The Last Open Road

The Last Open Road #1

by Burt S. Levy

The first book in author/racer "BS" Levy's cult-classic The Last Open Road series, it's a classic coming-of-age story as well as an entertaining and oft-hilarious history of the early days of American road racing during the early 1950s. Levy's colorful cast of characters interact with the real-life people and events of the time, and it's all seen through the eyes and mind of a good-hearted/learning-to-be street smart New Jersey gas-station mechanic named Buddy Palumbo, whom several reviewers have likened to Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye . A self-published book that made it big (now in its eleventh printing!), rave reviews everywhere, a true cult classic, and has been used in high school and college-level English Lit classes.

Genres: Fiction, Racing, Cars

354 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1994

About the author

Racing and writing about it for over 40 years

Reviews

[carl theaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really want to report that you don’t have to be a car guy or gal to love this book, but yes you should.

I can see many a spouse demanding: ‘You have to read this !’ Oh and they could get through ok, it’s told in an easy reading conversational style, it’s humorous, there’s love, well for cars, racing and yes the boyfriend-girlfriend kind.

Our hero, Buddy, turns 18 in 1952. He dreads the drudgery of following Dad to the factory, and tries his mechanical skills at much lower paying, but for him, fascinating work. At the time sports cars and sports car racing are just becoming popular in the US. No one knew how to work on the mostly British autos, and they always needed work. Neither did Buddy, but he was eager to try.

Among the various entertaining characters Buddy deals with there are also a variety of cameo appearances by historical race car drivers, aficionados, mechanics, manufacturers, patrons. It gives you that knowledgeable, somewhat smug, feeling when you know who is being name dropped, Graham Hill for example, but then I started wondering, hey who is real and who is fictional ? It was part of the fun looking up names not wanting to miss anyone.

Then there is the real main characters - the cars, MGs, Ferraris, Briggs Cunningham, and most of all Jaguars. Given that a front fender of most American cars at the time was larger than a Jaguar C type, it must have looked like a space ship going down the road.

There are the race courses, places of legend, Elkhart Lake, Watkins Glenn. It’s all a good nostalgic and insightful look into sports cars, and the racing scene in the early 50s.

Also fun to look up photos of the cars and footage, gives a real feel to this goodread.

[Ann Swaim · Rating 3 out of 5]

My husband has been asking me to read this for over a year and I finally gave it a go.

The Last Open Road is a first person, historical fiction, about a man, Buddy, who is a mechanic in the 1950′s. One day a man with a Jaguar rolls into the shop and Buddy falls in love with European cars. When he decides to learn more about Big Ed’s Jag, he gets sucked into the racing world and goes on many driving adventures.

I would describe this book as a love letter to a bygone age of racing. There are a lot of details about races, that actually happened, and the people and cars that were actually there. I didn’t get any good out of these facts, because I’m not into racing, but my husband, who grew up reading car magazines from the 50′s, loved the extra attention given to these details.

I found Buddy’s relationships with the people around him to be interesting at times, but Levy gave a lot of exposition, when each character was introduced, that was a slog to get through. It got better after we knew them, but as deep as he got with the characters (and I love characters) it wasn’t enough to outweigh the time spent on the races and cars, that I didn’t care about.

I didn’t ache to pick up and continue reading and I think most of that had to do with the drawn out descriptions of cars and races and it’s just not something I’m interested in. This is the first book in a four book series about Buddy Palumbo. I don’t plan on finishing the series.

If you love the 1950′s, cars and racing, and in depth character description, I would recommend this book.

[Alicia Prevost · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVED this book!!

It covers such an interesting time in American racing history and it made it come alive. The passion Levy managed to convey was incredible and as a huge racing fan myself, it really really captured everything that is so magical about the racing world. There were so many quotes that made me stop and go "Oh yeah, that's true." Just...so good. I honestly don't think there's enough I can say about this book.

