Bonneville Salt Flats [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

by Louise Ann Noeth (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Located in the Great Salt Lake Desert, the Bonneville Salt Flats are both a geographic and land-speed marvel. There, a crusty yet perfectly flat strip measuring nine miles long by just 80 feet wide was formed 50,000 years ago when a 45,000-square-mile sea receded in what is now western Utah. Since 1909, Bonneville has hosted hundreds of races and speed trials featuring scores of remarkable cars, motorcycles, and drivers.

This photo history features all of the marques, both automotive and motorcycle, that have campaigned the Bonneville Salt Flats over the past nine decades. Represented are the four general racing categories associated with the venue--special construction, vintage, modified, and production--with special emphasis on the postwar years from 1950 through the 1970s, and such legendary drivers as Craig "Land Speed" Breedlove and Gary Gabelich, the latter of whom gained fame by driving the rocket-shaped, hydrogen-powered Blue Flame to a land-speed record of 622 miles per hour in 1970--one day before a storm dropped five inches of snow on the Bonneville course.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 156 pages
• Publisher: SAE International; illustrated edition edition (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760306052
• ISBN-13: 978-0760306055
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 10.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,938,886 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Featured driver pg.53, February 18, 2000

By	David Ratliff (California, USA) - See all my reviews

The book is very factual and very well written. It covers the history of the Salt Flats from the beginning in the early 20's. It brought back some great memories for some of us veteran drivers. I've been going there since 1949. The club I'm in, Land Speed Racers, has 2 of the original participants still racing. Dwayne McKinney and myself, David Ratliff. The pictures show a wide variety of cars, drivers and equipment. I'm glad to have been a small part of this history and happy to still be going to the Flats. See you on the Salt! Dave Ratliff