read." -- Vintage Oval Racing

"Its nice to see this old classic again available." -- David Woodhouse, Vintage Motorsport, March 2003

"Nolan paints a vivid picture of this larger-than-life character." -- Mick Walsh, Classic & Sports Car, May 2003

Product Description

Newly revised and expanded, this is the only book ever devoted to Barney Oldfield, the man who got his start at the turn of the century racing Ford’s 999 and winning the Manufacturers’ Challenge Cup.

Barney was America’s most flamboyant race driver. He took part in countless race meets between 1902 and 1918. The machines he drove included the Winton Bullet, Peerless Green Dragon, the Blitzen Benz, and Harry Miller’s Golden Submarine.

Commanding thousands of dollars for race appearances, Oldfield wore a diamond pinky ring and a sealskin coat. He raced his cars against planes and played chicken with trains, barnstormed the county fairs, brawled in saloons, and starred in films. He was the first man to go faster than a-mile-minute in a gas powered car. He set records at the dirt tracks and on the beach, raced the road courses and circled the banked board and brick tracks with the fastest of the era.

This new edition has been fully redesigned and re-illustrated, featuring 114 illustrations. An extensive bibliography, appendices of race results, and a seven page index complete this definitive book on America’s turn-of-the-century motor sport legend.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Brown Fox Books; 2 Rev Exp edition (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888978120
• ISBN-13: 978-1888978124
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #494,401 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Written with enthusiasm, vigor, and respect, March 4, 2003

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Now in a significantly revised and expanded new edition which features forty pages of black-and-white photographs, William F. Nolan's Barney Oldfield: The Life And Times Of America's Legendary Speed King is an exciting and ambitious biography of the nigh-legendary pioneer race car driver. It was Barney Oldfield who was the first man in history to travel 131 miles per hour! Written with enthusiasm, vigor, and respect for this great and daunting figure in American race care history, Barney Oldfield is enthusiastically recommended reading for automotive history enthusiasts and race car history buffs.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Barney Oldfield, January 6, 2007

By	Dennis Mattish - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Very informative and a good read. They should make a movie based on this book.