The racing facts were dead on. His description of Watkins Glen, the town and the old track made me feel like I was there (which was nice as I didn't go this year and missed it desperately). It was such an interesting mix of racing history and fiction, I just couldn't get enough.

The story itself, for a non-racing fan is a great one of a young, blue collar kid coming of age in the 50s, post-war world and discovering what he wants out of life, who he wants it with and seeing the world. That was all handled wonderfully and while Buddy is entirely removed from the world we live in now, it was still completely relateable and you couldn't help but want to see him succeed in a world that really was way above his head.

My only complaint about this book was that it was slow moving at times, and got boggled down with technical details that would only really interest the most hardcore of gear heads.

But really, loved the book and can't wait to read the next one in the series. This is the story of the sport I desperately love and this book just entirely captures it.

Highly recommend to any racing fan, especially any fan of racing history but I think anyone who likes coming of age, Americana would like it.

(Although small warning, its written in the vinacular of the time...which while it adds a lot to the story means there's some terms that are no longer politically correct, if that sort of thing bugs you)

[John Pehle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for the first time probably twenty years ago. The good news about "The Last Open Road" is that author B.S. Levy loves his subject matter and does a solid job of giving us settings and context for Buddy Palumbo's adventures. Set in the early 1950's, we get to see Levy's fictional cast in proximity to classic sports cars at legendary (and now gone) venues. For a fan of road racing, the nostalgia factor is priceless and the historical touchstones are enticing.

The bad news is that, despite its five hundred plus pages, this book demonstrates that Levy really isn't a writer who should attempt an epic novel. I think the first bad choice was writing Buddy's story in the first person. Doing so lead Levy into the trap of using Buddy's vocal tics (Natch!) way too many times. Furthermore, Levy hammers some points a little too often, leaving you often tempted, on the second reading, to jump a paragraph ahead. Finally, there is no question that Levy intended a sequel for the gang and, in fact, I own all of them. Given the "life span" of the characters, Levy could have written a more disciplined, tighter narrative of about 300 pages without precluding his series of books that follow the growth and developments for Buddy and the rest.

When I first read "The Last Open Road", it was a four star page turner. This read brought a three star reaction--come for the cars, the action, and the nostalgia. Slog through the sometimes ham handed writing. If you like cars, I think the book is worth the read.

[R.G. Ziemer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this fictional look at open road sports car racing in the 1950's. Levy's likeable narrator is a small-town New Jersey gas station mechanic who finds himself addicted to the world of MGs, Porsches, and Jaguars - plus a whole host of hybrid cars most people have never heard of - like the Allard, fitted by master mechanics with Cadillac engines. Palumbo, the eighteen-year old mechanic is coming of age in the GOlden Age of open road racing, when colorful characters tear through courses laid through the streets of small towns from upstate New York to Southern Wisconsin.
No doubt the book had more meaning for me since I bought my copy from the author on the paddock of the race track at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, where 70 years later they still hold on to some of the traditions of the heydays of racing. Though the races are held in the controlled, much safer track with its hills and turns, visitors can on special occasions enjoy the procession of competition vehicles through the town itself, and the locals still line up along the road into town to watch and salute the drivers. Levy's colorful prose appeals to all the senses as he conjures the original scene of the placid Wisconsin town transformed by rambunctious crowds and speeding classic race cars.

