Reviews
Lucsko does an exceptional job of telling the story of the performance tuning industry’s evolution over seven decades. The book is thoroughly researched, including the players, the genesis of the automotive aftermarket industry, and how the business of speed evolved across America.
A really informative read.
The Business of Speed is the most extensive study of hot rodding yet published and will be the starting point for future scholars of this multi-billion dollar industry and its associated under-hood cultures.
Lucsko brings a jeweler's eye to his examination of the history of the automobile aftermarket... In writing about ti, Lucsko is all business, his research is plentiful, and his expository prose is flawless... This is a very valuable contribution to automobile history and culture.
The Business of Speed is clearly written, insightfully argued, and exceptionally successful in explaining the highly technical modifications to stock automobiles... In the hands of an inferior writer, these details could have made the book intellectually inaccessible.
It is very well written, thoroughly researched, and documents an important part of automotive history in the U.S. that hitherto has received scant treatment from academic historians... The author has a strong understanding of the hot rod industry, its various industrial leaders, and is very comfortable writing about the technologies themselves.
Book Details
Preface
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
1. Faster Flivvers, 1915–1927
2. Westward Ho, 1928–1942
3. From Hot Rods to Hot Rodding, 1945–1955
4. The California Hot Rod Industry, 1945–1955
5. Factory Muscle
Preface
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
1. Faster Flivvers, 1915–1927
2. Westward Ho, 1928–1942
3. From Hot Rods to Hot Rodding, 1945–1955
4. The California Hot Rod Industry, 1945–1955
5. Factory Muscle, 1955–1970
6. Bolt-on Power, 1955–1970
7. The Speed Equipment Manufacturers Association
8. "Ink-Happy Do-Gooders," 1960–1978
9. "This Dreadful Conspiracy," 1966–1984
10. The Best of Times, the Worst of Times, 1970–1990
Conclusion
Notes
Glossary
Essay on Sources
Index