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Product Details:
Author:
Karl Ludvigsen
Paperback:
128 pages
Publisher:
Iconografix, Inc.
Publication Date:
April 21, 2000
Language:
English
ISBN:
1583880186
Package Length:
10.0 inches
Package Width:
8.7 inches
Package Height:
0.5 inches
Package Weight:
0.85 pounds
Average Customer Rating:
based on 4 reviews
Description:
This book takes readers into Gasoline Alley during one of the most evocative and exciting eras in the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway-before the rear-engine Lotus took over. Karl Ludvigsen covered the Indianapolis 500 in 1956 and the Monza 500 in 1958. From his photo archives comes this panorama of the fabulous front-engine 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 Offenhausers. Stunningly sharp photography shows the cars, their engines, and their designs in amazing detail.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Review:
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Indy Cars of the 1950'sMar 09, 2007 Good B/W photo's, but little depth on the subject of the cars or drivers!
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Needs a reprint...Aug 19, 2005 The Ludvigsen Indy Car series is a wonderful collection of photos with interesting commentary covering Indy Cars of the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. Indy Cars of the 50's was the first volume published, and went for $19.95 retail; the other volumes went for $24.95. Why more? Because the other volumes were printed on glossy stock, making the pictures gorgeous and crystal clear. This first volume is printed on plain paper stock, so the pictures are fuzzy, and the paper isn't as opaque, allowing "see-through" of the picture on the opposite side of the page. I'd gladly pay the extra $5 for a reprint on the same high-quality stock as the other books in this series!
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
OBJECTIVE COMMENTSDec 22, 2000 ALTHOUGH KARL'S NEW BOOK DOESN'T POSSESS A WEALTH OF INFORMATION IN PROSE, IMAGERY IS ALWAYS HELPFUL TO A SERIOUS HISTORIAN OR RESTORER WHO HAS NEVER EXPERIENCED THESE VEHICLES 'FIRST HAND'. HE HAS TAKEN THE OLD ADAGE, "A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS!" TO NEW HEIGHTS. ANY NEW UNPUBLISHED PHOTOGRAPHS - THESE ARE PUBLISHED FOR THE FIRST TIME AS I UNDERSTAND IT - OF ANY SUBJECT OF INTEREST TO AN AUDIENCE BEARS SCRUTINY FOR DETAILS, POSSIBLY NEVER BEFORE UNCOVERED BY IMAGERY. THESE CARS ARE EXCEEDINGLY RARE AND QUITE UNIQUE IN THE WAY THEY ADDRESSED THE TASK OF GOING FAST AT THE SPEEDWAY AND OTHER OVAL TRACKS THEY PERFORMED ON. THE CRAFTSMANSHIP ON THESE MACHINES EXHIBITED FLAWLESS QUALITY IN THE ATTENTION TO DETAIL WITH WHICH THEY WERE EXECUTED. THEY WERE 'WORKS OF THE ART' IN MACHINED BILLET AND HAND-FORMED SHEET METAL. I HOPE FOR KARL'S SAKE, THERE IS ENOUGH INTEREST IN THE SUBJECT MATTER TO JUSTIFY THIS BOOKS UTILITY IN THIS NEW MELLENIUM. I ENCOURAGE ALL WITH AN INTEREST IN INDY ROADSTERS OF THIS ERA TO ENJOY KARL'S BOOK FOR WHAT IT IS AND NOT WHAT SOME THINK IT SHOULD BE!
14 of 15 found the following review helpful:
Lacks contentApr 20, 2000 Indy Cars of the 1950's is disappointing. Nice pictures, but the captions do not really capture the flavor of the period. Technical data is nil, consisting of two pages at the very front of the book. The book unabashedly is tilted towards the products of Frank Kurtis, but contains no anecdotal information, technical discussions, or the like to flesh out the author's admiration. You can read the entire book in a 15 minute sitting. Quite disappointing - Joe Scalzo's book Indianapolis Roadsters 1952-64 is much better resource for this period of Indianapolis 500 history.
based on 4 reviews
