Stretching from Ventura to Santa Maria, California, a vibrant and colorful community of hot rod clubs bloomed throughout the middle of the 20th century. Hot Rodding in Ventura County takes a look at the people, places, and, above all, the cars that made up this historic period in automotive culture. Take a look into the golden years of hot rodding through vintage images of the first national championship drag races; visit long-lost drag strips such as Goleta, Saugus, and Santa Maria; and gain access to hot rodding's paramount clubs like the Motor Monarchs, the Kustomeers, and the Pharaohs.

Stretching from Ventura to Santa Maria, California, a vibrant and colorful community of hot rod clubs bloomed throughout the middle of the 20th century. Hot Rodding in Ventura County takes a look at the people, places, and, above all, the cars that made up this historic period in automotive culture. Take a look into the golden years of hot rodding through vintage images of the first national championship drag races; visit long-lost drag strips such as Goleta, Saugus, and Santa Maria; and gain access to hot roddings paramount clubs like the Motor Monarchs, the Kustomeers, and the Pharaohs.

Ventura County has a long tradition in motor sports, and area racing enthusiasts have done it all, whether on four wheels or two, on the road or off, in a straight line or a circle, or even on the water. Ventura County Motor Sports takes you back to the vintage years of the Central Coast car and racing culture with a new set of classic photographs. Visit the forgotten racetrack known as Oxnard Speedway, check out the hot-rodding scene in Ojai during the 1950s and 1960s, and meet some of the personalities from Ventura County that made their mark in the automotive and racing world, plus get a special look at local custom cars and some great motorcycle, off-road, and drag boat action from the golden years.

California's central coast was fertile ground for hot rodding, and all motor sports in general, during the 1940s and 1950s. Hot Rodding in Santa Barbara County takes the reader back in time with a collection of remarkable photographs from the earliest days of the hot rod movement. This book includes images of the first drag strips in the country, rough-and-tumble jalopy racing, early road-racing action, and lots of great hot rods and customs. Follow local hot-rodders as they take trips to El Mirage dry lake and the world-famous salt flats at Bonneville, Utah, and visit a long-lost world as seen through photographs taken from the personal albums of people who contributed to the birth of a culture that would spread across the nation.

Any custom automotive project begins with making choices. There are choices under the hood, such as which engine will match well with a certain chassis and transmission. There are aesthetic choices, like whether to use custom or stock wheels, what paint scheme will look best, and what type of interior will be comfortable as well as eye catching. Each decision involves an investment of money and time. Often what seems plausible in the imagination fails in execution. And only after spending hours of time and thousands of dollars does it become clear that something’s not right. Street Machines: Classic, Muscle, Modern is the ideal resource for anyone looking to build a powerful and stylish modified street machine.