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NOVI V-8 Indy Cars
1941-1965

Indy Cars of the 1960s

Indy Cars of the 1950s

Indy Cars of the 1940s

Leader Card Racers:
A Dynasty of Speed

Indianapolis Racing Cars of Frank Kurtis 1941-1963
Photo Archive

Indy Cars of the 1970s
By Karl Ludvigsen

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S-1371
Price: $36.95

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NOVI V-8 Indy Cars 1941-1965

Ludvigsen Library Series

Introduction by Andy Granatelli


A splendid collection of photographs displaying the Novi V-8 Racing Car. Few cars of any kind have exuded the charismatic appeal of the great Novi V-8 racing cars that competed at Indianapolis from 1941 to 1965.

First a front-wheel car, it earned the reputation for wicked handling by killing two of its drivers. Despite that, the NOVIs were so fast – so often – that more racers were always willing to take them on.

Soft cover, 128 pages, B&W photos.




S-106
Price: $36.95

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Indy Cars of the 1960s

(Ludvigsen Library Series)


Introduction by Karl Ludvigsen. One of the most spectacular and controversial decades in the long history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the 1960s saw the transition from the classic Roadster to mid-engined ''funny cars.'. Though resisted by the Indy die-hards, the pace shown by the mid-engined Lotus-Fords starting in 1963 was irresistible. By 1967 the field was completely converted to rear-engined racers.

Reporting and photographing from Indy through most of the decade, Karl Ludvigsen, has fantastic photos of the cars: the last gasp of the Novis, the wild racers of Mickey Thompson, Brabhams and the successful Hawk copies, the astonishing STP turbine cars of
the 1967 and 1968, Dan Gurney's Eagles from 1966, Lotuses, including the amazing four- wheel-drive cars, the battle between Fords and the turbo-Offys. These vivid pictures will take the reader inside Gasoline Alley during the tumultuous 1960s. Following in the footsteps of Indy Cars of the 1950s (by the same author), this book will be a hit.

Soft cover, 128 pages, 121 B&W photos.



S-1251
Price: $36.95

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Indy Cars of the 1950s

(Ludvigsen Library Series)

Introduction by Karl Ludvigsen. Karl Ludvigsen covered the Indy 500 in 1956 and the Monza 500 in 1958. From his own photos at these events and the other material in his collection, Ludvigsen presents a panorama of the fabulous Indy racing cars of the 1950s. These were the years of the Kurtis Roadsters, the lay-downs, the first Watsons, the formidable Novis, the V-12 Ferrari, the Bardahl-Ferrari, the Blue Crowns and the invincible Offys.

Stunningly sharp photography shows the cars, their engines and their designs in amazing detail. The book takes the reader into Gasoline Alley during one of the most evocative and exciting eras in the history of the great Speedway – before those pesky rear-engined 'bugs' took over.

Soft cover, 128 pages, 121 B&W photos.


S-1213
Price: $36.95

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Indy Cars of the 1940s

(Ludvigsen Library Series)


For the Old World, caught up in the traumas of a bitter conflict, America's Indianapolis 500-mile race was a New World beacon of auto-racing speed and excitement during the 1940s. While racing stopped in Europe in 1939, the Indy 500 raced on in 1940 and '41, bringing victories in both years for Wilbur Shaw's Maserati.

Racing resumed in 1946 with Shaw in charge of the Speedway. The post-war fields were full of exotic machinery, from Fageol's twin-engined four-wheel-drive car and the front-drive Blue Crowns (1947, ’48, ’49 winners) to the rear-engined Tucker Millers and Rounds Rocket plus the imported 1939 Mercedes-Benz of Don Lee and numerous Alfa Romeos and Maseratis. The first Kurtis racers made their debut, as did the awesome Novi. The six-cylinder Thorne Special won in 1946 and Indy's only six-wheeled car competed as well.

This book brings to dramatic life the spectacle and excitement of the 1940-1949 era at the Speedway.

Soft cover, 128 pages with 120 illustrations.

S-1041
Original Price: $39.95
Now: $29.95

 

Leader Card Racers:
A Dynasty of Speed


by Gordon Eliot White

Leader Car Racers is the remarkable story of one family’s four-generation passion for auto racing. Beginning with a team of midgets before WW II, successful paper manufacturer Bob Wilke, his son Ralph, and now his grandsons have owned and sponsored winning racing cars on the Championship trail, on dirt track, and currently with a successful return to midgets. With legendary mechanics A. J. Watson and Jud Phillips, the Wilke Family won the Indy “500” and the National Championship three times: twice with Roger Ward (1959 & 1962) and once with Bobby Unser (1968). Superbly chronicled by noted author Gordon White, the story of Leader Card Racers is a testament to the Wilke family’s devotion to motor sport and to the history of American oval track racing.

Hard-bound with dust jacket, 228 pages, many photos.

S-153
Price: $29.95
 
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Indianapolis Racing Cars of Frank Kurtis 1941-1963 Photo Archive

By Gordon Eliot White

This definitive work on Kurtis’ championship cars showcases all 111 full size “champ” cars built by Frank Kurtis between 1941-1963. Kurtis cars won the Indy 500 five out of six years (1950-1955) and dominated the starting field from 1950-1958. Kurtis “roadster” design cars had offset engines, allowing drivers to sit lower, and reducing car height and wind resistance, and were the last front–engine cars prior to 1965 rear-engine revolution. This exceptional volume reveals engineering drawings of the cars as well as dramatic starting field and crash photos. Appendix details the cars and provides engine serial numbers.

Paperback, 1-“ x 8 1/2”, 128 pages,
138 black & white photos

S-178
Price: $32.95
 
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Indy Cars of the 1970s

By Karl Ludvigsen

The 1970's was the last creative decade at the great Speedway. The spirit of innovation was still strong in the 1970's, which Ludvigsen calls “The Last Creative Decade” at the great Speedway. The turbocharged decade witnessed the extinction of the venerable four-banger Offy and the rise of the Cosworth V-8, which took Indy racing into the 1980's.

Revealing intimate details of the last progressive and experimental decade at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, this book is a must for fans of the world’s greatest motor race.

Paper back ,10 1/4” x 8 1/2”, 128 pages,
120 black & white photos