Search Results: Automobile from Royal Books, Inc.

N.p.: N.p., 1961. Archive of 31 vintage photographs of the final General Motors Motorama auto show, likely taken for press or publicity purposes, in San Francisco, CA in 1961. Housed in a brown paper sleeve with a manuscript pencil annotation detailing the location and year. The GM Motorama originated as a small-scale auto show in 1949 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, under its original name, Transportation Unlimited Autorama. In the ensuing years the show grew in popularity, and, in 1953, began to travel around the country under the Motorama heading, now incorporating a themed musical spectacular and revolving stage displays. In its early years the Motorama served as a showcase for the company's newest innovations, including luxury prototypes and dreamlike concept vehicles with non-standard paint finishes or fiberglass bodies, although in the last few years of the show the majority of displays presented production cars which could be purchased straight from the showroom floor. The photographs… Read More

N.p.: N.p., 1980. Archive of 133 vernacular photographs from an custom automotive upholstery shop, the "Auto Seat Cover Co.," located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, housed in acrylic photo sleeves in a photo album, circa 1961-1983. The vast majority of the photographs in the archive appear to be from the 1970s, and are predominately before and after photographs, and ornate custom automotive upholstery in acrylic, cloth, and leather, of contemporaneous vehicles as well as vehicles from the 1930s - 1950s. Also in the archive are six photographs of the company's trade show booth, circa late 1960s, four photographs of the interior of the business, circa early to mid 1960s, as well as five photographs of the flooding of the business, likely the Harrisburg flood of 1972, and three photographs of a home upholstery job, circa early 1970s. Five black and white photographs, which appear to be the earliest photographs in the archive, all have the date of "Nov 61' stamped onto the margin, and six photographs,… Read More

N.p.: N.p., 1935. Archive of 24 vernacular photographs documenting a 1935 summer road trip through the badlands of South Dakota, Idaho, and Wyoming. Each photograph with manuscript ink annotations identifying location to the margins, and manuscript pencil annotations to the verso noting locations and dates, along with the stamp of Rays photography studio in LaCrosse, WI. Captured in the archive are various natural landmarks, including Shoshone Canyon, IXL Ranch, and Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming, Bald Mountain in Idaho, and the Black Hills, Badlands, and Missouri River in South Dakota. Also included are a few photographs taken along US Route 14, one of the original US highways of 1926, an east-west route running 1,398 miles. An alternately charming and chilling collection of Depression-era travel photography in the Midwest and Mountain West. 23 photographs 4.5 x 2.17 inches, 1 photograph 3.5 x 2.75 inches. Generally Very Good plus, some with light fading and age toning.

Tooele County, UT: N.p., 1963. Archive of 163 vernacular photographs, including 145 in color and 18 in black-and-white, capturing the 1960-1963 National Speed Trials (commonly known as Speed Week) at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Housed in 17 yellow envelopes, with dates and names of racers written in manuscript ink annotation to the rectos. Offered with the archive is a brand new set of the two-volume Bonneville National Speed Trials references, covering 1949-1958 and 1959-1968, respectively. The set is new and still in shrinkwrap. In the early 1960s, wealthy California car owners began to experiment with surplus jet engines to boost the horsepower of their cars, creating distinctive, bootlegged hotrods (referred to as jet cars or jets) designed specifically for the compacted salt surface of the flats. The photographs in the archive document many early iterations of these unusual (and profoundly dangerous) vehicles, with a particular focus on racers from Southern California, including Art… Read More

Indianapolis: O'Dell and Shields Studios, 1956. Two vintage photo albums documenting Dean Van Lines Indy car team before, during, and after the Indianapolis 500 in 1955 and 1956, with legendary driver Jimmy Bryan at the helm. Several photographs stamped on the verso by the O'Dell and Shields Studios of Indianapolis, longtime contract photographers for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Dean, a California moving company magnate and noted championship car owner, began his association with Bryan in 1954, when the driver would score his first significant win, the AAA National Championship. The pair would win an astonishing 17 national championship races over the course of the next four years. The 1955 album contains 12 photographs, capturing the moments before the 500, with several views of the team performing last-minute modifications to the Kuzma-Offenhauser, better known as the Dean Van Lines #2 Special, custom-built by Eddie Kuzma for the 1955 race. Also included in the album are several action… Read More

N.p.: N.p., 1988. Archive of 120 vernacular borderless color snapshot photographs of the Detroit Grand Prix, taken in 1986, 1987, and 1988. In the summer of 1982, the US became the first country to host three World Championship Grands Prix in one season, with the older Grand Prix West races in Long Beach and Las Vegas joined by the newly established Detroit Grand Prix in Michigan, near the General Motors headquarters. The Detroit race continued to be held annually for the next six years, in spite of its growing reputation for its narrow, bumpy track (a result of the race taking place on a closed street course in downtown Detroit) and typically hot, humid weather. These factors would ultimately push FISA to declare the track unsafe, ending the circuit's affiliation with Formula One in 1988, to be replaced by the CART-sanctioned Detroit Indy Grand Prix the following year. The photographs in the archive document an attendee's perspective of the races from 1986-1988, won all three years by Brazilian… Read More

