CarTech Books
CarTech Books is a family-owned American specialty publisher founded in 1993 that produces how-to automotive titles covering engine building, restoration, parts interchange, and racing history. It sells 350+ print and digital books to hardcore car enthusiasts, mechanics, and historians through DTC e-commerce, dealers, and eBook channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersNorth Branch, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What CarTech Books does
CarTech Books (legal entity CarTech Inc.) is an American family-owned specialty book publisher founded in 1993 and headquartered in North Branch, Minnesota. The company produces how-to automotive titles targeting hardcore car enthusiasts, professional mechanics, and automotive historians, with a catalog exceeding 350 titles available in both print and digital formats. Its product lines span performance engine building, restoration, parts interchange manuals, technical diagnostics, racing histories, and biographies, organized by vehicle make (Ford, Chevrolet, Mopar, Porsche, BMW, etc.) and by interest area (LS engines, drag racing, muscle cars, truck/off-road). The portfolio is anchored by the S-A Design imprint, acquired in 1995, which includes Bill 'Grumpy' Jenkins' 1976 'The Chevrolet Racing Engine,' regarded as a foundational reference in high-performance engine design.
The company's technology footprint is conventional publishing infrastructure rather than proprietary software: a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront at cartechbooks.com, a toll-free phone order line, and digital distribution via Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble, and Google Play. A dealer/reseller program and a free annual print catalog (2026 edition) extend offline reach. There is no public API, no mobile app, and no disclosed AI/ML capability.
CarTech's business model is unit-based book sales with prices ranging from $19.95 to $124.95, with most titles priced $29-$45. Revenue is generated primarily through direct-to-consumer e-commerce, supplemented by phone orders, a dealer network, and eBook channels. The go-to-market approach combines content marketing (Tech Tips blog, email newsletter, SEO-optimized collection pages, annual catalog) with trust signals from automotive media outlets including Chevy Hardcore, Mustang 360, and Hot Rod Magazine. No funding rounds, institutional investors, or parent company structures have been disclosed; ownership remains with the founding family.
CarTech Books firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CarTech Books
- Legal name
- CarTech Inc.
- Website
- https://cartechbooks.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CarTech Books is a family-owned American specialty publisher founded in 1993 that produces how-to automotive titles covering engine building, restoration, parts interchange, and racing history. It sells 350+ print and digital books to hardcore car enthusiasts, mechanics, and historians through DTC e-commerce, dealers, and eBook channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CarTech Books industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Automotive & Transportation Magazines (MPAJAEAI)
Keywords
Where CarTech Books is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- North Branch
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
CarTech Books business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Book Sales: CarTech generates revenue through the direct sale of automotive how-to books and manuals in both print and digital formats. Products range from $19.95 to $124.95 per title, with most titles priced between $29-$45. The company also offers deals and discounts through promotional coupon codes.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard How-To Books |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | LS Engine Parts Interchange |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Drag Racing in the 1970s |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Ford Small-Block Engines |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cobra Jet Special Edition |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
CarTech Books product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CarTech Books publishes and sells automotive how-to books and technical manuals in print and digital formats for car enthusiasts. The catalog of over 350 titles covers engine rebuilding, transmission overhauls, restoration guides, parts interchange references, performance modifications, and racing histories, organized across major vehicle brands and DIY topics. Customers buy individual titles (typically $29-$45) directly from the CarTech website, by phone, or through resellers and digital bookstores.
Product overview
CarTech Books is an American family-owned publisher founded in 1993, specializing in how-to automotive titles for hardcore enthusiasts. The company offers over 350 titles available in print and digital forms, organized across several product lines: the core S-A Design line (acquired in 1995) providing performance, rebuilding, and restoration guides; Performance Series Books covering high-performance builds; Restoration Car Parts Manuals for complete vehicle restoration; Car Parts Books for Rebuilders including parts interchange manuals; In-Depth Technical Reviews on diagnostics and tuning; and Race Histories and Biographies documenting automotive racing legacy. The portfolio includes specialized collections such as LS Engine Books, Drag Racing Books, and Muscle Car Books, while also offering an annual free 2026 CarTech Catalog. Key brands covered include Chevrolet (including Camaro, Corvette), Ford (including Mustang), Mopar, Pontiac, BMW, Porsche, and many others.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- S-A Design: Performance, rebuilding, and restoration book titles acquired from Larry Schreib and Larry Atherton in 1995.
Products and services
- S-A Design Line Books The S-A Design line of how-to automotive titles covers rebuilding, restoration, and performance guides for automotive enthusiasts, acquired by CarTech in 1995 from Larry Schreib and Larry Atherton.
- Performance Series Books High-performance engine building and modification guides covering camshafts, cylinder heads, stroker builds, and forced induction systems.
- Restoration Car Parts Manuals Comprehensive restoration guides for classic and vintage automobiles, covering bodywork, upholstery, wiring, and complete frame-off restoration projects.
- Car Parts Books for Rebuilders Parts interchange manuals and rebuild guides for specific engine families including LS engines, Ford small-blocks, Mopar small-blocks, and Hemi engines.
- In-Depth Technical Reviews Technical reference materials covering engine math, blueprinting techniques, diagnostic systems, and advanced tuning methodologies.
