Speedseekers Photobook: Vintage Drags & More – Book Review

Speedseekers is new book by German born designer and photographer Alexandra Lier. Visiting Speedweek’s salt for the first time, she was hooked. Suddenly a fascination with fast cars, hot rods and customs drove her from her design studio to garages shooting top mechanics and builders or she was off to races to get more pics of the cars she loves. That passion is captured in her first book, Speedseekers

Organized into five main chapters, History, Garage, Speed, Landspeed, and Style & Sound.

That first chapter about history might as well say “vintage drag racing” cause the included photos are a fantastic collection of legendary racers from Wild Willie Borsch to to Big Daddy Don Garlits to a fiery burnoutin his first rear engine dragster by the legendary “TV” Tommy Ivo. I spent over an hour studying the vintage pictures, then explained some of them to my sons: “This guy held on with only one hand!” I can’t get enough of nostalgia drags and the people and cars that made it great (and still do in some cases).

From there, I skimmed over the Garage chapter to check out Speed. Almost as great as the vintage drag pictures in History, the Speed chapter and the following Landspeed pages had more old school 60′s and 70′s style Drag racing shots and were followed by Bonneville shots focusing on the people who went fast. There’s also some great advice found in this picture:

Each section was setup by the near poetic writing of Kevin Thompson… here’s an example:

The hands on the wheel begin to tighten as the blood drains from the knuckles. The muted hum of cruise has become the rising pitch of power. He’s edgy in his seat. Telephone poles and mile markers whip past the side-glass, then multiply and diminish in the rearview mirror. A solitary, oncoming car appears on the horizon, looms, blurs, and becomes a part of the rapidly disappearing past.

Back in the Garage chapter, I spent quite a while staring at two facing pages with old-time magazine covers on them like Hop Up, Motor Life, and even Hot Rod and Custom Rodder. Those old covers and the stories that must be inside make me wonder… they’re like a time capsule!

Don’t pass by this book after a brief glance at the cover. There’s much more to be seen and enjoyed inside for anyone who likes great photos from drag racing’s days gone by, land speed racing, pinstriping and lettering. Check out a very small sample of the pictures supplied by Alexandra and Tom West.

Buy Speedseekers now

The book’s over 250 pages of full color pictures. Here’s just a few more so you know what you’re getting into. Thanks to Alexandra for letting me preview the book.

Boatman’s Best CARtoons

When you’re a new website, the only advertising you can afford is FREE advertising. So, I am combing Myspace for other gearheads who might be interested in sharing their passions here at MyRideisMe.com.

After navigating past all the, “Click here for my REAL profile…” and all the other scam BS, I found some worthwhile profiles, especially this one from Fred Boatman.

From 1962 to 1976 Fred published his car art in several Petersen Publishing magazines, especially one I remember called CARtoons.

After a few emails, Fred and I talked on the phone and I learned more about the man and his book: Cartoons on Wheels. Fred’s book explains why he wrote the book for his four grown kids:

I would like them to know just what I was doing in my basement studio those evenings I wasn’t helping them with their homework, or playing hockey with them in the driveway. I wasn’t just down there nursing a Wild Turkey and Ginger,… well maybe just a few.

I’ve enjoyed reading the book Fred sent to me. It’s like a time capsule of hot rodding and American history. The characters such as my favorites Dipstick & Arin Cee are worried about hot rods, racing and girls along with war and their possible time in the military service. It just feels like a simpler time where the closest thing to Nintendo was a slot car track and even a local guy had a shot at big time racers like Connie Kalitta.

I recommend this book to young and old who might like to take a step back in time. Fred will personally sign a copy just like he did for me. Mine’s going to Brian from Problem Child Kustoms to thank him for all the help he’s given to MyRideisMe. To get your copy, you can find them at all the big bookstores, but do Fred a heavy (and cut out the middle man…) and buy it directly from his website: Fred Boatman Cartoons. Until then, I’ll share just a few more of my favorites from the book. The book is 305 8 1/2 x 11″ pages of good times, so there are plenty to choose from. If you see something you like, get your own!

Thanks Fred! I hope this give the book a little boost. It’s been great meeting you. Do you know some other sources of good CARtoon works? Please let me know!

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