N.p.: N.p., 1950. Archive of 13 vintage single-weight vernacular photographs and 1 vintage double-weight vernacular photograph of open-wheel racing events held at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, circa 1950s. The photographs in the archive show close-ups shots of races at the Iowa State Fairgrounds' original half-mile dirt track, with the idiosyncratic vehicle designs and paint schemes of the era on full display. Also included in the archive are several photographs of the Bardahl Special #2, "The Black Deuce," a champion racing car owned by noted car collector Hector Honore Jr., with the car's second driver, Bobby Grim, behind the wheel. Open-wheel racing was first sanctioned in the US by the AAA Contest Board, who introduced the first track season national championship in 1905. The sport grew in popularity after World War II, attributable in large part to the rapid innovations in auto engineering and design throughout the 1950s. In the ensuing decade the rise of the Chevy V8 would quickly… Read More

N.p.: N.p., 1968. Archive of 48 vintage photographs of car accidents scenes in the Columbia County, New York area, from the years 1961-1965, 1966, and 1968. With the stamp of Lee's Studio in Chatham, NY on the verso of the majority of photographs, along with occasional manuscript annotations. Most photographs housed in sleeves with annotations detailing dates, locations, and occasionally noting whether or not the accident was fatal. Also included are several accident reports prepared by Lee Studios for internal use, and correspondence between Lee and law firms representing people involved in the accidents requesting copies of photographs. The 1960s saw large increases in the number of vehicle fatalities, as car ownership greatly increased over the previous decades, and out of the six years documented in the archive, 1966 and 1968 are both among the ten deadliest in US history. Photographs variously sized, with most being 10 x 8 inches. Generally Near Fine. Housed in a contemporary photo album… Read More

N.p.: N.p., 1965. Archive of 40 vernacular photographs taken at the NASCAR World 600 race on May 23, 1965 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. Eight of the photographs with manuscript annotations on the verso, identifying the date and location, as well as drivers pictured. The photographs are primarily taken at track level, and feature shots of the pit, track, and car storage areas, indicating that the photographer was likely involved as more than a spectator, as either a member of a crew, a race official, or member of the press. A close up look at stock car racing, from a time when it was very much still a regional sport. 3.5 x 3.5 inches. Very Good plus overall.

N.p.: N.p., 1970. Archive of ten vintage photographs of a full-size clay car model, which appears to be a prototype of a mid-1970s second generation Pontiac Firebird. Two photographs with manuscript touch-up work to the images, all with annotations in manuscript pencil noting catalog numbers on the verso. The photographs in the archive do not explicitly identify the model, and the car's design has no precise match to any car in the Pontiac line, although the sporty front end and wrapped rear window bear a resemblance to the updated second-generation production model Trans Am in 1975. Just visible in the background of two of the photographs are several drawn designs for the car mounted on the wall. The Trans Am was a specialty package for the Firebird, which included upgrades to handling, suspension, and horsepower, and surface modifications such as unique hoods and spoilers, fog lights, and wheels. Four generations of the package were produced between 1969 and 2002. Eight photographs 8 x 10… Read More

N.p.: N.p., 1974. Archive of 20 vintage black-and-white photographs (along with one color photo) of Central Valley, CA stock car racer Don Darling, 1972-1974. Five photographs loose, the remainder tipped onto black card stock leaves with masking tape. Occasional manuscript ink annotations to the tape, identifying the years, as well as dirt tracks in Roseville and Maryville, CA. Included are images of Darling and others drivers in action, crashed or wrecked cars, many of which appear to be a decade or more older than the photographs, and posed shots of Darling or others with vehicles, including a signed portrait. Also including is a handwritten note listing the point totals for racers on Aug. 18, 1974, showing Darling solidly in sixth place out of a field of 16. Black-and-white photographs 10 x 8 inches, color photograph 5 x 3.5 inches. About Very Good.

N.p.: N.p., 1957. Archive of 27 oversize, double weight photographs of Indy race cars, taken at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, circa 1957. Two photographs with the stamp of photographer J.O. Wilson on the verso. Each of the photographs is of a single car riding at high speed, taken at the same angle, making for great stylistic consistency within the set. 14 x 11 inches. Very slight curl to the edges, two photographs with glue stains on the verso from having been mounted. Some photographs are matte-finished (those being faded to a sepia tone), others are glossy (not faded), but all are oversize and clearly from the same archive.

