Dream Garages

A garage is a special place—not home, not office, not rec room. It may combine elements of all of these reference points, yet it remains unique. Dreams are born, housed, revived, and realized within the walls and beneath the rafters of an enthusiast’s garage. It is his haven from life’s broader concerns, where work is not really work, and virtually anything seems possible.

Dream Garages explores this hallowed space, where enthusiasts store and work on the objects of their passion. Some of the structures are expansive, some more modest; some are working garages, others near spotless showcases of pristine machines and mechanical artwork and memorabilia. Pervading all the garages are a love of motor vehicles and an appreciations for the structure that allow us to harbor and revive them.

Here, readers will find enthusiasts who collect, preserve, and work on sports cars, race cars, motorcycles, trucks, speed record vehicles, and related machinery and treasures. Dream Garages is not a manual on building a great garage; it’s a look at the ideas and passions that can make any garage great.

Kris Palmer is a gearhead and freelance writer whose work appears regularly in Minneapolis' Star Tribune automotive section and several enthusiast automotive magazines. Palmer contributed to MBI's highly regarded The Cobra in the Barn and authored The Fast and the Furious: The Official Car Guide. When not racing down a deadline, he logs quality garage time in the company of his modified Triumph TR6. Palmer resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Peter Egan is one of the most readable writers in the motorcycle enthusiast world. His work first appeared in Cycle World magazine in 1977, and he has been a regular fixture there ever since. Peter lives near Madison, Wisconsin with his wife, Barb, a houseful of dogs and cats, and a garage filled with motorcycles, cars, and the sound set for his garage blues band.

California-born David Gooley has been a photographer for the past 40 years. After completing studies at Los Angeles Trade Technical College for commercial photography, he worked as a photographer for industrial/commercial accounts. His credits include award-winning still photographic images for commercial and industrial subjects ranging from food, fashion, celebrities, artists and catalogue. David struck out on his own in photography and cinematography bringing his skills to bear in the subjects of motorcycling and auto racing. Once established, it was not unusual for him to have at least 30 motorsports magazine covers internationally in a single month. Working with a staff of writers David would photograph seven days a week, process the film, and market the complete package. While still residing in California, he travels the world seeking interesting automobiles and people.

Robert Genat is an accomplished author and photographer who has written 25 books for MBI Publishing. A self-proclaimed “gearhead,” Robert has restored two classic cars in the last 10 years (one of which was featured in a nationally syndicated television show), and has recently completed a chopped ’32 five-window coupe. He and his wife Robin own and operate ZoneFive Photo. Genat lives in Encinitas, California.

James Mann is one of the world’s leading car and motorcycle photographers, with more than 20 years of experience shooting for car and bike publications, the motor industry, and commerce all over the world. His work has appeared within and on the covers of more than 40 books, and has provided stunning visuals for numerous magazines, including Classic and Sportscar, where he has been on the staff for 18 years, and CAR magazine, Automobile Quarterly, Autocar, Motorsport, Automobile magazine and many many others.

Peter Vincent’s work has been featured in more than 20 galleries around the United States and has been published in The Rodder’s Journal, Hop Up, Street Rodder, and Rod & Custom. Vincent, is the author and photographer of Motorbooks’ Hot Rod: An American Original and Hot Rod: The Photography of Peter Vincent and lives in Moscow, Idaho.