The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

"THE LAST OPEN ROAD" Audiobook Wins AARWBA Best Motorsports Book of 2019!


PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)

PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)

The American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association have named the audiobook version of Burt Levy’s cult-classic motoring novel, The Last Open Road, as the best motorsports book of 2019. It is the first time either an audiobook or a work of fiction has won that award.

The Last Open Road is a coming-of-age story about a blue-collar, 19-year-old New Jersey gas-station mechanic getting swept up in the glamorous, dangerous, upper-crust and occasionally decadent world of open-road sports car racing during the early 1950s. It was originally self-published (in July of 1994) after being turned down by mainstream fiction publishers who felt there was “no market for ‘car’ fiction.” And now, 26 years later, The Last Open Road is in its 10th hardcover printing, has earned rave reviews from both the mainstream and motoring press and is on the recommended reading lists at many high schools, colleges, libraries and book clubs. Thousands of racers, fans and classic-car buffs proudly display The Last Open Road decals on their favorite automobiles…just because they like the book so much!

For the audiobook version, author Levy re-wrote The Last Open Road in the style of a 1950s radio play and, in cooperation with Concept One Media in Downers’ Grove, Illinois, produced it using professional voice actors, amazing sound effects, period music, authentic fifties car and racing sounds and a cast of Mystery Celebrity Guest Voices in many of the supporting roles. Including ex-pat British racing champions David Hobbs and Brian Redman, American racers champions Tommy Kendall, Patrick Long, John Morton, “PD” Cunningham and Spencer Pumpelly, NASCAR Hall-of-Fame crew chief Ray Evernham, Amelia Island Concours founder and chairman Bill Warner, racing-school founder Skip Barber, IMSA president John Doonan and his son, Alex, “Cars, Yeah” podcast producer Mark Greene and many more.

The finished audiobook runs a full 20 hours, and is available in either CD set or USB flash drive formats from a variety of retailers. It has been receiving exceptional reviews everywhere.

About the author: Burt Levy has been racing and writing about it for almost fifty years. As a driver, he’s won nearly 100 races and 8 season championships in an amazing variety of cars—very few of which he’s owned—and his features and columns for Vintage Motorsport magazine have won multiple journalism awards. He’s worked as a car and motorcycle mechanic, ran a sports car shop, “Mellow Motors,” on Chicago’s north side, did a stint as an upscale car salesman (during which he had a used Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow convertible taken from him at gunpoint on a test drive!), has served regularly as a racing and high-performance driving instructor and has filled in as a P.A. color announcer at tracks like Sebring, Watkins Glen, Road America, Laguna Seca, VIR, The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, C.O.T.A., Road Atlanta and Lime Rock Park. Plus three days as a second-string stunt driver when The Blues Brothers movie was shooting in Chicago.

For more information; email thinkfast@mindspring.com or call (708) 383-7203