Burt S. Levy Books In Order
Book links take you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.Publication Order of The Last Open Road Books
| The Last Open Road | (1998) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
| Montezuma's Ferrari | (1999) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
| The Fabulous Trashwagon | (2002) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
| Toly's Ghost | (2006) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Publication Order of The 200mph Steamroller Books
| The 200mph Steamroller: Red Reign | (2014) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
| The Italian Job | (2015) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
| Out of the Mist | (2021) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
| A Potside Companion | (2001) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Burt S. Levy is a published American author. He was born in Chicago, Illinois.
Levy first came into print with the release of his debut novel in 1994. The book is titled The Last Open Road. He always had dreams of becoming a novelis. His other dream was to become a race driver. It was his goal to drive some of the greatest cars on the best tracks throughout the entire world and he accomplished it.
During his school years, Burt had a number of interests. Of course two of these included driving race cars as well as literature, drama, writing, history, motorcycles, and sports cars. Like many others did of his generation, he decided to drop out of school. After that, he spent a lot of time working odd jobs in a number of different states.
Eventually, Burt decided that he was tired of living a life that involved sleeping on the floors of other peoples’ homes. He returned home and took up working for his father as part of his packaging business. He was thrilled when he was able to purchase a racing car from a local used car lot. Even though the wheels ended up fracturing off of it, this initial expensive purchase at the time sparked his obsession with racing fast cars.
Levy says that when it comes to racing, he was surprised to find that this hobby had an exception. Unlike most things that people dream about and look forward to, this was one thing that doing it in person was actually a better and superior realization and experience than you ever thought that it could be. He continued to race and work on cars that would continue to go increasingly fast but for shorter amounts of time.
Soon he was selling his cars and going on a blind date with a young lady that would become his future wife. Burt married Carol on Valentine’s Day, which happens to also be her birthday. They have been together ever since. Together they also opened up a sports car shop in Chicago on the north side called Mellow Motors. Their timing was good as the area was about to be on the up and coming trendy gentrification route.
However, the sports shop was not destined to be and the team had to abandon it after three years. Even though it was a tough time and he and his wife went through a number of challenges as well as tribulations, the author says that in the end it did strengthen his marriage and credits this time as the reason why they have lasted so many decades with each other and are still in love.
He may have left the business of fixing cars, but Burt eventually got into a similar line of work after he did not have sufficient experience to be hired as a service manager. He was told that he was positively made to be a car salesman as this was his true skill, and for a time he did that and sold cars in Chicago and did really well with it. On the Gold Coast, he was able to sell a variety of high end cars to drivers and make some money doing it.
He is still married to his wife and still has a great love of racing both modern and vintage cars. He first began writing his debut novel about racing in 1986 while sitting by the pool dealing with a serious hangover thanks to rum. Writing it would take him eight years and focuses on the story of a mechanic that finds himself sucked into the world of upper crust sports car racing.
The Last Open Road is the first full length fictional book published by author Burt S. Levy. If you loved Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas or novels that revolve around sports, this is the one for you. Read the novel that others are calling ‘hilarious’ and ‘masterful’.
This story takes place in the fifties. It was a time in America where anything seemed possible and the horizon was wide open. These were the times when open road races would take place all the time and enthusiasts would take their European sport cars and put them to the test in places like Elkhart Lake, Bridgehampton, as well as Watkins Glen.
These races would be full of action and really put the mechanics of the cars to the test. This was a time in the United States when the risk would be worth just as much as the reward in these tests of courage and risk taking ability. The danger would always be there of course, but that was also what helped to fuel all of the excitement.
This is the story of main character Buddy Palumbo. He’s been out of school now for one year and is currently making a living as a mechanic. Buddy works in New Jersey in the town of Passaic and works at Sinclair Station. At first nothing is going on, but he soon finds that he may have a passion for a few things.
The first one would be racing sports cars, and the second would be his crush, Julie Finzio. He is slowly falling in love with a girl and racing too, but which one of them will mean more to him? With a variety of lively characters included in this novel, the adventures that he gets into will end up being a handful as a young man chooses to come of age and mature into a man in America in the fifties.
What will happen in the end? Read this funny and engaging racing adventure story from Burt S. Levy for yourself to find out!
Montezuma’s Ferrari is the second in a racing series from author Burt Levy. This historical book combines the nostalgic look back at what it was like to grow up in the fifties with a story about the history of racing sports cars on the open road. This is a sequel to the Open Road so if you liked that novel, check this one out too!
Book Series In Order » Authors »
Any issues with the book list you are seeing? Or is there an author or series we don’t have? Let me know!
uattlebaumBurt, I am sitting around in Florida hiding from the coming winter and seem to pass most of my time planning bits and pieces for my LECo race car. I had a bit of a kerfuffle at Silverstone past June and was taken to Trauma center by medivac helicopter.
The standard protocol was to take an MRI to see that there is no brain bleeding, They said no bleeding but there is a tumor at the base of the skull! We checked and now being treated for mutiple myeloma. Not fun, but caught early so is very treatable.
I have just been wondering how you are coping with life and the pressure of being a most sought after author , bon vivant and magical racing driver. Not to mention the special skill you have in setting up a racecar!
Loved your book. Of an age where I remember watching one of the last Open Road races in the late ’50s at Put In Bay (Ohio), and the initial races in the early ’60s when MidOhio. It was built thanks to the efforts of Les Griebling who owned a showroom/garage for Morris Garage Products.
7/23/2023
Mr Levy
Thank you so much for spending time with my son and me yesterday at the PVGP!
You were so gracious. I could spend hours talking to you about vintage racing. As I told you, I only read the first three books and never realised you wrote 4 more plus a Potside companion!!
I am already diving into Tolys Ghost.
Your ability to write puts me in the “passenger” seat if there was one!!
Best
Michael
I finally read The Last Open Road. I was awed reading it.I beleive I was born to late.As I read the pages, I lived the book.
I always loved road racing and cars.
Well done!
When will the last book of the 200 mph steamroller trilogy be available. I have all your books and enjoyed them all. But I love Ford GTs and am quite an authority of both the car and the corporate politics. I am waiting to see your take on these subjects.
Burt, I usually see you at Road America but my health has made me miss this past year. Write the book.
Best regards, Mike Redmann
I have all of The Last Open Road series in hardback (most of them signed) but find I prefer the Kindle version. I also have them all on my Kindle. When will the latest book be available for Kindle?
By the way, I love these books. I grew up during the time period of them & recognize most of the places & the drivers. Thanks for the memories!!