Bøger udgivet af Octane Press

Color your way through Caterpillar(R) design history with 36 beautiful drawings of your favorite machines. Pulled from archival materials and design concepts of real and imagined machines, this coloring book traces the evolution of early, powerful crawlers to futuristic earth movers invented to shape the landscape of this planet and beyond. With these highly detailed designs, coloring enthusiasts young and old can explore the mechanics of a variety of machines like the sturdy Caterpillar Twenty, the efficient 772G Off-Highway Truck, and the versatile 301.8 Mini Excavator. Travel through space and time where sleek extraterrestrial scrapers and backhoes mine resources and prepare for pioneering colonies. This selection will satisfy the seasoned Caterpillar enthusiast as well as ignite a life-long passion in the next generation.

"Internal Fire symbolizes the explosive release of a fuel's energy. The expansive force that it generates is transformed into productive work by a machine called an internal-combustion engine. Here is the story of how the engine came to be and the creative people whose lives were so entwined with the fruits of their labors. From gunpowder to diesel engines, these early powerplants are described in a down-to-earth manner as are the factors that shaped the course of their development. Interactions from other technologies, a consequence of patents, obtainable fuels, and a growing understanding of the very nature of heat itself, are all explored. Internal Fire is not intended as a textbook, but a well-researched and readable chronicle of a mechanical servant so strongly influencing life in the 20th and now the 21st century"--

The Golden Age of Hollywood was at its height in the 1930s and the world''s best tractor salesman was captivated by the glitz and glamour. In Botts Breaks Hollywood, the third installment of the Alexander Botts and the Earthworm Tractor series, the saga continues for our hero who, always ahead of his time, sees filmmaking as the future of tractor sales. In this collection of humorous short stories, Botts earns a promotion and is eager to share his enthusiasm for crawler tractors on the silver screen where his outrageous antics and blunders collide to capture the perfect shot! Alexander Botts was created in 1927 by author William Hazlett Upson, and the stories are based on Upson''s work as a factory assembler and sales demonstrator for the Caterpillar Tractor Company. For almost half a century, Botts was beloved by The Saturday Evening Post readers in more than 100 short stories. This book includes the original illustrations that appeared with the stories and is part of a series that will be the first to present the collection in its entirety.

Finding the Groove features enlightening interviews with 27 leading drivers of the 1970s. From NASCAR and Indy all the way to drag and street racing, author Hal Higdon explores American racing in all its forms. In each chapter, Higdon asks the drivers: "How do you go fast around a racetrack?" Find out how "The King" Richard Petty has collected a record number of poles and top ten finishes and how Mario Andretti's mastery over the "groove" made him one of the sport's most legendary drivers. Learn from Mark Donohue, Al and Bobby Unser, Bobby Allison, Don "the Snake" Prudhomme, and others on where to pinpoint that sweet spot on the track in this throwback edition of Finding the Groove.

The Adventure of a Lifetime Obsessions Die Hard is the story of Ed Culberson''s determination to fulfill his dream. As a teenager he was fascinated with the Pan-American Highway System, which runs the length of North and South America. In his early forties, he acquired another passion--motorcycling. It was only natural that he would merge the two. Culberson, then a retired U.S. Army officer, wanted to ride his motorcycle along the Pan-American Highway''s entire route between Alaska and Argentina. However, in the Darién region of eastern Panama and western Colombia the road is broken by an 80-mile gap filled with jungles, rain forests, rivers, and swamps, forcing travelers to detour around it by boat or plane. The area is so inhospitable and unexplored that a myth about its impenetrability has evolved over the centuries, and a curse aimed at Darién trespassers shrouds the region. But the Darién Gap, known as el tapón del Darién--the Stopper--didn''t dim Culberson''s dream. It became his obsession. In the face of staggering obstacles, Culberson suffers failure before meeting success, encountering killer bees, arrest by a corrupt law officer, cycling injuries, and back-breaking labor to get himself and "Amigo," his motorcycle, through the torturous jungles and swamps. He also encounters strangers who become friends, including Cuna Indians who guide him and share his triumphs. A story of one man''s struggle with his own obsession, this is an amazing tale of human endurance and perseverance. All royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to ALS of Texas.

The world''s best tractor salesman is back in this second installment of Alexander Botts and the Earthworm Tractor. In this series of humorous short stories, Botts and his new bride travel to Europe on a special assignment to bring the solid, American-made machines to the Old World! Nicknamed "Gadget" because of her usefulness, Mrs. Botts proves to be as resourceful as her husband in cleverly closing deals in ancient cities previously thought to have no market for crawler tractors. Alexander Botts was created in 1927 by author William Hazlett Upson, and the stories are based on Upson''s work as a factory assembler and sales demonstrator for the Caterpillar Tractor Company. For almost half a century, Botts was beloved by Saturday Evening Post readers in more than 100 short stories. This book includes the original illustrations that appeared with the stories in The Saturday Evening Post, and is part of a series that will be the first to present the entire collection. Alexander Botts and his Earthworm Tractor will charm readers young and old and entertain with innocent mayhem, timeless humor, and twists of fate.

