The Race of Gentlemen

The book celebrates the resurrection of the legendary 1940s and 50s Hot Rodder East Coast Races. In the 1940s and 1950s, hot rodders gathered on the coasts of the USA to race and compete against each other in sprints. On the beach at Wildwood in New Jersey, the Oilers CC/MC Club has been organizing “The Race of Gentlemen” since 2011, reviving the history of the legendary East Coast Races. What looks like a cast-iron bathtub on wheels makes loud engine noises. It's a 34 Ford hot rod heading toward the beach in Wildwood, New Jersey. Instructions from the race management to the spectators and drivers can be heard from a lifeguard tower.

To take part in “The Race of Gentlemen”, TROG for short, some of them traveled from far away in an American automobile that was built before 1935. Spare or add-on parts must be from the early 1950s at the latest. The two-wheelers are all registered before 1947. “The world as an image” fascinates the artist; the shiny chrome surfaces of the cars, car racing in salt deserts or the aesthetics of everyday life in New York. Huwe fluctuates between documentary precision and surreal productions. As in his last book “World of Speed”, all photos were taken with a medium format Hasselblad camera.