[Sema · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars because it was definitely a complete story. Filled with characters. And there was a plot, where things actually moved along and the author did have purpose. I just didn’t like the story, the characters, or the plot. The writing tried to emulate language and culture from the 1950s, but it chose the lazy way that leads to demeaning and rude dialogue losing the point rather than more scholastic approaches that encourage the reader to imagine the accent and the conversations. I know they were a blue collar group, but it’s a hard sell to believe everyone was just throwing around “lard-ass” and “mean” and “gee, wiz, guy” every few lines.
Buddy’s relationships with the people around him are supposed to be seen from the eyes of a teenage boy. And that’s literally all you get. He’s written as superficial when there are opportunities for him to learn, and self-congratulatory for learning later rather than humbled by a lesson.
Note about the audiobook: the girl he is apparently in love with is played with the most stereotypical squeaky and whiny voice of a 50’s girl. And it made the entire thing worse.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a unique book written around the world of open-road sports car racing in the 1950’s. The main character, Buddy Palumbo, is a charming main character. I love how his background as a young blue-collar mechanic from Passaic, NJ is paired with the snobby, upper-crust backdrop of the elite open-road drivers and how he is respected by them because of his excellence in his craft when working on their cars. The author has a way of describing his characters so that they come to life, and what a cast of characters they were!

I’m glad the author was able to get his book published in spite of all the Manhattan publishers who felt there was “no market for ‘car’ fiction.” The author and his wife, believing in his book, took out a second mortgage on their home and published it, themselves, in 1994. It ended up receiving critical acclaim from both mainstream and motoring press, sold out two printings, got picked up by a major New York publisher and “established itself as a genuine cult classic.”

[Channin Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's one of those rare books that you keep so that you can reread it every other year. It's well written and fun to read. It helps if you are a car girl / guy, but even if your not it's still a fun read!

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read that makes me want to read more by Burt Levy. With references to a real cars, real tracks, and real racers, this was informative while being very entertaining too. It might not be great literature, but I enjoyed it immensely.

[Jake Wrobel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful read. If you’re a fan of racing and old classic cars, do yourself a favor and read this book.

[Daniel Ceán-Bermúdez Pérez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author is a motorsport enthusiast and portrays in a realistic and amusing way the atmosphere of road racing in the eastern United States in the early 1950's. An atmosphere that, in many ways, reminds me of the hillclimb and rally scene I've been involved in for many years in Spain, with a number of typical characters of which we all know some real-life examples.... from the driver with more talent than money to the one who has more means than skills, from the organiser and/or federative enthusiastic and willing to help to the annoying one who only thinks about showing off, from the participant who enjoys whatever the result to the one who only looks for the category with less competition to go home with a trophy.... all of them and some more (several real ones, like Phil Hill, John Fitch or Briggs Cunningham) cross the path of the main character, 'Buddy' Palumbo, a young mechanic from a small town who gets hooked on the world of racing while alternating his work on boring street cars with the much more interesting (and also almost always endless!) work he starts to do on sports and competition vehicles. I recommend it as well as the next ones written by B.S.Levy.

El autor es un apasionado del deporte del motor y retrata de un modo a la vez realista y divertido el ambiente de las carreras en ruta en el este de los Estados Unidos a principios de los años 50. Un ambiente que, en muchos aspectos, me recuerda al de las subidas y los rallyes en los que me llevo moviendo desde hace un montón de años, con una serie de personajes típicos de los que todos conocemos algún ejemplo en la vida real... desde el piloto con más talento que dinero al que tiene más medios que 'manos', del organizador y/o federativo entusiasta y deseoso de ayudar al fastidioso y que sólo piensa en presumir, del participante que disfruta sea cual sea el resultado al que sólo busca en que categoría hay menos competencia para volver a casa con un trofeo... todos ellos y alguno más (varios reales, como Phil Hill, John Fitch o Briggs Cunningham) se cruzan en el camino del protagonista, 'Buddy' Palumbo, un joven mecánico de un pequeño pueblo que se engancha al mundo de las carreras mientras alterna el trabajo en aburridos coches de calle con el mucho más interesante (¡y también casi siempre interminable!) que empieza a hacer en vehículos deportivos y de competición.

[Ray Hartjen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is truly for the gearhead, someone who likes cars (and should probably understand cars and how they work mechanically). If you don't know about wrenching on cars, a great deal of this book will be a tedious grind.

