Recommended Reading

[Bruce302]

I thought it would be good to share books, magazines and other publications that are what I consider recommended reading.

At the core of any camaro enthusiasts library has to be "the unfair advantge" The book by Mark Donohue, written with the guidance of Paul van Valkenberg.
Published in 1975, and selling for a measly  $ 11.95, this is the story of Mark's racing exploits, from the starting point, to the time of publication.

Sadly Mark was to die in an F1 car in Austria, the safety fence system of the time was not as good as it could have been.

While there are in depth chapters on most of the cars Mark raced, and the people he raced with and against, the real gem for us is the section on the T/A Camaros.

For many years this book was out of print, and gained almost cult status within the devotees of Mark Donohue. It was republished a few years back as a paperback, and the prices are very reasonable.



Bruce

[oldtransamdriver]

Bruce, this book was reprinted in hardcover a few years ago with some updates.  I had the original edition at one time, sold it, and then received the updated version as a gift one day from Al Richards, the next owner of my ex Mo Carter 67 camaro.  I just reread the camaro chapter last year.

Robert Barg

[1968RSZ28]

Amazon sells the paperback version...

http://www.amazon.com/Unfair-Advantage-Mark-Donohue/dp/0837600693

Paul

[Jon Mello]

This one is another "must-have" as far as I'm concerned. Available at
www.pvanvalkenburgh.com now that he has had it republished. Great
stuff on Camaro in here & also for all Chevy racing activities from the
1957 racing ban up to 1972.

[Jon Mello]

Another good one... but get the other two first.

[OCTARD]

Though "The Unfair Advantage" BRUCE302 notes is a must read for those interested in Mark Donohue and his efforts with the Trans-Am Camaros... the more recent book that Michael Argetsinger released, "Mark Donohue: Technical Excellence at Speed" was even more illuminating to me.  The amount of information presented and additionally fact-checked by Argetsinger helps to make it the best driver biography I've read, and certainly one of the finest automotive racing history books as well.



There are a couple versions of this book offered, and this page of the publisher's site does a good job of explaining the differences, and allows you to purchase a copy as well.

-Chad

[cuda48]

I highly recommend "Sunday Driver" by Brock Yates.  He goes through driver's school and gets his novice permit.  He then sets out to get his permanent racing license borrowing some small cars and finally joins Warren Agor and Dave Hoselton with their 69' Camaros.  He gets to race in the 1971 Trans Am Series against the likes of Donohue, Jones, Savage, etc. Very well written  and funny.  Once you start reading you won't be able to put it down.  I ask my auto students to read 2 books in my class.  The first is The Unfair Advantage and this is the second one!

Mike Camicia

[maroman]

This one is another "must-have" as far as I'm concerned. Available at
www.pvanvalkenburgh.com now that he has had it republished. Great
stuff on Camaro in here & also for all Chevy racing activities from the
1957 racing ban up to 1972.

One of my all time favorite books, I highly recommend it.

[wolfmin]

Another good one... but get the other two first.

I seem to recall a lot of photo mistakes in this book, but I still refer to it a lot.

[Jon Mello]

I seem to recall a lot of photo mistakes in this book, but I still refer to it a lot.

You are right, there are some mistakes, but I'm not sure a book was ever written that didn't have mistakes in it. I always try and read multiple sources, which helps if you are really searching for facts.

Here's another book, more of a picture book than a novel, and one which also has some mistakes in the captions but which is a great source for many very nice "period" photos of the Trans-Am cars in action. It should be on the bookshelf of any true Trans-Am fan. Many comments throughout the book are provided by drivers who raced back then.



Dave Friedman's "Trans-Am: The Pony Car Wars 1966-1972"

[Jon Mello]

Dan Lipetz of the Historic Trans-Am race group tells me his new book about the Trans-Am series is due to come out this fall, possibly as early as late August. More good reading to look forward to.

[cuda48]

Yeah I was wondering if Dan was going to ever finish it or if he gave up.  I saw a photo of the cover and that's the last I heard about it.  It should be pretty good as he has been involved with a Chevy, a Ford and a Mopar.

Mike Camicia

[Jon Mello]

Mike,  Dan has got it finished and has submitted it to the editor so that part's done. Barring unforseen circumstances, it should be out at the time he indicated. Dan's got a passion for the cars and their history. I'm sure it will be well done and I am looking forward to it.

[Jon Mello]

This is a good one which looks in-depth at many of the performance pieces such as cross rams, four-wheel disc brakes, etc
which were used on the Camaro in the Trans-Am series back in the 1960's and early '70s. It is not a history of the Trans-Am
series as a whole. It is a technical book focusing on various performance pieces. Very good read if that is your interest.

Camaro: Untold Secrets by Wayne Guinn

[Swede70]

Another title to consider then,

Consider Sam Posey's racing autobiography The Mudge Pond Express, from 1976.  Some reference to his few 1968 season appearances with Penske, impressions of both the man and the commitment and character of Mark Donohue, etc.  Always loquacious and possessed of atypical insight, his is clearly one of the better period racing titles I can identify.  The book contains insights into the Autodynamics Challenger '70 SCCA Trans Am effort, the circumstances of their loss of the American Motor's contract as Penske swept in just before them to claim the same, as well as much more.  A bit pricey, and unlikely to be reprinted soon.  Perhaps see abebooks.com or Barnes and Noble Used and Out of Print to source a copy should you be intrigued. 

Hardcover: 318 pages
Publisher: Putnam (1976)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399115692
ISBN-13: 978-0399115691



M.K.