"TV" Tommy Ivo

Drag Racing's Master Showman 

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TV” Tommy Ivo started his career in the spotlight by appearing in over 30 television programs and movies in the 1950s and 1960s. A few of the more famous TV programs in which he appeared included Petticoat Junction, Margie, Lassie, The Donna Reed Show, Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best, and The Lone Ranger.As an avid drag racer, Tommy spent much of his spare time on the track. Although along acting career seemed in Tommy’s future, he had different plans. When television producers told him he had to quit drag racing for safety reasons, he quit the entertainment industry instead.   In 2005, Tommy Ivo was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame and ranked #25 among the NHRA Top 50 Drivers. Tommy Ivo continues to be an active promoter for the drag racing community and his name will forever be associated with the early days of drag racing and the group of men who helped shape the sport into the multi-billion-dollar business it is today.  

ABOUT THE BOOK: This is the official story of Ivo’s incredible life and racing career. Readers will follow “TV” Tommy as he becomes the most ambitious drag racer in the nation, building his own cars in the garage behind his Burbank home; becoming the first driver to pilot his dragsters to 170, 175, and 180 miles per hour and towing his cars to match races at small-town drag strips across the United States. Always the showman, Ivo pioneered promotional techniques that are today taken for granted. In this regard especially, his impact on the sport cannot be understated, and his legacy is detailed in this incredible bio of one of drag racing’s most irrepressible characters.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tom Cotter (author) writes regularly for Road & Track and is the author of Motorbooks’ acclaimed “automotive rescue” franchise, which includes The Cobra in the Barn (winner of a 2006 International Automotive Media Award) and its follow-ups, The Hemi in the Barn, The Vincent in the Barn, and The Corvette in the Barn. Tom also authored Motorbooks’ biography of car builder extraordinaire Dean Jeffries. He lives in Davidson, North Carolina.

ABOUT MOTORBOOKS AND QUAYSIDE PUBLISHING GROUP Motorbooks, an imprint of Quayside Publishing Group, is the world’s leading publisher of automotive, motorcycle and motorsport books for enthusiasts. For over 40 years, Motorbooks has published award-winning books by the world’s most talented authors and photographers in the subject category.    

TV Tommy Ivo, Drag Racing’s Master Showman, numbered and signed

We have developed a very cool cover for the special edition of the Tommy Ivo biography.  It is encased in a gloss black slip jacket with an image of TV Tommy and an 18-year-old Don Prudhomme sitting in the four-engine Showboat dragster.  It resembles an old television set showing a black and white image.  Sliding the book out of the jacket reveals that the image is actually embossed on the front cover.

Inside is a special plate with the book’s number (of 200 printed), as well as the signatures of TV Tommy Ivo, Dyno Don Prudhomme, and the author (me). The book is $100 plus $10 shipping.

Ordering
When ordering, let me know to whom you would like me to personalize the book.  And tell me if it’s gift, so I can include a greeting such as Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, etc.
Contact me at tomcotter@csx2490.com with questions, or send me a check (no credit cards) to: Tom Cotter, 12831 Westmoreland Farm Road, Davidson, NC 28036