MONTEZUMA'S FERRARI - A Book Review by Steve Purdy

MONTEZUMA'S FERRARI By BS Levy

Published by Think Fast Ink
$30 Hardbound
$9.99 E-Book
www.lastopenroad.com

A Book Review by Steve Purdy
Shunpiker Productions and
The Auto Channel, Michigan Bureau

Buddy Palumbo, a wet-behind-the-ears, 19-year-old garage mechanic at Finzio’s Sinclair in Pasaic, New Jersey fell into association with a variety of characters – and we mean real “characters” – who led him into the wild and colorful world of early sports car racing. That was the early1950s. The first episode of Buddy’s racing adventures is chronicled in Burt “BS” Levy’s wonderfully written historic novel The Last Open Road. That book has become a cult read for sports car and racing enthusiasts and it spawned a series of novels following Buddy through ever more thrilling and exotic racing adventures at famous venues while chronicling his tumultuous everyday life between races back home in New Jersey.

The charm of Levy’s series of novels is not just in the thoroughly researched details of some of the most important and famous venues in racing, the cars and the courageous drivers, but the stories include the trials and tribulations of the narrator as well. Buddy, in the course of this second book Montezuma’s Ferrari , is taking over the mechanic shop from his boss, dealing with the ups and downs of his family, his relationship with fianc� Julie while trying to keep ahead of the trials and challenges of daily life that surround him at every turn in the plot.

Montezuma’s Ferrari begins with the running of the Carrera Panamericana – a balls-to-the-wall race south-to-north across Mexico to celebrate the completion of that leg of the PanAmerican Highway. Buddy’s best customer, Big Ed Baumstein, a salvage yard mogul and sports car racing wannabe, takes Buddy on this adventure to assist with his purchase of a V12 Ferrari that will be in the race. Buddy ends up riding shotgun in the Ferrari with a crazy Mexican driver until it goes off the road in a cloud of dust as Buddy dives out of onto the road, “like a bull frog off a burning lily pad.”

Later the story moves to another new race called the 12 Hours of Sebring on an old Florida airstrip, then to Long Island’s famous Bridgehampton track. These tracks and races are real and iconic in sports car racing history. Many of the cars and drivers are real as well with details and personalities extensively fleshed out. Levy weaves all that history together with his fascinating fictional characters and situations to make one of the most fun and entertaining books I’ve read. I wasn’t sure much of the time where fiction ends and non-fiction begins, and I really didn’t care.

Levy’s casual and colloquial writing style is peppered with an endless string of creative and surprising similes and metaphors, sort of in the style of PJ O’Roarke. How he comes up with those is a mystery to me. It seems a rare talent. With few exceptions they effectively clarify and colorfully illustrate the text making the reading of this book nearly as adventurous as being at the races and meeting these people. For example in describing the concentration of one of the race drivers Buddy says, “I saw the kind of ruthless determination you usually associate with axe murderers, religious fanatics and insurance salesmen.”

While Levy’s narrator Buddy Palumbo’s humble language and style provide a certain authenticity he shows a depth of insight into personalities, psychology and relational dynamics that would do a social worker proud. He understands the egocentricities of his friends as well as he knows the nuances of a twin-cam engine. The result of all this is a fast-paced, fascinating and adventurous narrative that can appeal to more than just racing history fans – if they actually discover this book.

Montezuma’s Ferrari won the “Benjamin Franklin Book of the Year Award” from the Publishers’ Marketing Association for its groundbreaking approach to funding. Levy covered the publishing costs by selling sponsorships and advertising that appear in a special section in the middle of the book. Lest you think that might be annoying, I assure you it is not. The ads are all in one place so you can skip them if you like. But don't because they are colorful, entertaining and illustrate many of the cars, tracks and scenes in the book.

If you’re thinking about holiday gifts for your car lovers or for anyone who just loves a good story and an entertaining read, I enthusiastically recommend any of BS Levy’s books. Montezuma’s Ferrari is just one of them.