- Race Histories and Biographies Historical automotive literature covering racing history, legendary drivers, iconic builds, and industry personalities including drag racing, NASCAR, and road racing.
- LS Engine Books Collection Dedicated collection covering GM LS-series engine rebuilding, swapping, supercharging, turbocharging, and modification techniques.
- Drag Racing Books Comprehensive coverage of drag racing history including legendary drivers, iconic cars, events, and technical evolution of quarter-mile competition.
- Muscle Car Books Historical and technical publications covering American muscle cars from various manufacturers including Chevrolet, Ford, Mopar, Pontiac, and Buick.
- 2026 CarTech Catalog Annual free downloadable automotive book catalog featuring classic car books, how-to guides, transmission, and rebuild manuals.
- LS Engine Parts Interchange: 1997-2020
- Drag Racing in the 1970s
- Ford Small-Block Engines: How to Build Max Performance
- Cobra Jet Special Edition Book
Companies that use CarTech Books
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CarTech Books technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
CarTech Books partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
CarTech Books competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Haynes Publishing: Haynes is a globally recognized publisher of step-by-step automotive and motorcycle repair manuals, with far broader model coverage than CarTech. It is a broad incumbent in the DIY repair manual category that competes with CarTech's technical guidance titles for the same DIY mechanic and restoration buyer.
- Car and Driver: Car and Driver is a leading automotive enthusiast media brand spanning print, digital, and book-adjacent content. It reaches the same enthusiast demographic as CarTech and represents a broader incumbent competing for the reader's time and wallet across automotive media.
- MotorTrend: MotorTrend is a major automotive media brand spanning magazines, digital content, and books, reaching a similar enthusiast audience. It represents a broader incumbent that competes for the same enthusiast attention and book-buying dollars, even though its core business is media rather than book publishing.
- Quarto Group: Quarto Group is the parent of Motorbooks and a large illustrated book publisher with multiple enthusiast and transportation imprints. As a scaled specialty publishing group, it competes with CarTech for retail shelf space, author talent, and direct-to-consumer enthusiast buyers.
- Chilton: Chilton is a long-established automotive repair manual brand now operated by Cengage, covering a wide range of domestic and import vehicles. It overlaps with CarTech's parts and rebuild guides at the entry-level professional and DIY mechanic end of the market.
Others
- Penguin Random House / Crown / Ten Speed Press: Large trade publishers that occasionally publish automotive and transportation titles (often via enthusiast or illustrated imprints). They are not direct competitors to CarTech's deep catalog but represent the broader publishing landscape CarTech operates within for retail placement and author deals.
- MBI Publishing / Motorbooks Imprints: MBI Publishing and related imprints (now under Quarto) publish a range of automotive and motorsport titles, often with a historical or biographical angle similar to CarTech's 'Histories' and 'Personalities' collections. They are adjacent in the specialty book supply chain, including as suppliers to common retail channels.
Direct peers
- Motorbooks: Motorbooks is an established publisher of automotive, motorcycle, and transportation books and is the most direct comparably sized competitor to CarTech. It targets the same enthusiast buyer with how-to, restoration, and history titles across similar brands and topics.
- Bentley Publishers: Bentley Publishers is a specialty technical publisher best known for Volkswagen and Audi repair and reference manuals, and has expanded into broader automotive and motorsport titles. It directly competes with CarTech in technical automotive how-to content, though with a stronger import-brand skew.
Emerging players
- Hot Rod Magazine / MotorTrend Group: Hot Rod is a long-running performance and hot rod enthusiast media brand that frequently references and reviews CarTech titles. It serves the same hobbyist customer and competes for share of attention and discretionary spend, with strong overlap on drag racing and muscle car content.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CarTech Books social profiles
Digital presenceCarTech Books financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CarTech Books leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
CarTech Books funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CarTech Books M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CarTech Books
What does CarTech Books do?
CarTech Books publishes and sells automotive how-to books and technical manuals in print and digital formats for car enthusiasts. The catalog of over 350 titles covers engine rebuilding, transmission overhauls, restoration guides, parts interchange references, performance modifications, and racing histories, organized across major vehicle brands and DIY topics. Customers buy individual titles (typically $29-$45) directly from the CarTech website, by phone, or through resellers and digital bookstores.
Is CarTech Books a public or private company?
CarTech Books is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was CarTech Books founded?
CarTech Books was founded in 1993. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CarTech Books based?
CarTech Books is headquartered in North Branch, United States, in the North America region.
How does CarTech Books make money?
One revenue line is on record: book Sales.
Who are CarTech Books's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Haynes Publishing, Car and Driver, MotorTrend, Quarto Group and Chilton. Others are Penguin Random House / Crown / Ten Speed Press and MBI Publishing / Motorbooks Imprints. Direct peers are Motorbooks and Bentley Publishers. Hot Rod Magazine / MotorTrend Group is listed as an emerging player.
Does CarTech Books have an API?
No public API is recorded for CarTech Books.
What industry is CarTech Books in?
CarTech Books's product category is Specialty Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAA, General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction), with a secondary code of MPAJAEAI, Automotive & Transportation Magazines. Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.