Back in the summer of 2021, Neil Peart's extensive classic car collection - dubbed the Silver Surfers by Neil himself - was sold at Gooding & Company's 17th annual Pebble Beach Auctions. Just before the auction, it was revealed via an announcement at Rush.com that this collection of classic cars was the subject of a coffee table book that Neil Peart was working on prior to his untimely passing nearly 4 years ago:
... Neil's love of classic cars was a lifelong passion, and prior to his passing, he was extremely proud to have completed his final book titled, "Silver Surfers." The following passage from his first coffee table book explains, in his own words, how the collection name came about:
"The title Silver Surfers for my collection of cars occurred to me while driving my DB5 up and down the Pacific Ocean. Because it felt right to me, I guess - the idea that I was just one of the wave riders .... In search of natural peace, I often drove out that way and up in to the Santa Monica Mountains. Out past Malibu to Ventura County, I'd weave along barren ridges of rock and vegetation, the ocean always on one big side. The waves were slow and gentle, or churned out a powerful, rolling rhythm..."
We are happy that his wish to see this book published will be fulfilled, with a release date to be announced. This will certainly be a loving homage to the man and one of his true passions.
Since that initial announcement very little additional information has surfaced, but it now looks like the book will finally see the light of day according to this Amazon listing giving an expected release date of May 7, 2024. From the listing:
... The final piece of writing by legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart was about one of the great passions of his life-collecting cars; the joy of collecting them, and the even bigger joy of driving them. In this never-before-seen piece, finished just before his passing in 2020, Neil writes about not only his lifelong passion for cars and the open road, but about his Silver Surfers-a rare collection of the best sports cars from the 1960s.
Each image in the book, personally selected by Neil, takes you on his journey of car collecting-including a photo of him at 22 with his first car, a 1969 Lotus Europa, purchased when he was working as a parts manager at his father's farm equipment dealer; a 1948 MGTC he bought in London while on tour; and the black Ferrari car he drove while writing the songs for the seminal album Moving Pictures. And then there are his beloved Silver Surfers-seven classic 1960s sports cars, from an Aston Martin DB5 Saloon to a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, each one a gorgeous silver, except one: a black 1964 Shelby Cobra whose patina Neil loved so much he refused to change it.
Beautiful studio images showing both the interior and exterior of these extraordinary cars, as well as personal images of Neil driving them along the California coast, accompany Neil's warm, personal memories of why and how he bought the cars, the friends he made along the way, and what it was like to be behind the wheel. Neil's final work is a love letter to these cars that meant so much to him, and to the passion of the road that fueled his life.
The book also includes a foreword from Peart's wife Carrie Nuttall Peart, along with stunning photographs of Neil's car collection from her personal archives. The book is currently available for pre-order in hard cover at this location. Thanks to RushFanForever and John at Cygnus-X1.net for the heads up.
