The Half-Drunk Feud That Sparked a Classic Racing Rivalry
Here’s where to find a free excerpt from The Stainless Steel Carrot
A weekly newsletter by Ryan K. ZumMallen | @zoomy575m
HAPPY RACE DAY, especially to Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, who pulled up to Game 1 of his NBA Playoffs series in a pristine 100-spoke Caprice:
He scored 21 in the win, so keep doing what you’re doing Book.
THIS WEEK I’m really glad to share that a lengthy excerpt from The Stainless Steel Carrot is now available to read on The Drive — right here!
If you’ve been on the fence about buying Carrot, or reading a full book seems like too much right now, dive into the excerpt for a fun taste of what’s in the rest of the book.
The scene takes place inside a bar, on the eve of the 1972 SCAA season. Drivers John Morton and Horst Kwech discuss their rivalry over beers, and it’s just as fun as it sounds. Carrot is so unique because it takes readers behind the scenes of the racing world, and this excerpt is the perfect example. Enjoy!
WANT TO SEE more of my writing on cars? Click below to buy a signed copy of my book, Slow Car Fast. If you’ve already torn through it, visit our Bookshop.org store for a curated list of the best automotive nonfiction books out today.
Culture
WE SAW THE NEW FORD MAVERICK unveiled this week. Immediately, it sparked memories of compact pickups that once birthed vibrant cultures and fanbases.
Photoshopped Mavericks in that vein popped up right away. Hopefully we’ll see some in real life before long!
YOU MAY LOVE RACING but do you love racing this much?
I KNOW there are multiple people that stay ready to do stuff like this and it’s amazing to see it work before your eyes.
Ask A Millennial! Anthony Yoohanna, 35
ONE OF MY FAVORITE annual events here in SoCal is Toyotafest, and its return this year made me thrilled. While they kept the crowds to a limited number, so plenty of people weren’t able to go, it still drew a lot of passionate folks. Check out the event Instagram page, which is where I found Anthony and his incredible Celica GT-Four. Anyone who played video games in the 1990s will immediately recognize that paint scheme, but I’ll let him tell it. Here is an edited version of our conversation:
Toyotafest felt great and almost overwhelming. It had been quite a while since I had been to a properly organized large car show and truth be told, it was the first time I have ever entered a personal vehicle into such a show. The car drew a lot of attention and questions from nearly everyone that walked by.
To me, it is an homage to the rich and scandalous history of the ST205 GT4. Since WRC was not widely popular in the USA, what most people recognized it as was the cover car for wildly popular SEGA Rally video/arcade games as well as one of the better cars to race with in some of the early Gran Turismo video games.
My first car was a white 1997 Celica ST and told myself that one day I would own an ST205 Celica GT4 when they became legal to import. After about 18 years I found and purchased my 1994 Celica GT4 WRC Edition which is in the same white color as my first car. The car invokes great amounts of nostalgia for me and since it is one of the 2500 homologation models Toyota built in 1994 to compete in WRC Group A, it is also a rare piece of automotive history.
Aside from the occasional spirited canyon drives, I like to take it to car meets and shows of various sizes to watch people's reactions when they see that the car is right hand drive and learn that it is both turbocharged and all wheel drive.
And Finally…
THIS VIDEO MAY HAVE GOTTEN more comments and emojis than anything else I’ve shared on Instagram. I still laugh every time.
Drive hard and be safe. Black Lives Matter.
Want your event included? Shoot me a note with subject line “Race Day” at ryan@carrarabooks.com.
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