The Last Open Road
by Burt S. Levy
[fiction, 540 pages, Think Fast Ink, Oak Park, IL]
I just finsihed reading this splendid book (in two days!) and highly
recommend it. It's an insider's look at road racing in the fifties, through
the eyes of our narrator, Buddy Palumbo, who's somewhat naive, very young
(19), a pretty damn good mechanic, and hooked on "sporty car racing." After
starting at the neighborhood Sinclair station, it's not long before he's
working as a race mechanic at Manhattan's sole Jag and MG dealer.
While Buddy is an interesting, likable guy, it's his descriptions and
encounters with the folks you and I have all met (with our involvement with
British cars, dealers, and clubs) which are an endless source of amusement.
Mr. Levy gets it exactly right.
Perhaps the best bit is that the dorks who are occasionally lampooned won't
get it, and the rest of us get a little bit of revenge for years of putting
up with them. Marvelous!
--Roger
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