Birth of Hot Rodding (Hardcover)

by Robert Genat (Author) "When lakes racing became popular in the 1920s, the Model T was the preferred car because of its low cost and available speed equipment..." (more)
Key Phrases: oilers club, lakes racers, grille shell, Los Angeles, Southern California, San Diego (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In the garages, shops and fertile minds of 1920s car buffs in search of more power and speed, the hot rodding movement was born. A hot bed of this early quest for speed sprang up when the first Southern California hot rod builder hauled his creation over the ridge of mountains and opened up the throttle on the Mojave Desert’s dry lakes. Places like Muroc, El Mirage, and Harper were transformed from an ancient prehistoric no-man’s-land to the weekend testing grounds of speed. Author Robert Genat brings together stories of the golden age of hot rodding from the men and women who pioneered the sport. Profiles of the most influential racers, cars, and events accompany original photography (some never before published) to create a definitive history of hot rod racing on the dry lakes. With a foreword by Wally Parks, NHRA founder and chairman of the NHRA Motorsports Museum, The Birth of Hot Rodding encapsulates a unique piece of racing history.

From the Author
"I vividly remember my first trip to the dry lakes. After all of the anticipation and last-minute preparations, a late night's journey to Muroc dry lake and arrival at that legendary expanse of desert vastness was a one-time experience, never to be matched or ever forgotten. The nearest thing to it, as I thought then, would be like landing on the moon!

"Robert Genat’s narrative and Don Cox’s colorful photos have captured the true spirit of California’s legendary dry lakes action — dating back to times when each event was an exciting and unpredictable new adventure."

– Wally Parks

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks (May 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760313032
• ISBN-13: 978-0760313039
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 10.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #699,762 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars late forties dry lake hot rodding, May 18, 2006

By	F. M. P. Noordberg "matty noordberg" (the netherlands) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

this is a real nice photo book of the late forties dry lake hot rod history. The numerous high quality (mostly in colour) pictures of this era give a real nice flavour. The pictures were taken by a professional photographer and it shows, this is not your fuzzy, discoloured family photo album. Together with the text (short stories from numerous participants of that era) gives this book a real good impression. Recommended.