SWAT HQ
Automotive Combat Media Checklist


Posted February 01, 1998
Updated April 30, 2017


The designers would like to acknowledge this game's debt to all of the battling autos of science fiction and spy literature. If you like this game, you ought to look at Harlan Ellison's "Along the Scenic Route," Alan Dean Foster's "Why Johnny Can't Speed" (source of the "Drive Offensively" motto), Roger Zelazny's "Damnation Alley," "Devil Car," and "Last of the Wild Ones," the films "Duel," "Mad Max," and "Death Race 2000," and every James Bond ever made.

Introduction to Plastic Bag Car Wars and Pocket Box Car Wars
Steve Jackson Games, 1981-1983



This page was inspired by the introduction above. This list of short stories, books, comic books, movies and television shows featuring automotive combat was originally printed in High Velocity Duelling Magazine in 1997. Most of the books listed on this page are out of print. Used bookstores and sellers of used books on the Internet are the best sources of these hard-to-find titles.

Fans of automotive combat media are encouraged to send titles of books, stories, movies and television shows for addition to this page to Michael P. Owen, the SWAT Webmaster.


Books: Anthologies


Car Sinister
Editors: Robert Silverberg, Martin Harry Greenberg, and Joseph D. Olander
Publisher: Avon (January 1, 1979)
 
Devil Car
Roger Zelazny		 Station HR972
Kenneth Bulmer		 Car Sinister
Gene Wolfe		 Wheels
Robert Thurston
Vampire, Ltd.
Josef Nesvadba		 A Day on Death Highway
Chandler Elliott		 Interurban Queen
R.A. Lafferty		 Sedan Deville
Barry N. Malzberg
A Plague of Cars
Leonard Tushnet		 The Greatest Car in the World
Harry Harrison		 Waves of Ecology
Leonard Tushnet		 Romance in a 21st Century Used Car Lot
Robert F. Young
Auto da Fe
Roger Zelazny		 The Roads, the Roads, the Beautiful Roads
Avram Davidson		 The Mary Celeste Move
Frank Herbert		 East Wind, West Wind
Frank M. Robinson
Traffic Problem
William Earls		 The Exit to San Breta
George R.R. Martin		 X Marks the Pedwalk
Fritz Leiber		 Along the Scenic Route
Harlan Ellison


The Beast that Shouted Love at the Heart of the World
Author: Harlan Ellison
Publisher: Avon (January 1, 1969)
Publisher: Avon (April 1974)
Publisher: Signet; New American Edition (January 1, 1974)
Publisher: e-reads.com (August 4, 2009)

* Along the Scenic Route


Death on Wheels
Editor: Peter Haining
Publisher: Barnes & Noble Books (March 01, 2000)
ISBN: 0-7607-1923-3 [978-0-7607-1923-7]

(Thanks to Steve Jackson Games Forums User JimTullis for making SWAT aware of Death on Wheels, and listing its contents.)

* Introduction (Death on Wheels) - (1999) - essay by Peter Haining
* Trucks - (1973) - short story by Stephen King [became the movie Maximum Overdrive]
* The Dust-Cloud - (1906) - short story by E. F. Benson
* Second Chance - (1956) - short story by Jack Finney
* Used Car - (1932) - short story by H. Russell Wakefield
* Duel - (1971) - novelette by Richard Matheson [made for TV movie by Steven Spielberg]
* Who's Been Sitting in My Car? - (1976) - short story by Antonia Fraser
* Not from Detroit - (1988) - short story by Joe R. Lansdale
* Never Stop on the Motorway - (1999) - short story by Jeffrey Archer
* The Death Car - (1999) - short story by Peter Haining
* Night Court - (1953) - novelette by Mary Elizabeth Counselman
* Accident Zone - (1977) - short story by Ramsey Campbell
* The Last Run - (1982) - short story by Alan Dean Foster
* The Hitch-Hiker - (1977) - short story by Roald Dahl (variant of The Hitchhiker)
* Crash (excerpt) - (1973) - short fiction by J. G. Ballard
* The Racer - (1956) - short story by Ib Melchior [became the movie Death Race 2000]
* Along the Scenic Route - (1969) - short story by Harlan Ellison
* Auto-da-Fé - (1967) - short story by Roger Zelazny [Bullfighting vs cars]
* Violation - (1973) - short story by William F. Nolan
* Thy Blood Like Milk - (1973) - novelette by Ian Watson


With Friends Like These . . .
Author: Alan Dean Foster
Publisher: Del Rey (November 12, 1984)

* Why Johnny Can't Speed


Alfred Hitchcock Presents Stories That Scared Even Me
Editor: Alfred Hitchcock
Publisher: Random House (June 1967)

