I read the Felsen books in jr high, and when the Henry Gregor Felsen Collection came out in 1990, with Hot Rod, Street Rod, Fever Heat, Road Rocket, Crash Club, and Rag Top, I bought the set and re-read them. Still as good to me decades later.
I don't remember the title or the author, but I remember reading this. It was set in the Korean War. The soldier pulled a V8 engine out of a enemy vehicle that was wrecked and put it in the General's Jeep. It ended up with the General surviving an enemy attack, because his Jeep was faster than a stock Jeep. Hot Rod ingenuity wins again. Did anyone read a book about a car theft ring that was set in Hawaii? It seems that it had a guy with a 54 Chevy hardtop or convertable and he ended up working undercover to catch the thieves, or something like that. Another book had a couple of high school guys that found an old Packard in a garage and fixed it up. The other car guys in school just laughed at the Packard guys and challenged them to a race. They drove a road ralley style race, which the Packard won. The Packard ended up being a V-12 or V-16 car.
I remember these books, my father had them when he was a kid. At one stage the family Hot Rod was stored at my Grandmother's while we built the garage at home. I remember reading 'Hot Rod Road', the cover intrigued me. It was certainly the highlight of the long hours in the garage. Doc.
My copy of Street Rod was found in the top of a box of books sitting in the cab of a pickup truck - in a junkyard. It's easily been over 20 years since I sat down and read any of them, though.
William Campbell Gault - thanks 29AVEE8, that was the guy. In my little town's public library, they amazingly had every book by both he and Felsen, and you had to be on a waiting list to get to read one, then when you'd read them all, you just got back into the rotation so you could read them again. This was back in the late 50s when anything about hot rods or rock and roll was rare and worth knowing. All the early RnR songs on those restaurant jukebox selectors were geting worn out on a monthly basis. Gene Vincent, Buddy Knox, Buddy Holley, Bill Hailey. Same thing as the books just wear 'em out from turning pages. dj
I remember the story in a collection of short stories I read in Jr High or high school, as well. After you guys mentioned it here, its been bugging me as I remember reading it 2 or 3 times over as it was such a good story for me at the time, I haven't thought about it again for decades until it turned up here. A lot of googling turns up a possibility: it might have been "The Affair of the Wayward Jeep", by Bill Mauldin, but I can't find a synopsis of it anywhere.
I have all of Burt's books, some autographed. His series (starts with "The Last Open Road") follows fictional (and maybe semi-auto-biographical) Buddy Palumbo life starting in the 50's and the emerging road/sports car racing scening. He does a fantastic job of mixing his fictional cast in with real world people/drivers and cars. Highly recommend his books.
I still have my hard back copy of "Hot Rod Road" from when I was about 13. I discovered "Hot Rod", "Street Rod", and "Crash Club" when I was in high school (graduated in '81), but until now never realized he was the same guy that wrote "Hot Rod Road". Is "Crash Club" the story with the new kid with the fuel injected Jag that beats the local hot shoe, so they start marking their cars up after fender benders knowing the new kid has to avoid trouble at all cost?
I read a great book called Road Race, was an old dusty book in the high school library. It was about a kid who built a hot rod from spare parts. And I vaguely remember another about a 69 chevy 4x4 with a 396, where they raced for the deed to his land? I just remember it was a good read.
Well, I searched at lunch and guess where I ended up. LOL http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=387474 bluebolt Alliance Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Benton LA Posts: 265 Re: Rodded WW2 Jeeps or staff cars?? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote: Originally Posted by BillBallingerSr I remember reading a short story back when I was younger of a motor pool guy putting a rodded flathead V8 in a Jeep. He got the job of driving the General somewhere, and the General commented that the Jeep sounded different somehow. Suddenly they ran into enemy fire and that V8 Jeep skedaddeled them out of danger in short order. Does anyone remeber that story from school? It was one of my favorites, besides Henry Gregor Felson's books. Yep Bill Mauldin story, "The Affair of the Wayward Jeep". First published in 1953 in the Saturday Evening Post. I am reading the story right now, it was reprinted in a 1955 paperback "High Gear", "great stories about fast cars and their drivers"
I read one when I was a kid in the sixties about a kid who builds a hot rod, takes it out on the street, gets chased by the cops and is caught when the motor quits. I thought it was called "Hot rod summer" but I can't find any mention of it anywhere. Anyone else heard of it? I've been hooked on hot rods ever since.
the one with the pink car and copper wheels is in fact called 'hot rod' there is another old book called 'road race' a kid gets what i beleive was a little model a roadster,fixes it up and runs from the cops and it is a very cool book. i remember a phrase in the 'hot rod' book. some one said somethign about his hot rod and another sais 'hot rod? its more like a warm stick'
I remember a book i read in high school about a guy that drove like hell. Killed one girl in an accident, then killed another one showing her how it happened. The title may have been "the wheel of a fast car?". Don't remember much more.
I seem to remember reading a book about a guy with a MGTC or MGTD. I think it was about road racing! Anyone remember a book like that?
Thanks. It's been over 30 years since I read this book. Now, I can try to get a copy of it. Does anyone recognize the other book, with the high school guys fixing up an old Packard and racing a 54 Ford in a road rally? The Packard ended up being either a V-12, or V-16 car.
Hot Rod was Bud Crayne in his 32 Ford coupe. Street Rod was Ricky Madison in the pink & copper 1939 Ford coupe.
Does it actually say that Bud Crayne's car was a 32 coupe? I've read the book a couple of times and don't recall a definate year and modifications. Larry T
You know, I believe you are right. All it says is "The body had come off of an old Ford Coupe". I guess we all assumed Bud was cool enough to drive a Deuce!
I have been trying to find a book I read when I was a kid (1970's) that was written in the 50's or 60's. It was about a wealthy boy that gets a European sportscar (maybe a Ferrari or a fictitious Italian brand.) However, his father loses his job or company or something and he is forced to sell the car to help his family. When he had the car he was street racing against some hot rodders and might have wrecked his car some. Anyway, after he has to sell his car, he becomes friends with the hot rodders and builds his own in order to have a car again. I came across this posting and I am wondering if this was a book by Henry Felsen. Does this plot sound familiar. If not Felsen, would anyone know that the title/author might be? Thanks Charlie
The Red Car by Don Stanford (1954) has an MG in it. The MG was wrecked and Hap Adams buys it and with the help of Frenchy, an ex-Bugatti driver who quit racing after an accident, Hap puts it back together and races it.
Is this the one where the car was wrecked and burned? And something about a set of pistons kept in a velvet lined box?
My favorite book as a kid. There was a second wrecked MG. The first was a TC and the second was a TD. He and Frenchy put the two together to make one good one. It was Frenchy's tools that were in the velvet box. all inscibed with the Bugatti script EB. Hap never raced the car. He rode Mechanic in the road race with Frenchy driving.
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