Customer Reviews

Mickey Thompson: The Fast Life and Tragic Death of a Racing Legend

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In the end it's not Mickey Thompson's death at the hands of a sociopathic former business partner, tragic though it was, that defines this remarkable man's life story -- it's what this diminutive son of a Los Angeles policeman did in the years alloted to him that defines him for posterity and makes him worth of our attention today. Possessed of restless energy, a love of speed, an intuitive engineering sense and a wild streak of creativity, Thompson crammed more into his five plus decades on earth than the vast majority of humans could were they given five times Thompson's life span.

And speaking of earth, for a time during the early '60s this Southern California hot-rodder was the fastest man on earth, covering a measured mile at better than 400 miles per hour behind the wheel of his monstrous four-engined Bonneville streamliner, Challenger I. He also set scores of international speed records aboard a series of smaller but no less innovative racing cars. And during most of the period when he was setting the racing world -- and occasionally himself -- on fire, Thompson was holding down a full-time job at night as a pressman in a newspaper plant. There are thousands of photographs of Mickey Thompson, and many wonderful ones in the book, but I'm not aware of a single one that shows him asleep.

Thompson's imagination turned, perhaps inevitably, to the Indy 500, and the cars he produced for that classic American motorsport spectacle were revolutionary. After helping to successfully introduce the modern rear-engine design to Indy in 1962, last-minute rule changes hobbled his later designs. But Thompson ranks, along with Daytona Beach's mad genius Smokey Yunick, as the most creative thinker at Indianapolis in the last 60 years.

They just don't make them like Mickey Thompson any more, and Erik Arneson's biography, which presents the whole character, warts and all, reminds us that we are poorer today for that fact.

Perfect and well written book for any fan of hot rodding or of American Culture. Highly recommended.

A real page-turner about one of the icons of speed. A self-taught, Southern California hot rodder who engineered and raced land speed record cars and was part of the rear-engine revolution at Indy. I sat in front of the 1964 Indy 500 pileup that killed Thompson's driver, Dave McDonald and veteran Eddie Sachs - Mickey was accused of building a junk car and contributing to the disaster, but the other side of the story was the always conservative USAC officials who forced last-minute changes in his racer without time to retest the car. Well written book that fully explores the investigative work that led to the jailing of Mickey's former partner who ordered the murder of Mickey and his wife 14 years prior.

I loved how this story works: It's a biography of one of the most interesting figures in racing history bookended with a gripping murder mystery. The story of Mickey Thompson is so wild, it's hard to believe it's true. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, always wild, the story moves along just as Mickey himself would've liked it: fast. The book has cool photos and the research is really in depth. The author talked to all of Mickey's family and friends and gets the real inside scoop. In the end, Mickey Thompson comes off like a guy you wish you knew. This book is awesome. After finishing it, I bought another copy for my dad.

Like many racing fans, I had been eagerly awaiting this book. I am a few chapters into the book, and I am surprised by the lack of new information and editing errors. Much of the information in this book seems to have come from previously published works, notably Mickey's autobiography, Challenger, written in 1964. The editing and fact checking are sorely lacking. For instance, a story about Mickey's participation in the Mexican road race features the misspelling of another driver's name. The photographs are a nice addition, however.

A quick but very interesting read on A Man Who did a lot for Motorsports,From LSR To Indy to Drag Racing and the Equipment companies he founded and his legacy.It is a book you cannot put down to read,Mickey Thompson lead an Amazing life that was sadly cut short,Although I would have liked for the book to Have had Color Photos. And for more information on The Corvette Z06 #119 he ran and color photos of that since it has disappeared. It also at times does not correspond with a particular photo,it seems as the black and white picture you'll see will have what you just read previously or on the next chapter,it should have been more in depth,but It does seem Intelligently written and Does Mickey Thompson and His Family a great service,A Tribute to a Legend.

The Mickster was one of those rare gems, a mechanical prodigy with a genius for promotion. He functioned on a higher level than most, and could multi-task several projects at a time on a few hours sleep. He was a true hot rodder, driven to compete and win, and to innovate on the fly. How much more could he have accomplished if he hadn't been senselessly killed by a greedy business partner? We'll never know. Gawd, I miss him.

Enjoyed this "quick" read as I knew one of the people in the book and I live in the OC/LA area.

I don't see how any fan of auto racing, murder mysteries, or the American spirit couldn't enjoy this. One of the unsung heroes of motorsports gunned down in cold blood. For too long too few have known the details of behind his genius life and heartbreaking death. Arneson beautifully uncovers both in one of those rare reads where you can tell the subject is truly near and dear to the author's heart. I've read it twice and so has my wife, who could care less about drag racing. Loved it.

I really loved this book! Mickey Thompson was an icon that I was always fastenated by. Erik Arneson does a great job weaving a cohesive story out of his life. I did not want to put the book down until it was finished. Anyone that grew up around cars and racing should read this book.