* X Marks the Pedwalk by Fritz Leiber


Route 666
Dark Future Anthology
Editor: David Pringle
Publisher: Games Workshop (August 1990)

Route 666
Jack Yeovil		 Maverick Son
Neil McIntosh
Kid Zero and Snake Eyes
Brian Craig		 Four-Minute Warning
Myles Burnham
Ghost Town
Neil Jones		 Only in the Twilight
Brian Craig
Duel Control
Myles Burnham		 Uptown Girl
William King
Thicker Than Water
Brian Craig


The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth, and Other Stories
Author: Roger Zelazny
Publisher: Avon (January 1, 1974)
Publisher: IBooks, Inc. (December 25, 2005)

* Devil Car


The Last Defender of Camelot
Author: Roger Zelazny
Publisher: Pocket (January 1, 1981)
Publisher: Avon; Bantam (1988)
Publisher: IBooks, Inc. (October 25, 2005)

* Auto da Fe
* Damnation Alley



Reel Future. The stories that inspired 16 classic science fiction movies
Editors: Forrest J. Ackerman and Jean Stine
Publisher: Barnes & Noble Books (1994)

* The Racer by Ib Melchior



Unicorn Variations
Author: Roger Zelazny
Publisher: Avon Books (April 1987)

* Last of the Wild Ones (Devil Car Part 2)


Magazines - Short Stories


Analog Magazine: Science Fiction/Science Fact Volume 56
Publisher: Davis Publications
Publication Date: December 1986

* The Year the Indy Died by P.M. Fergusson


Omni Magazine Volume 3, Number 6
Publisher: Omni Magazines
Publication Date: March 1981

* Last of the Wild Ones (Devil Car Part 2) by Roger Zelazny


Warlock Magazine Vol. 1, No. 2
Publisher: Games Workshop
Publication Date: 1984
Reprinted in CWIN 1.07 (1998)

* Sam, Cars and the Cuckoo by Garth Nix
http://www.seanet.com/~owenmp/fiction/cuckoo.html


Books - Gamebooks - Car Wars Adventure Gamebooks


Battle Road
Car Wars Adventure Gamebook 1
Author: Steve Jackson
Publishers: TSR Hobbies and Steve Jackson Games (September 1986)


Fuel's Gold
Car Wars Adventure Gamebook 2
Authors: Steve Jackson, Creede and Sharleen Lambard
Publishers: TSR Hobbies and Steve Jackson Games (October 1986)
   

Dueltrack
Car Wars Adventure Gamebook 3
Author: Scott D. Haring
Publishers: TSR Hobbies and Steve Jackson Games (February 1987)


Badlands Run
Car Wars Adventure Gamebook 4
Authors: Creede and Sharleen Lambard
Publishers: TSR Hobbies and Steve Jackson Games (September 1987)
   

Green Circle Blues
Car Wars Adventure Gamebook 5
Author: Scott D. Haring
Publishers: TSR and Steve Jackson Games (September 1987)
   

Mean Streets
Car Wars Adventure Gamebook 6
Author: W.G. Armintrout
Publishers: TSR and Steve Jackson Games (November 1987)
 

Books - Gamebooks - Fighting Fantasy


Official Fighting Fantasy Web Site
http://www.fightingfantasy.com


Freeway Fighter
Fighting Fantasy Adventure Gamebook 13
Author: Ian Livingstone
Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell (October 1985)
Publisher: Puffin (1985 and 1986)


Freeway Fighter Special Limited Edition
Fighting Fantasy Adventure Gamebook 23
Author: Ian Livingstone
Publisher: Wizzard Books (January 1, 2005)


Books - Gamebooks - Freeway Warrior Role-Playing Adventure Series


Highway Holocaust
Freeway Warrior 1
Author: Joe Dever
U.K. Publisher: Beaver Books (January 1, 1988)
U.S. Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group (October 1, 1989)


Slaughter Mountain Run (U.K. Title) / Mountain Run (U.S. Title)
Freeway Warrior 2
Author: Joe Dever
U.K. Publisher: Red Fox (December 8, 1988)
U.S. Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group (February 1, 1990)


The Omega Zone
Freeway Warrior 3
Author: Joe Dever
U.K. Publisher: Beaver Books (July 6, 1989)
U.S. Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group (May 1, 1990)


California Countdown
Freeway Warrior 4
Author: Joe Dever
U.K. Publisher: Red Fox (November 2, 1989)
U.S. Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group (September 1, 1990)

 
Books - Novels - Car Warriors
 

The Square Deal
Car Warriors 1
Author: David Drake
Publisher: Tor Books (September 1992 and July 15, 1993)


Double Jeopardy
Car Warriors 2
Author: Aaron Allston
Publisher: Tor Books (December 1994)


