“This book sat on my table for a few days before I picked it up but once I did it stayed in my hands until I had finished it! I liked this book a lot.” - legendarycollectorcars.com

“As Cotter notes more than once in the book, Jeffries tended not to put himself in the spotlight, preferring instead to let his work speak for itself and for his talents — pinstriping, painting, metalworking. Yet the cars that he built — the Monkeemobile, the Mantaray, the Green Hornet’s Black Beauty — often overshadowed the builder. And yes, Cotter does address the issues Jeffries has with George Barris and explains how Barris had taken credit for many of the cars Jeffries built.” - Daniel Strohl, Hemmings

Legendary car designer, builder, and painter Dean Jeffries was never one to toot his own horn, part of the reason his extraordinary career creating hot rods, Indy cars, TV and movie cars, and more has never been detailed as have those of contemporaries Von Dutch and George Barris. Still, Jeffries, who got his start pinstriping and customizing hot rods in car-crazed Southern California in the 1950s, made a name for himself with groundbreaking, stunning, and iconic vehicles like the Mantaray, Monkeemobile, and the Green Hornet’s Black Beauty.

Dean Jeffries: 50 Fabulous Years in Hot Rods, Racing & Filmcelebrates the work and life of one of the most unheralded yet talented car builders of our time—a man whose accomplishments include designing the groundbreaking Mantaray, the Monkeemobile, and the Green Hornet’s Black Beauty, along with fueling the dune buggy craze with the Kyote in the late 1960s.

Through extensive interviews with Jeffries and those who worked closely with him (including rival George Barris), bestselling author Tom Cotter offers an unprecedented look at a legend who made his way to the top by first pinstriping and customizing hot rods in Southern California in the 1950s. Featuring 250 rare photos and drawings from Jeffries’ personal archive, this book shows the breadth of his career, working on everything from hot rods and Indy cars to sports cars, TV and movie cars, and more.

Before writing his first book, Tom Cotter had long been involved in nearly every end of the automotive and racing industries.  From mechanic and auto salesman to heading the public relations department at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Cotter formed his own racing and automotive PR and marketing agency, Cotter Group.  The agency represented some of the largest clients in NASCAR, IndyCar/CART, drag racing and road racing.  He has written biographies of the legendary Holman-Moody race team, Tommy Ivo and Dean Jeffries, but is best known for his series of barn find books, such as Cobra in the Barn , 50 Shades of Rust and Barn Find Road Trip.  Cotter appears in the Barn Find Hunter video series, which is distributed by Hagerty Insurance.  He teaches public relations at Belmont Abbey College, sits on the advisory board of McPherson College’s Auto Restoration program, and is a member of the Road Racing Driver’s Club (RRDC.)  He is married to Pat, has one son, Brian, and lives in Davidson, N.C.