JACKSON BROOKS
Table of Contents
Preface 1
1. The 8C-2.3 Alfa Romeo 5
2. The Jaguars (and a Few Others) 18
3. The De Mola Bodied Alfa 30
4. The 6C-1750 Gran Turismo Con Compressore 35
5. The 250MM Ferraris 38
6. The 1959 410 Superamerica Ferrari 54
7. The Lusso Berlinetta Ferraris 60
8. The Maharajahs 2.9 Alfa Romeo 68
9. The 1922 Targa Florio Mercedes 72
10. The 1957 Gullwing Mercedes 79
11. The SSK Mercedes 84
12. The 1953 212 Inter Ferrari #0289EU 90
13. The Talbot Lagos 99
14. The Type 57 Bugatti 111
15. The 1949 Type 166 Ferrari Barchetta 120
16. The Alfa Romeo Disco Volante 128
17. The 1930 6C-1750 Alfa Romeo Zagato Spider 137
18. The 250 GT Boano Ferraris 151
19. The Fire Alfa 157
20. My Last 8C-2.3 Alfa Romeo 165
21. An Idyllic Interlude 173
22. The Nash Healy 186
23. My Packard Education 190
24. The Austin Mini Cooper S 208
25. The Twelve-Cylinder Pierce Arrow Club Brougham 214
26. The 1937 Supercharged Cord Phaeton 221
27. The 1939 Alvis Speed 25 232
28. Cars I Admired but Never Owned 244
29. Conclusion 247
Index 251
Description
A small business owner and lifelong lover of classic sports cars, Jackson Brooks began in the early 1960s to purchase, restore and enjoy a long succession of rare automotive beauties, many of which are million-dollar commodities in todays market. Not so much a collector as an enthusiast and entrepreneur, he recounts in this well-illustrated memoir how he found and selected the cars, some of which were on the verge of the scrap-heap, the process of restoring them, the challenges he confronted along the way, the ones that got away, and always the hunt for the next vehicle to spark his imagination.
The cars, primarily sporting machines, include 8C-2.3 Alfa Romeos, a Jaguar SS100, three 1953 Ferrari 250MM Barchetta racers (of 13 built), a 1922 Mercedes Targa Florio racer, a Type 57 Bugatti, a 1929 Mercedes SSK (one of 33 built), four Talbot Lagos, and a 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton among many others, with particular concentrations on Ferrari and Alfa Romeo. Often the sale of one, after restoration and use, financed the purchase of the next, and the text includes the purchase and sale prices as well as approximate present-day market values of the cars. Few people have enjoyed so much hands-on experience with so many of the worlds most desirable automobiles.
About the Author
Former business owner Jackson Brooks is retired and lives in Loveland, Colorado.
Reviews
Fascinating account of his decades as a car restorer. Each restoration challenge and his experience with each car after it was finished are covered with enthusiasm and in intriguing detail...describes each job in a way that makes its special problems vivid...any enthusiast will enjoy this marvelous bookVintage Sports Car Club
Some of his cars are, by todays standards, the very cream of the crop...possessed of an artists eye...describes a good 30 of these in detail, and many more in passing...one of the enlightened few books that recognizes the fact that not all Lucas (or Smiths) parts are created equalThe Flying Lady.
fascinating account of his decades as a car restorer. Each restoration challenge and his experience with each car after it was finished are covered with enthusiasm and in intriguing detail...describes each job in a way that makes its special problems vivid...any enthusiast will enjoy this marvelous bookVintage Sports Car Club; some of his cars are, by todays standards, the very cream of the crop...possessed of an artists eye...describes a good 30 of these in detail, and many more in passing...one of the enlightened few books that recognizes the fact that not all Lucas (or Smiths) parts are created equalThe Flying Lady.
