Chrysler TorqueFlite A-904 and A-727 Transmissions: How to Rebuild

Ferrari 330P4, Ford GT40, Chaparral 2D, Porsche 917, Mirage M1, BMW Monti, Abarth, Alpine, Lola, Maserati, Matra, Serenissima - every one of these sports cars and prototypes is a legend today. In the Sixties, they epitomised the frontier of what was technically possible - and what at times proved not to be possible. In the quest for critical tenths of a second, engine power grew to unimagined levels while aerodynamics became the catchword with engineers inventing some formidable tricks in the wind tunnels. At the same time, tubular chassis, monocoques, bodywork and even brake discs were being created from increasingly exotic materials. The mission was to win the World and European Championships that included famous races like Le Mans and Daytona plus other racing classics at Monza, Spa and the Nurburgring as well as in mountain hill-climbs. This book delves into the details of sixty exceptional race cars of the period that tackled the World Sports Car Championship and the explosive sprints of the European Hill Climb Championship between 1965 and 1969. From the Abarth OT Sport Spider to the Porsche 917, they all reveal their stories embellished by ca. 350 by now largely unpublished photos. "Details - Legendary sports cars up close" is a declaration of love for these automotive treasures and their extreme technologies that is revealed by taking a very close look under their exotic bodies.

Until the 1950s, the land speed record (LSR) was held by a series of European gentlemen racers such as British driver John Cobb, who hit 394 miles per hour in 1947. That record held for more than a decade, until the car culture swept the U.S. Hot-rodders and drag racers built and souped up racers using car engines, piston aircraft engines and, eventually, jet engines. For this determined and dedicated group, the LSR was no longer an honor to be held by rich aristocrats with industrial backing -- it was brought stateside. In the summer of 1960, the contest moved into overdrive, with eight men contending for the record on Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats. Some men died in horrific crashes, others prudently retired, and by mid-decade only two men were left driving: Art Arfons and Craig Breedlove. By 1965, Arfons and Breedlove had walked away from some of the most spectacular wipeouts in motor sport history and pushed the record up to 400, then 500, then 600 miles per hour. Speed Duel is the fast-paced history of their rivalry. Despite the abundant heart-stopping action, Speed Duel is foremost a human drama. Says author Samuel Hawley, "It is a quintessential American tale in the tradition of The Right Stuff, except that it is not about extraordinary men doing great things in a huge government program. It's about ordinary men doing extraordinary things in their back yards."