But, if you dig cars, particularly cars of the '40s and '50s, this book might be for you! It tells the story of Buddy, a mechanic who gets bitten by the racin' bug by getting introduced to the early days of "sportycar" racing (Jaguar, MG, Ferrari, Porsche, etc) in the United States, in about 1952 or so.

This book can be along grind. It travels the course of about 6-7 months or so, but doesn't really go anywhere, or even really ends, for that matter. No surprise that there are follow-up books.

Here's the thing, though. I'd be interested in giving the second book a go simply to read more of Buddy's story.

This book's not for everyone. But if you're interested in cars and sports car racing back in the era where it was done on public roads, this might be your thing.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly one of my favorite books ever and one I've read 5-6 times, plus listened to the delightful audiobook version too (done in the style of a 50's radio program). It's a wonderful coming-of-age tale taking place in the midst of sports car racing's rise in the US, with fictional characters interacting with the real history and real people of the time. It's most enjoyable for gearheads but fans of fiction will also enjoy.

[Jose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not much for fiction but the little I own I do have this great read on my library shelf in my home. This novel which seems more like Historical fiction since you got so much detail in the story to real life such as Briggs Cunningham (cool artwork on this cover I have st Martin's press edition), Jaguar C-Type, Allard Cadillac and so on. The characters seem pretty original and true to the period. Good storytelling, Good action.

[Christian Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool to hear all the voices I know from motorsport for sure.

The story was fun, a bit further back than I knew much about motorsport, so cool to hear about the late 50's in that way, the book itself was a bit simple though.

[Kacper]

really fire

[Christopher Hachet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little ponderous at times, but great character, love the vintage sports car action.

[Burt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for the car lover! My brother got me a signed copy for Christmas... a fun read!

[James McKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book about the origins of sports car racing.

[Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book and start of a series for anyone interested in early 1950s automotive racing, particularly European cars. Great story and fun characters.

[Liberman Alexandre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente

[Jeff Nadeau · Rating 2 out of 5]

To my knowledge there is no other novel about midcentury sportscar racing, and this book covers the subject matter with love, detail, and authenticity. I'll probably read the rest of the series just for these reasons. But gee whiz the narration in the voice of a New Jersey teenager does get, like, ya know, tiresome, and pretty much every character is a one-note caricature. Maybe the weak characterization is because of the main character/narrator's limited perspective, but that's kind of a self-defeating authorial choice.

[Austin A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This past semester in Cyber English, we were given the task to find a new book for independent reading. We would be using these books to discuss different aspects among book clubs. I chose The Last Open Road by Burt Levy. This book is my new personal favorite, because of the way the author uses the content and how it is constructed. The book is the start of a series and is like no other. In this book, I don’t see a very apparent problem and the climax is at the very end. The entire book is a lead-up to its sequel Montezuma’s Ferrari. The only book that I could compare to it is The Art Of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein, based off of the content of sports car racing. Levy’s book is written in a conversational-like first-person with the protagonist, Buddy. Levy uses a variety of first-person questions, however, the most common is “... you know” Loc 7403. These really help me feel like I am a part of the book, like the author is trying to bring you, the reader, into the book itself. The other characters in the novel really help make the book interesting by adding excitement of racing and surprises with what happens to them while trying it out. Throughout the book, there is no apparent conflict with Buddy, the only conflict that I find in the book is the repetitive damaging of his clients cars from attempting to be competitive in racing. Through reading, I felt that the conflict helped bring in new aspects of the book with different issues and conflict with other characters. I find the climax of the book right at the end, when Buddy is at an end-of-year party at one of his client’s business. When he is there, he asks one of the most important questions of his life. Through helping and maintaining and caring for their cars, he has developed a sort of friendship with them. This book is fictional and it helps show that anything can happen no matter what. I find that to be the Big Picture of the novel and how you can’t live too far into the future, you just have to live with whatever road life takes you on at that very moment. Levy uses unexpected turns of events to show how apparent the Big Picture is, even in real life. One of the biggest ones is the climax of the book, right at the very end “And that is when I heard myself propose marriage to Miss Julie Finzio...” Loc 7406. This theme is very apparent in life for everyone today, not knowing what might happen next just helps make it interesting. I award this book 5 stars because of the way that Levy uses conversational first-person to bring the reader into the book, and for how correct everything appears to be for the time.

