Dear Andy,
> Boy, all this talk about Black Tigers brings back a flood of memories.
> Does anyone out there remember a series of books written in the mid to late
> '50's to early '60's by a fellow named Patrick O'Connor called the "Black
> Tiger" series? I am 36 years old and when I was in junior high, I was
> already sports car crazy. I found a copy of a book in the school library
> called "The Black Tiger at LeMans," published in 1958. Believe it or not,
> that one book started me on a journey into classic sports cars and racing
> that I am still on today!
I don't remember this series of books but I'm not surprised
thata book or two could change your life!
>
> The summer after I graduated from high school in 1978, I became bitten by
> the "snake" or Cobra. Having figured out rather quickly that Cobras were
> already out of my price range, I got discouraged.
I had a similar experience when they were new - as a freshman
in college I shared a parking lot with a brand new, dark blue,
skinny whitewall, wire wheel 289 that I will never forget. I
also remember a Shell Oil ad in Life magazine from 1964 showing
a guy and his girl tooling down the highway in a burgundy
Cobra, wearing ear-to-ear grins.
I was well aware of Tigers, since I saved the original Road &
Track issues with road tests of the MkI and Mk II Tigers.
I kept the Tiger flame alive by seeing a black Tiger in totally
original and well-cared for condition in the small Virginia
town where I lived from 1990-93.
When I moved in 1993 I found myself about an hour away from
Chris Williams, of B&C Auto Restoration, a Tiger and Mustang
sepcialist. One thing led to another and now I own a Carnival
Red Mark I that is my nice weather commuter and weekend car.
My wife and I now blast along the twisty back roads of Bedford
County with our own grins firmly in place. I guess the Cobra
still is an ultimate car, but with all the replicas running
around I think the Tiger is more exclusive. I don't envy any
other car owner at this point.
Dreams really can come true.
Will someone pick up the ball and run with it now?
>
> By the way, in case anyone is interested, the books that I mentioned
> previously are a series of five books entitled, "The Black Tiger," "The
> Mexican Road Race," "The Black Tiger at LeMans," "The Black Tiger at
> Bonneville," and "The Black Tiger at Indianapolis." The only one I don't
> have is "The Black Tiger at Bonneville" so if anyone has a copy they would
> like to get rid of to help me complete my set, I would be most grateful.
> They are really kids books but the way the stories are told is very real.
> As a matter of fact, in the hard bound version of "The Black Tiger at
> LeMans," the author, Patrick O'Connor, gives credit to his good friend "Ken
> Miles" for helping with the authenticity of the story.
Have you tried "Amazon.com"? It is a hugh online book store
for new and old titles. Good luck!
Tom
>
> Happy reading,
> Andy Walker
> B382001600
>
>
--
Tom Hehman, Director 540-586-8744
Bedford Public Library System 540-586-8875(FAX)
321 N. Bridge St. thehman@leo.vsla.edu
Bedford, Virginia 24523
|