Spend a tumultuous week behind the scenes with Kenny Wallace and the Square D team as their independently funded team fights to compete with the best of the best in the 1990s, the golden era of NASCAR racing. This rambunctious tour takes you into the driver''s seat, the cocktail parties, the race shop, the broadcast booth, and beyond, providing a look at the sport during the height of NASCAR popularity.As Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Jarrett and other legends fight for the championship, Kenny Wallace and the Square D team''s battles to qualify and stay relevant in an era when a spot in Sunday''s show was hotly contested and not guranteed. Author Scott Huler spent months with the team so he could chronicle how stock car racing works through the window of the 1997 races at Martinsville and Charlotte Motor Speedway. The result is a dramatic read that offers insight on the inner workings of NASCAR team, from tire and gas strategy to engineering, car set up, and the fine points of a fabulous pit stop. Throughout the book, the author captures Wallace''s fiery discourse and passionate personality, and takes the reader into all corners of NASCAR racing, from tech inspections and RVs in the infield to cocktail parties and banging fenders on the track. In A Little Bit Sideways, author Scott Huler goes over the wall and does for NASCAR what Roger Angell did for baseball, David Foster Wallace did for tennis, and Hunter S. Thompson did for the Kentucky Derby-capture the soul of the sport with gritty, honest reporting of its colorful characters and distinctive landscapes.

Welcome to the world of Alexander Botts and Earthworm Tractors, a series of humorous short stories about a bumbling salesman's trial and tribulations selling crawler tractors. His unusual sales tactics send the machines through impervious swamps, murky lakes, and high snowbanks. His schemes consistently backfire but, in the end, he never fails to close the deal! In this book, Botts talks his way into a job selling Earthworm Tractors for The Farmers' Friend Tractor Company. Alexander Botts was created in 1927 by author William Hazlett Upson, and these stories are based on Upson's brief career as a mechanic for the Caterpillar Tractor Company. For almost half a century, Botts was beloved by Saturday Evening Post readers in more than 100 short stories. This book is the first in a series and will be the only publication to present the collection in its entirety, including five Botts stories that never appeared in the Saturday Evening Post. Alexander Botts and his Earthworm Tractor will charm readers young and old and entertain with innocent mayhem, timeless humor, and twists of fate.

Beast was the nickname of a shocking new race engine unveiled for the 1994 Indianapolis 500. The massive effort to design and build it in a seemingly impossible timeframe is still hailed as one of the most herculean efforts and well-kept secrets in the history of the Indy 500. In the award-winning book, Beast, bestselling author Jade Gurss chronicles the subterfuge and debunks the myths about this legendary power plant that persist twenty years on.Gurss interviewed key players involved in the race to uncover the story of how this engine powered the Penske PC23 chassis to one of the most talked-about Indy 500 races in history. The British race-engine experts at Ilmor Engineering offer detail about the design and manufacture of the engine. Roger Penske's team reveals how the engine and car were tested and developed, and how Mercedes came to be involved in the project. The story unfolds as Roger Penske and Mario Illien and Paul Morgan of Ilmor play every card they possess to create an incredible race engine--even rare World War II fighter planes and supersonic jets roar into the heart of this high-tech tale. Drivers Al Unser Jr. of the United States and Paul Tracy of Canada provide details on the tense weeks leading up to race day. The book reaches a suspenseful climax at 240 miles per hour at the Indy 500 noone can forget.Wrapped up in the drama and intrigue are real business and motivational lessons which made Roger Penske one of the most successful businessmen in the world and that helped Ilmor and its cofounders, Mario Illien and the late Paul Morgan, design and manufacture Indy car and Formula 1 championship-winning engines. Beast is not only a must-read for sports and race fans, but a compelling narrative for those who enjoy genuine lessons in business and technology or thrilling mysteries based on actual events.

America's favorite small farm tractor is retrieved from the shed and shined up for duty in this essential guide by tractor repair expert Rachel Gingell and long-time writer Kenneth Updike. The Farmall Cub Encyclopedia is a comprehensive manual for any self-starter, at-home historian, or backyard farmer.

Starting with the turn-of-the-century visionaries who saw that four wheels and a motor could replace for the horse, this book moves swiftly through key early developments to cover the power farming movement of the latter part of the 20th Century--a time when major manufacturers lagged behind and independent builders and farmers began creating their own solutions with a pencil drawing and a welder. This raucous, heartfelt book shines a light on some of the bright minds and innovative companies which emerged from the fertile fields of America's heartland.

The complete history of an American-made motorcycle brand, with photos of and data about each model built as well as a history of the company.

Apply the strategies used by modern auto racing teams to grow your business from good to great to extraordinary! Former F1 driver and announcer Derek Daly draws on his years of experience as a race driver and trackside commentator to present a winning formula in this inspirational book.