[Eric B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Burt Levy did a magnificent job with this book. The Last Open Road was a book that I had no problem sitting down and reading. It takes place in the 1950's during the peak of road racing. It is portrayed through the eyes of a young mechanic that is just out of high school. Reading this book I feel brings you back in time and makes you appreciate the roots of racing and where it all began. Buddy Palumbo, the main character goes through a journey that starts off as a gas station mechanic and turns into a race mechanic by the end. He leads you through a life that is full of constant excitement and adventure; there is not a time where I was not intrigued by this book. Levy goes into great detail along his journey, so much detail in fact that I feel in some cases the reader might lose interest. An example of this is the race at Elkhart Lake. Burt goes into so much detail about the city and the roads it is truly remarkable. It was one part that I actually enjoyed because Elkhart Lake is a city that I enjoy visiting, but for the reader that is not all that interested in those details it could be very monotonous.Burt also goes into tremendous detail with the cars and all of the mechanic work that is involved with them. I feel this is another aspect of the book that I loved and anyone that would have interest in this book would as well. This book really brings you into the world of racing, especially the roots and I feel Burt wanted us to take that away and appreciate the roots of racing. He wrote it in a time period that many could connect. Either you experienced this time period or at least have connections to it or you are a young reader and get a sense of what racing was in the beginning and how it evolved into what it is today. As a person that enjoys racing and the atmosphere that it provides I was impressed by this book and would recommend it to anyone that has even the slightest amount of interest in racing and motorsports.

[George Rey · Rating 4 out of 5]

- First ever racing book I read as a motor sport fan. Never felt like it dragged on or wanted to put down. I believe I found my genre and what keeps me turning the page!

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had been going to road races (CART, Champ Car, Trans Am, ALMS, etc.) at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for years, where I first heard about this book. I love open-wheel racing almost as much as I love reading, but I never thought the two interests would merge - until I read this book. I loved it! Well written, fast-paced conversational style. Will appeal to car lovers, race fans, and anyone (okay, probably mostly men!) who loves a good story. As soon as you finish this, you will be looking for the sequel, and you will find yourself watching the Barret-Jackson Automobile Auctions on Speed Channel, and fantasizing... I promptly bought five copies of this book and gave them out to friends of mine that I knew would appreciate it, but might not otherwise pick it up. That is something I have never done before or since!

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that has just about worked its way into family mythology, as both my brother and my dad are car guys and very into auto racing. This is how I ended up reading it.

The book is written in a very conversational 1st person. At times it seems like the author is laying it on a bit thick in trying to make it sound suitably folksy, but there's an interesting story to it that let me overlook some of that. It was nice to read something that was way outside what I would normally gravitate towards.

[Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This tale covers the early 1950's sports car racing and makes the reading enjoyable because of the humorous way it is written. However, the humor aside, the author does a great job of recreating the sports car racing atmosphere at that time and he is obviously very knowledgeable regarding both automobiles and their mechanics. As a former MG-TD, MGA, and 356 Porsche owner this book brought back very fond memories.

[Jose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not much for fiction but the little I own I do have this great read on my library shelf in my home. This novel which seems more like Historical fiction since you got so much detail in the story to real life such as Briggs Cunningham (cool artwork on this cover I have st Martin's press edition), Jaguar C-Type, Allard Cadillac and so on. The characters seem pretty original and true to the period. Good storytelling, Good action.

[Phyllis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I am married to a gear-head, I generally don't pick up books about cars. B.S. Levy's books are, well, different. Better. More fun.Readable tales of an ordinary guy who just has to race cars.
This is the first in the series, and I have read the entire series. Fun books!