Customer Reviews

Motor Oil for a Car Guy's Soul

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When two car guys (and I use the term in the same manner as the author, as a genderless label) get together, the conversation might range across a wide range of car-related topics: How is that trailer working out? What do you think of the new electronic technology being installed in modern cars? How was your last vintage racing weekend? Why did you pick that MG TD as a race car, anyway? That's what it's like to read "Motor Oil for a Car Guy's Soul." You'll feel like Kevin Clemens is an old friend by the time you've read his third essay (nearly all of them taken from his writing in European Car, Automobile, and the other magazines he's written for) and you'll enjoy hearing his thoughts and opinions on each of the topics he chats about. This is a wonderful book to take on a trip, or put on the bedside table, because it rewards even a few minutes of reading. Costing little more than one of the glossy English-published car magazines, it is great value for money, and even after you finish it, you'll find yourself mulling over something Kevin said, (or wrote, that is), and want to dip into the book all over again.

A great collection of automotive journalism written by a man who is now a hero of mine. This book goes into the depths of being a car-guy that outsiders don't understand. It helps the reader identify with a cause, and defines the feelings we all have for driving, working on, and just being involved with cars. Great read for anyone into cars, from the fast & furious import tuner crowd, to the shadetree mechanics, to the nascar couch fans. A wonderful book by a very good writer.

The discussion of cars in this book was easy to understand, even to an amateur car fan like myself, and the stories themselves are extremely interesting. Although, after reading Peter Egan in Road and Track, it could have been funnier, but that might not correspond with the author's idea for the book.

For those who belong to the fraternity of car guys, but also for the many more who never had a father or older brother or favorite uncle to teach us the joys of driving, repairing, racing and automotive storytelling, Mr. Clemens steps in to become our gentle mentor. He opens his automotive world with every turn of the page, revealing that the real relationships for real car guys lie not with engines or sheet metal; instead, these are the catalysts to deep relationships with his children, parents, wife and friends.

It comes as no surprise that judges of the Ken Purdy Award selected Mr. Clemens and "Motor Oil for a Car Guy's Soul" as the best automotive writing of the year.