Proving Ground: A History of Dodge, Chrysler, and Plymouth Racing [Hardcover]

Jim Schild (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 7, 2009

From the early decades of the Indy 500 to the modern superspeedways of NASCAR, from the 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race to drag racing’s 4.5-second quarter-mile runs, this is the story of one company’s pursuit of performance and the glory that came with it. Full of hundreds of color and black and white photos, we hear tales of the Hemi, the Superbird, Don Garlits, Richard Petty, and many other legends. Noted author and Chrysler enthusiast Jim Schild tells the whole MOPAR story, from door-banging Trans Am racing, to land speed records on the salt flats of Bonneville, from the legendary C-300 to the road-shredding Dodge Viper. Full of fascinating history and excitement, this book is a must-have for all fans of Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“You may know about Chrysler expoits if you're a Mopar fan, but there's never been a book specifically telling the story . . . till now” – Examiner.com

“I keep meaning to review a couple of books that every car freak should read but this book has shoved them aside for now. Proving Ground turns out to be a genuine history book, written for an audience that includes literate gearheads of all description, not just zealous Chrysler true believers. I'm giving this one a four-rod rating, which means I liked it enough to keep it for my personal collection. Murilee says check it out!” – Jalopnik.com

 “Once again, author Jim Schild is plumbing the depths of Chrysler’s heritage, summarizing the company’s involvement in all forms of motorsport during the major era of Detroit involvement in those activities. Proving Ground covers not just drag racing and NASCAR (both which have been covered fairly extensively by others over the years), but land speed, open wheel, and road racing as well, from the birth of the company in the

prewar era through the 21st century. Making ample use of photographs from the factory itself plus imagery supplied by individuals in the various disciplines, Schild also managed to create an excellent pictorial record of the those cars. Also the publisher of The Auto Review and author of several other volumes, Schild’s expertise came through in this 192-page tome in the 9.25 x 10.87 inch format, and it will be a welcome edition to whatever your library may be. Our favorite section was on the Goldenrod four-Hemi landspeed car in the Land Speed section, complete with color pictures that look like they were shot yesterday.” – Mopar Enthusiast

“In this hardbound, heritage-rich book that's full of hundreds of color and black and white photos, you'll hear tales of the Hemi, the Superbird, Don Garlits, Richard Petty and many other legends. Noted author and Chrysler enthusiast Jim Schild tells the whole MOPAR story, from door-banging Trans Am racing, to land speed records on the salt flats of Bonneville, from the legendary C-300 to the road-shredding Dodge Viper. Full of fascinating history and excitement, this book from Motorbooks is a must-have for all fans of Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth. This 192-page book also makes an excellent holiday present to any auto enthusiast, auto historian or even your favorite automotive technician.” – Underhood Service / Tomorrow’s Technician

 “For the first time ever, the full history of Chrysler’s racing exploits – NASCAR, drag racing, TransAm, Bonneville, Le Mans, and more – are all brought together in one eye-catching package. Proving Ground is the perfect gift for all Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth, and MOPAR fans.”  - Mopar Muscle

 

 “The book is very well edited and laid out and the photographs are of uniformly high quality – we can only speculate on the hours of painstaking work required to bring the older photographs up to this level. If your interest is primarily Chrysler’s exploits in NASCAR and drag racing, this is THE book to own.”  - Mopar Action

Book Description

From the early decades of the Indy 500 to the modern superspeedways of NASCAR, from the 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race to drag racing’s 4.5-second quarter-mile runs, this is the story of one company’s pursuit of performance and the glory that came with it. Full of hundreds of color and black and white photos, we hear tales of the Hemi, the Superbird, Don Garlits, Richard Petty, and many other legends.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks; First edition (November 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760334587
• ISBN-13: 978-0760334584
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,020,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The CliffsNotes Version of Chrysler's Racing History, March 17, 2010

By 

John Mccarrier (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Proving Ground: A History of Dodge, Chrysler, and Plymouth Racing (Hardcover)

This book could have done for Chrysler what Leo Levin's book, Ford: The Dust and the Glory, did for Ford, provide a definitive history of corporate involvement in auto racing. Instead it is a thin (190 pages) coffee table book filled with huge pictures and minimal text.

The author tries to cover 85 years of racing history but doesn't have space for transitions between topics or background information. Half the available space is filled with largee pictures; too many of them are of hemi engines, drivers kneeling next to their cars, new cars just off the assembly line, and full page reprints of magazine ads. Too much is written about marginal topics like the Viper's lackluster racing career and USAC and World of Outlaws sprint cars. The last five pages are devoted to the 2009 Dodge Challenger drag package; current but not significant. The IROC series is given more space then the Trans-Am. The SCCA Formula 5000 is completely ignored.

This book needs twice as many pages and half as many photographs. It could also use a timeline illustrating the parallel involvement of Chrysler in different series at the same time.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Proving Ground - An Automotive Treasure, October 15, 2010

By 

Mr. Mopar - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Proving Ground: A History of Dodge, Chrysler, and Plymouth Racing (Hardcover)

This is an awesome book. To me, page eight is worth the price of the book. Put yourself in that picture in 1928. Think of the young car company with new cars and young drivers getting ready to race at Le Mans, all getting ready to prove themselves and their products. The name of this book tells it all and every page tells a story. Look at Garlits, Petty and every person in this book. They were not only working to prove their cars, they were working to prove what they could do with determination, skill, and the need to always improve on past performance. The amount of time it took to pull all the pictures and details together for this book is way over the top.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK if you like drag racing, June 24, 2010

By 

Thomas C. Kennedy (Sharon, Pa. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Proving Ground: A History of Dodge, Chrysler, and Plymouth Racing (Hardcover)

As the previous reviewer stated Trans Am and Formula 5000 are virtualy ignored. No mention of Team Starfish Barracuda or Shadow Dodge. I don't regret buying this book. I just wish road racing was covered more thoroughly.