Wide-Open Muscle
The Rarest Muscle Car Convertibles
Published on 30. June 2016
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-0-7603-5001-0 (ISBN)
Description
Climb inside these stunning muscle car drop-tops, straight from the classic era of American high-performance cars!
Today's rarest, priciest, and most highly sought-after muscle cars are also the least practical. These are the striking convertibles of the 1960s and 1970s that were optioned out for drag racing. Wide-Open Muscle showcases these rare cars and proves that sometimes it pays to throw practicality out the window in order to make something purely cool and fun to drive.
At the peak of drag racing popularity, it was common knowledge that racers needed the lightest, most rigid-framed cars available. Convertibles represent the exact opposite of that description, so it's amazing that these drop tops ever emerged amid the circle of full-throttle dragsters. While typical convertible drivers cruised around listening to the latest Lovin' Spoonful release in the eight-track tape deck, these muscle-car convertibles were equipped for rock 'n' roll speed. These topless muscle cars are so rare because few people had the dedication (or money) to buy a vehicle this impractical. They're valuable because they represent the absolute extreme of the entire muscle-car genre.
All the cars in Wide-Open Muscle are shot in similar fashion, studio-style with a black background using a process known as light painting. It is the ultimate portrayal of the ultimate muscle cars.
Today's rarest, priciest, and most highly sought-after muscle cars are also the least practical. These are the striking convertibles of the 1960s and 1970s that were optioned out for drag racing. Wide-Open Muscle showcases these rare cars and proves that sometimes it pays to throw practicality out the window in order to make something purely cool and fun to drive.
At the peak of drag racing popularity, it was common knowledge that racers needed the lightest, most rigid-framed cars available. Convertibles represent the exact opposite of that description, so it's amazing that these drop tops ever emerged amid the circle of full-throttle dragsters. While typical convertible drivers cruised around listening to the latest Lovin' Spoonful release in the eight-track tape deck, these muscle-car convertibles were equipped for rock 'n' roll speed. These topless muscle cars are so rare because few people had the dedication (or money) to buy a vehicle this impractical. They're valuable because they represent the absolute extreme of the entire muscle-car genre.
All the cars in Wide-Open Muscle are shot in similar fashion, studio-style with a black background using a process known as light painting. It is the ultimate portrayal of the ultimate muscle cars.
Reviews / Votes
"Writer Randy Leffingwell , along with photographer Tom Loeser gained access to one of the world's finest muscle car collections there is, the Brothers Collection, full of rare muscle car convertibles. This collection is private and not open to the public, so it is a real treat to see these cars. All the cars are shot in similar fashion, studio-style with a black background using a process perfected by Leffingwell and Loeser they call light-painting. The result is an awesome collection of images of some of the rarest and most exotic muscle cars on the planet. The book is divided into three sections: Chrysler, Ford and General Motors. Six to eight pages are dedicated to each car with a well-written, enjoyable to read text complemented by jaw-dropping photos." * Examiner.com * "This big book will become a favorite because of the large photos and presentation. Loeser uses a light-painting process for a result that is just saturated in color and depth." * San Diego Union Tribune *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc
Illustrations
239 color photos
Dimensions
Height: 305 mm
Width: 248 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-7603-5001-0 (9780760350010)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Randy Leffingwell wrote his first book, American Muscle, while still on staff at the Los Angeles Times. The book examined Times' publisher Otis Chandler's growing collection of muscle cars. American Muscle published in September 1990, jump-started a love of book creation that ultimately led Leffingwell to leave the Times in 1995. By then, he and Motorbooks had published Porsche Legends, and six other books.
Since 1990, Leffingwell has authored more than 60 titles, most of them automotive-oriented. Over 30-plus years, these include a dozen Porsche titles ranging from general overviews-Porsche 75 Years: Expect the Unexpected, and The Complete Book of Porsche 911-to deeper explorations in Porsche Turbo and Porsche 911: 50 Years. During this time, he has regularly traveled to Germany to continue his research regarding Porsche's history. To date, Leffingwell has interviewed more than 200 Porsche engineers, stylists, model makers, racers, and managers.
While he has tackled other subjects including John Deere tractors, Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and West Coast lighthouses, Leffingwell admits he is almost addicted to the Porsche story. In addition to his book work, he is historical editor for 000 magazine and PorschePanorama. And for the past decade he has been researching and writing an encyclopedic history of Porsche's motorsports endeavors.
Leffingwell lives near Santa Barbara, California.
Tom Loeser has worked as a Firefighter for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (now known as CAL Fire), as a graphic designer and photographer, and as chief photographer for the Long Beach Grand Prix. Since 2012 he has worked full-time as a book photographer provided images for Motorbooks titles Art of the Corvette, Art of the Mustang, Wide-Open Muscle, and Classic Motorcycles: Art of the Speed. His next book, The Art of Mopar: Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth Muscle Cars, is in production.
Since 1990, Leffingwell has authored more than 60 titles, most of them automotive-oriented. Over 30-plus years, these include a dozen Porsche titles ranging from general overviews-Porsche 75 Years: Expect the Unexpected, and The Complete Book of Porsche 911-to deeper explorations in Porsche Turbo and Porsche 911: 50 Years. During this time, he has regularly traveled to Germany to continue his research regarding Porsche's history. To date, Leffingwell has interviewed more than 200 Porsche engineers, stylists, model makers, racers, and managers.
While he has tackled other subjects including John Deere tractors, Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and West Coast lighthouses, Leffingwell admits he is almost addicted to the Porsche story. In addition to his book work, he is historical editor for 000 magazine and PorschePanorama. And for the past decade he has been researching and writing an encyclopedic history of Porsche's motorsports endeavors.
Leffingwell lives near Santa Barbara, California.
Tom Loeser has worked as a Firefighter for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (now known as CAL Fire), as a graphic designer and photographer, and as chief photographer for the Long Beach Grand Prix. Since 2012 he has worked full-time as a book photographer provided images for Motorbooks titles Art of the Corvette, Art of the Mustang, Wide-Open Muscle, and Classic Motorcycles: Art of the Speed. His next book, The Art of Mopar: Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth Muscle Cars, is in production.