Sign-In
Cart
Auto Biography: A Classic Car, an Outlaw Motorhead, and 57 Years of the American Dream
Paperback
Technology & EngineeringAutomobilesTransportation
ISBN13: 9780062282682
Publisher: Mariner Books
Published: Mar 17 2015
Pages: 384
Weight: 0.60
Height: 0.90 Width: 5.20 Depth: 7.90
Language: English
A brilliant blend of Shop Class as Soulcraft and The Orchid Thief, Earl Swift's wise, funny, and captivating Auto Biography follows an outlaw auto dealer as he struggles to save a rusted '57 Chevy--a car that has already passed through twelve pairs of hands before his--while financial ruin, government bureaucrats and the FBI close in on him.
Slumped among hundreds of other decrepit hulks on a treeless, windswept moor in eastern North Carolina, the Chevy evokes none of the Jet Age mystique that made it the most beloved car to ever roll off an assembly line. It's open to the rain. Birds nest in its seats. Officials of the surrounding county consider it junk.
To Tommy Arney, it's anything but: It's a fossil of the twentieth-century American experience, of a place and a people utterly devoted to the automobile and changed by it in myriad ways. It's a piece of history--especially so because its flaking skin conceals a rare asset: a complete provenance, stretching back more than fifty years.
So, hassled by a growing assortment of challengers, the Chevy's thirteenth owner--an orphan, grade-school dropout and rounder, a felon arrested seventy-odd times, and a man who's been written off as a ruin himself--embarks on a mission to save the car and preserve long record of human experience it carries in its steel and upholstery.
Written for both gearheads and Sunday drivers, Auto Biography charts the shifting nature of the American Dream and our strange and abiding relationship with the automobile, through an iconic classic and an improbable, unforgettable hero.
Also in
Automobiles
100 Years of Legends: The Official Celebration of the Le Mans 24 Hours
Holtz, Julien
Davoine, Basile
Holtz, Gerard
Hardcover
The Impossible Road Trip: An Unforgettable Journey to Past and Present Roadside Attractions in All 50 States
Dregni, Eric
Hardcover
The Hardest, Longest Race: Henry Ford and the Cross-Country Contest That Changed America
Moskowitz, Eric
Hardcover
Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile
Goodyear, Sarah
Gordon, Doug
Naparstek, Aaron
Hardcover
Mechanic Shop Femme's Guide to Car Ownership: Uncomplicating Cars for All of Us
Milchtein, Chaya M.
Paperback
100 Cars That Changed the World: The Designs, Engines, and Technologies That Drive Our Imaginations
Auto Editors of Consumer Guide
Publications International Ltd
Hardcover
California DMV Driver's Handbook: Practice for the California Permit Test with 350+ Driving Questions and Answers
Prep, Discover
Paperback
Mobile Solar Power Made Easy!: Mobile 12 volt off grid solar system design and installation. RV's, Vans, Cars and boats! Do-it-yourself step by step i
Prowse, William Errol, IV
Paperback
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD) 11th Edition, December 2023 (Complete Book, Color Print) National Standards
U S Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
Paperback
The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Ind
Womack, James P.
Jones, Daniel T.
Roos, Daniel
Paperback
Driving the Green Book: A Road Trip Through the Living History of Black Resistance
Hall, Alvin
Paperback
The Race to the Future: 8,000 Miles to Paris - The Adventure That Accelerated the Twentieth Century
St Clair, Kassia
Paperback
Killed by a Traffic Engineer: Shattering the Delusion That Science Underlies Our Transportation System
Marshall, Wes
Paperback
Jeep, Dana & Chrysler Differentials: How to Rebuild the 8-1/4, 8-3/4, Dana 44 & 60 & AMC 20
Shepard, Larry
Paperback
Chevy Big-Block Engine Parts Interchange: The Ultimate Guide to Sourcing and Selecting Compatible Factory Parts
Baechtel, John
Paperback
CDL Study Guide 2025-2026: 6 Practice Tests and CDL Permit Prep Book [2nd Edition]
Hettinger, B.
Paperback
The Million-Dollar Car Detective: Inside the Worldwide Hunt for a Stolen $7 Million Car
Bonner, Stayton
Hardcover
Understanding A3 Thinking: A Critical Component of Toyota's PDCA Management System
Sobek II, Durward K.
Smalley, Art
Hardcover
The Story of Classic Cars Gift Set: A Tribute to Four Automotive Icons
Codling, Stuart
Tomalin, Peter
Smith, Luke
Hardcover
100 Most Collectible Cars: Timeless Icons of Automotive Excellence
Publications International Ltd
Hardcover
Backroads & Byways of Upstate New York: Drives, Day Trips, and Weekend Excursions
Smyczynski, Christine
Paperback
CDL: Commercial Driver's License Truck Driver's Test, Fifth Edition: Comprehensive Subject Review + Practice
Mike Byrnes and Associates
Paperback
Designing Dreams: Essays on the Inside Story of Gm, Harley Earl and America's Golden Automotive Age
Ruzzin, Dick
Hardcover
Formula 1 75 Years: At Speed with the World's Greatest Motorsport
Mann, James
Codling, Stuart
Roberts, James
Hardcover
Food Truck Business Guide for Beginners: Simple Strategic Plan to Build and Maintain a Successful Mobile Business
Durrant, Shaun M.
Paperback
Pennsylvania Driver's License Mastery: Ace Your Exam! 360 Practice Q&A (21 Full Tests) with Expert Tips and Detailed Explanations
Publishing, Autoadept
Paperback
How to Restore Ford Tractors: The Ultimate Guide to Rebuilding and Restoring N-Series and Later Tractors 1939-1962
Gaines, Tharran E.
Paperback
Formula 1: The Greatest Races: The Official Story of the Most Iconic Grand Prix Moments in F1
Richards, Giles
Hardcover
Cult of Gt-R: A True Story of Crime, Obsession and the World's Most Coveted Car
Zummallen, Ryan
Paperback
Ike's Road Trip: How Eisenhower's 1919 Convoy Paved the Way for the Roads We Travel
Black, Brian C.
Hardcover
Corvette: The Photographic History of a Legendary Sports Car
Publications International Ltd
Hardcover
Private Pilot Oral Exam Prep Handbook: A Complete Guide to FAA Checkride Preparation
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
U S Department of Transportation
Paperback
Modified Car Magazine The JDM Magazine: The World Wide Modified JDM Car Magazine
Doherty, Paul
Paperback
The Complete Book of Dodge and Plymouth Muscle Cars: Every Model from 1960 to Today
Mueller, Mike
Glatch, Tom
Hardcover
ASE Technician Test Preparation Automotive Maintenance and Light Repair (G1)
Delmar Cengage Learning
Paperback