Watch the Official Trailer for The Stainless Steel Carrot - Here
Yes, we made movie trailers for an eBook.
A weekly newsletter by Ryan K. ZumMallen | @zoomy575m
HAPPY RACE DAY, especially to the genius who strapped a 360-degree camera to the back of a vintage F1 car at Monaco. The video rules.
AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, our second title is out and going strong. The Stainless Steel Carrot, still as relevant as ever after first being published in 1973, is available for eBook download now. Click here to buy now, or find it wherever eBooks are sold.
To celebrate the release, I met up with John Morton (star of the book) and Sylvia Wilkinson (author of the book) to have them read over excerpts from TSSC. Now we’ve turned those recordings into book trailers! Check them out.
TRAILER 1 (voiced by John Morton):
TRAILER 2 (voiced by Sylvia Wilkinson):
Thank you to Sylvia and John, and to Nissan North America for the use of this footage from its documentary “Against All Odds.”
I hope you enjoy. Thanks as always for your support.
JUST A QUICK WORD on groundbreaking racer and Nürburgring legend Sabine Schmitz, who passed last month after a long battle with cancer at just 51 years old.
Tributes poured in, including one from her former Top Gear co-host Chris Harris. Stef Shrader penned a beautiful tribute at The Drive as well. There’s already a movement to dedicate a corner at The Ring in her name.
Sabine was monumental. I will forever remember watching her gleefully destroy Jeremy Clarkson’s time around The Ring while laughing her ass off behind the wheel of a van. She inspired, informed and entertained. But most of all — she drove hard and had fun doing it.
Thank you, Sabine. May you rest in peace.
Culture
SOME OF THE THINGS catching my eye lately:
Gran Turismo already sponsors the iconic Pikes Peak Hillclimb, and now it sponsors last year’s overall winner, too. The video game inked a deal with Dai Yoshihara and his Tesla Model 3 for the event this summer.
Netflix is partnering with NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace on a show about his experience in a largely-white sport. Very interested to see how this turns out.
Rejoice! Radwood is coming back to Northern California in July.
I’m just in awe of this F1 art.
One enthusiast turned his diecast car collection into a giant LGBTQ pride flag. You love to see it.
It seems like all new cars are sold in some shade of white, gray or black lately. A California dealership is turning that on its head with new Aston Martins in Easter egg colors.
Chris Perkins at Road & Track argues that many cars are too powerful, but the new Ferrari with 830 horsepower is an exception. This is essentially the antithesis to my book — but I’m willing to hear him out.
Video Reel
JUST A NOTE THAT WOMEN ENTHUSIASTS are absolutely KILLING the Instagram Reels game right now. Every time I pull up my feed it’s full of another hilarious lady showing off some serious cred. Here are a few favorites:
Racer Tiffany Kelly with a song that’s too true.
Performance driving coach Annika Carter had me rolling with this one.
Vlogger Gigi Papasavvas with a documentary about many of my friends.
JDM enthusiast @preetylit serves up a dose of reality to car guys.
Ask A Millennial! Steve Ellis, 35
I MET STEVE through his Instagram account, @GetBTW (for Get Behind The Wheel). It’s an impressive documentation of the SoCal car scene, with dedicated attention to the events, cars and people that make the culture special. Through that I also discovered his YouTube page which is also a lot of fun. I’m thrilled to chat with Steve about the car world, his work with renowned importers Top Rank and much more. Here is an edited version of our conversation.
My role at TopRank Importers is "Go-For.” I go for this, I go for that. I enjoy linking people with their dream car, as I personally know what it's like to experience these vehicles that were never sold in the US. It’s a cool experience all around.
I never set out to be a YouTuber, per se. I thought it was a great way to share my automotive experiences, adventures, and projects. I grew up in a small town in Texas, so there weren't too many cool cars around. Sharing on YouTube and Instagram, I like to think allows people who may not have access to such vehicles to live through me.
There is a disconnect between youth of today and yesterday. Getting your driver's license was like a rite of passage; now it’s been replaced with a cell phone. Cars have gotten expensive — there’s not a lot of sub-$10k cars worth getting into these days.
Then with the additional hurdle of state emissions, and regulations, the joy of building or modifying a car becomes less attractive. I always say, I don't think I would be an automotive enthusiast if I grew up in California. It’s so restrictive here.
I enjoy the personal articles. I enjoy truth from the writer about their experiences, and not necessarily playing in favor of the manufacturer. I've never been a person to be sold on a product, but the experience. Life is short, and should be lived to the fullest.
As for the type of articles I hope to create… that's hard to say, because I'm not sure what I'll encounter in the times to come, though I will do my best to embrace and reflect in my writings, my personal truth, and with the utmost focus to encourage and uplift my readers.
On Your Radar
A NUMBER OF SOCAL GROUPS are partnering to host a Stop Asian Hate car meet this weekend. Love to see the community come together.
And Finally…
APPARENTLY THERE WAS a Japanese racing game on Sega Saturn that allowed you to send in a photo with your car and then put it into the game. Watching this is so oddly captivating and wholesome.
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.
Don’t forget to follow Carrara Media on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and visit our store to order your copy of Slow Car Fast in paperback or eBook.