Hot Rods and Racing Cars #7

Speed Davis and Pete are out testing a hot rod on Valley Road when they nearly collide with a mysterious, headless driver—a murderous ghost-rodder who's been terrorizing the local roads and claiming two lives in the past month. Speed refuses to believe in ghosts and vows to unmask the so-called "Heedless Horseman" before superstitious fear turns the public against hot-rodders. When a chance discovery at a farmhouse reveals there's far more to the mystery than spectral shenanigans, Speed must use all his driving skill to bring the killer to justice on the treacherous road.

Back in 1950, the British Rover Company unveiled something radical: the world's first gas-turbine motor car, a sleek machine powered by jet-engine technology that needed no clutch or gearshift. This two-page feature follows the historic test drive at Silverstone Airport and explains how this revolutionary engine operates, hitting speeds that left the automotive world stunned. It's a fascinating look at one of the boldest automotive experiments of the postwar era.

Troy Ruttman, the young speed enthusiast from Ontario, California, dreamed of racing since childhood when the local speedway caught his eye—and at just 22, he's already proven himself a born champion across multiple racing categories. This biography follows his journey from watching others race to conquering the roadster and midget circuits, and chronicles how ambition and raw talent propelled him toward his greatest opportunity yet. In 1952, Ruttman's relentless pursuit of speed and victory earned him a place among the sport's elite competitors.

The Sebring International Grand Prix draws the world's premier sports cars for a grueling 12-hour endurance race in 1952, where a field of 32 competitors battles tropical weather, mechanical failures, and the demanding 5.2-mile circuit to claim victory. As drivers navigate treacherous conditions and cars drop out one by one through the night, a handful of contenders push toward the finish line, with the Frazer-Nash and the French Deutsch-Bonnet emerging as surprising pace setters in America's first international sports car showdown.