Muscle cars continue to be the hot tickets on the American car collecting scene. Here are three new books to fuel your interest and guide your way.

Last week three new titles from CarTech, Inc. arrived at the doorstep of Mac’s Motor CIty Garage, instantly putting MCG well behind in his reviewing responsibilities. In an effort to catch up and keep up, we’ll try to tackle all three in one swing. The three worthy volumes, all related to the muscle car era:

+   COPO Camaro, Chevelle & Nova: Chevrolet’s Ultimate Muscle Cars by Matt Avery; hardcover, 204 pages, 10 x 0.5 x 10 inches, Cartech $44.95  In General Motors lore, COPO stands for Central Office Production Order, the back-door process that created many of the hottest muscle cars of the era. This is a deep-drilling treatise on the subject that starts with Don Yenko’s Corvair Stingers and includes the infamous 1969 ZL1 Camaro. 

+   The Definitive Pontiac GTO Guide:1964-1967 by David Bonaskiewich; paperback, 192 pages, 8.5 x 0.5 x 11 inches; Cartech $36.95  Here, Pontiac expert David Bonaskiewich keys in on the first-generation ’64-’67 GTO, with a detail-oriented  approach to options, features, color codes, and so on. It’s a very thorough look at the car that that launched the muscle era. 

+   Mustang by Design: Gale Halderman and the Creation of Ford’s Iconic Pony Car by James Dinsmore and James Halderman; hardcover, 192 pages, 8.5 x 0.5 x 11 inches; Cartech $42.95. True: The original Mustang was indeed a pony car, not a muscle car per se, but it was available with muscle car powertrains and became a key element of the muscle car era. This book tells the Mustang story from a fresh and interesting perspective, that of Ford stylist and design manager Gale Halderman.

These three books aren’t perfect. Nitpickers and flyspeckers can find fault with the grammatical lapses, a few facts, and some editing choices. (For example, in the Mustang book, famed designer Vince Gardner somehow becomes Bill Gardner.) But believe us, we know as well as anyone how these misteaks mistakes make it into print. Bottom line: If you’re interested in these three areas in car biz history, individually or as a whole, you’ll definitely want these books on your shelves. All are available directly from CarTech, from mega-retailer Amazon.com, or at your favorite bookseller.