San Diego: San Diego Timing Association, 1964. Archive of vintage programs, bulletins, flyers, and newspaper clippings published by and relating to the San Diego Timing Association, a foundational sanctioning organization in US drag racing. In postwar America, the return of risk-loving, unmarried ex-GIs with advanced mechanical skills and extra money to spend led to the rise in popularity of illegal street racing. Southern California racers took advantage of the growing number of abandoned military strips in the state, colloquially known as "drags," such as the Santa Ana Drags and Sweetwater Dam Navy Outlying Field. Local car clubs pressured law enforcement to allow racing on the strips, efforts which would precipitate the formation of the San Diego Timing Association. The SDTA held their first sanctioned meet at the Sweetwater Dam drag, which the members renamed Paradise Mesa, on March 11, 1951. The events drew spectators and racers from across Southern California, catching the attention of the… Read More

N.p.: N.p., 1960. Archive of 62 vernacular photographs, likely taken by an American GI stationed on a US base in postwar Germany, with 57 of those photographs depicting a fascination with Volkswagen Type 1 Beetle cars that borders on obsession. At least three different Beetles are depicted in the collection, including a myriad of artfully-shot close-up's of body damage, interiors, badges, and cars undergoing repairs. Likely shot between 1962 and 1965, as evidenced by the style of license plate found on the cars, which was in use for US military vehicles in Germany during that time. The photographer is seen in one photograph in front of a mirror that states "Portrait of a Soldier," one of a handful of non-VW related images that also include images of roadways, an office lobby, and an Audi. Full gallery of images available for viewing on request. All photos 5 x 7 inches, Very Good plus or better condition.

N.p.: N.p., 1940. Archive of 20 stunning oversized photographs of Buick auto dealerships in Minneapolis, MN, circa 1940s, all owned and operated by the W.R. Stephens Company. Each photograph mounted on board, with the stamp of photographer George Miles Ryan on the verso, and all but five with his name in manuscript pencil to the rectos of the boards, just below the lower right of each photograph. Photographs in the archive include images of the exteriors of three different dealerships, cars parked in lots, garages, showroom floors, service centers, interior spaces, including waiting areas, offices, a secretary pool, and employee cafeteria, occasionally with employees going about their day. Ryan worked primarily as a commercial photographer in the Minneapolis area, operating his own studio for roughly 40 years, and it seems likely these photographs were taken for use by the Stephens dealerships, either as artwork or for promotional material. Photographs roughly 13.5 x 10.5 inches, mounted to 16 x… Read More

N.p.: N.p., 1940. Archive of 59 photographs of automobile accident scenes or damage to vehicles in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, circa late 1930s through late 1940s. All photographs with manuscript annotations to the rectos or versos, or stamps on the verso, indicating their use in legal proceedings, and occasionally with dates or locations. Also included is a brown paper envelope with the stamp of photographer R. Werner and the District Court of Dakota County, MN regarding a hearing on May 16, 1939. Massachusetts became the first state to pass mandatory auto insurance laws in 1927, but it wouldn't be until 1956 that other states began to follow suit. However, the stamps indicate the photographs were used as evidence in civil cases, as several are stamped "plaintiff," rather than "prosecution." An interesting look at the early days of automotive liability actions, just before car ownership would skyrocket in America during the 1950s. Photographs variously sized, between 4.5 x 2.75 and 10 x… Read More

Kurtztown, PA: Automobile Quarterly, 1976. First Edition. First Edition. Oblong octavo. Publisher's buckram, gilt front board and spine title, with tipped-in plate on the front board, and automobile company emblem in blind on the rear board. Automobile Quarterly began in 1962 and is currently in publication, featuring articles and photographs on nearly every make and model, as well as biographies, art, and collectibles, and it is one of few automotive periodicals issued in hardcover. Color photographs throughout. Boards lightly rubbed and a slight spine lean, else Near Fine.

Kurtztown, PA: Automobile Quarterly, 1976. First Edition. First Edition. Oblong octavo. Publisher's buckram, gilt front board and spine title, with tipped-in plate on the front board, and automobile company emblem in blind on the rear board. Automobile Quarterly began in 1962 and is currently in publication, featuring articles and photographs on nearly every make and model, as well as biographies, art, and collectibles, and it is one of few automotive periodicals issued in hardcover. Color photographs throughout. Boards lightly rubbed and a slight spine lean, else Near Fine.

Kurtztown, PA: Automobile Quarterly, 1969. First Edition. First Edition. Oblong octavo. Publisher's buckram, gilt front board and spine title, with tipped-in plate on the front board, and automobile company emblem in blind on the rear board. Automobile Quarterly began in 1962 and is currently in publication, featuring articles and photographs on nearly every make and model, as well as biographies, art, and collectibles, and it is one of few automotive periodicals issued in hardcover. Promotional Christmas subscription postcard laid in. Color photographs throughout. Slight spine lean, else Near Fine.

Los Angeles: Paramount Pictures, 1988. Third Draft for an unproduced film. Mike is an unruly teenage boy who gets sent to a psychiatric hospital after being charged with stealing a car. Gray untitled wrappers. Title page present, dated November 4, 1988, noted as Third Draft, with credits for screenwriter Maxine Herman.125 leaves, with last page of text numbered 124. Xerographic duplication, rectos only. Pages Near Fine, wrapper Near Fine, bound internally with three gold brads.