Back from Hell
Car Warriors 3
Author: Mick Farren
Publisher: Tor Science Fiction (March 15, 1999)


Books - Novels - Dark Future


Route 666
Dark Future Anthology
Editor: David Pringle
Publisher: Games Workshop (August 1990)

Route 666
Jack Yeovil		 Maverick Son
Neil McIntosh
Kid Zero and Snake Eyes
Brian Craig		 Four-Minute Warning
Myles Burnham
Ghost Town
Neil Jones		 Only in the Twilight
Brian Craig
Duel Control
Myles Burnham		 Uptown Girl
William King
Thicker Than Water
Brian Craig


Demon Download
Demon Download Cycle Book 1
Author: Jack Yeovil
Publisher: Boxtree Books (1990)


Krokodil Tears
Demon Download Cycle Book 2
Author: Jack Yeovil
Publisher: Boxtree Books (1991)


Comeback Tour
Demon Download Cycle Book 3
Author: Jack Yeovil
Publisher: Boxtree Books (1993)


Route 666
Demon Download Cycle Book 4
Author: Jack Yeovil
Publisher: Boxtree Books (1993)


Ghost Dancer
Author: Brian Craig
Publisher: Boxtree Books (1993)


Books - Novels - Dark Future - Black Flame Reprinted Editions


Demon Download
Demon Download Cycle Book 1
Author: Jack Yeovil
Publisher: Black Flame (August 18, 2005)


Krokodil Tears
Demon Download Cycle Book 2
Author: Jack Yeovil
Publisher: Black Flame (August 20, 2006)


Comeback Tour
Demon Download Cycle Book 3
Author: Jack Yeovil
Publisher: Black Flame (April 2, 2007)


Route 666
Demon Download Cycle Book 4
Author: Jack Yeovil
Publisher: Black Flame (February 27, 2006)


American Meat
Author: Stuart Moore
Publisher: Black Flame (November 18, 2005)


Reality Bites: In The Jungle No-one Can Hear You Scream (American Meat Book 2)
Author: Stuart Moore
Publisher: Black Flame (October 2, 2006)


Golgotha Run
Author: Dave Stone
Publisher: Black Flame (August 18, 2005)


Jade Dragon
Author: James Swollow
Publisher: Black Flame (May 18, 2006)


Books - Novels - Outrider


SurvivalPlus.com - Outrider Novel Series Archive
http://survivalplus.com/outrider/index.htm

 
The Outrider 1
Untitled
Author: Richard Harding
Publisher: Pinnacle Books (June 1984)


The Outrider 2
Fire and Ice
Author: Richard Harding
Publisher: Pinnacle Books (July 1984)


The Outrider 3
Blood Highway
Author: Richard Harding
Publisher: Pinnacle Books (October 1984)


The Outrider 4
Bay City Burnout
Author: Richard Harding
Publisher: Pinnacle Books (February 1985)


The Outrider 5
Built to Kill
Author: Richard Harding
Publisher: Pinnacle Books (June 1985)


Books - Novels - Other Titles


The Black Roads
Laser Books 17
Author: Joe L. Hensley
Publisher: Laser Books (1976)


Damnation Alley
Author: Roger Zelazny
Publisher: Berkley Medallion (1969)
Publisher: Berkley (1977)
Publisher: Tor Books (1984)
Publisher: I Books (February 24, 2004)


The Glass Hammer
Author: K. W. Jeter
Publisher: Roc (January 6, 1987)


Hardwired
Author: Walter Jon Williams
Publisher: Night Shade Books (December 5, 2006)


Market Forces
Author: Richard K. Morgan
Publisher: Gollancz (January 1, 2004)
Publisher: Easton Press (January 1, 2005)
Publisher: Ballantine Books (March 1, 2005)


Market Forces
Author: Richard K. Morgan
Publisher: GOLLANCZ (ORIO) (March 4, 2004)
Publisher: Ballantine Books (March 1, 2005)


On Wheels
Author: John Jakes
Publisher: Warner (1973 and 1978)


Last Year's Hero (Professional MotorCombat Series)
Author: Ian Thomas Healy
Publishers: Local Hero Press and Amazon.com (January 22, 2011)
http://www.amazon.com/Years-Professional-MotorCombat-Series-ebook/dp/B004NIFBSG


Rookie Sensation (Professional MotorCombat Series)
Author: Ian Thomas Healy
Publisher: Amazon.com (October 07, 2011)
http://www.amazon.com/Rookie-Sensation-Professional-MotorCombat-ebook/dp/B005TP7M0W


Tentacle Death Trip
Author: Jordan Krall
Publishers: Eraserhead Press and Amazon.com (April 09, 2012)
http://www.amazon.com/Tentacle-Death-Trip-Jordan-Krall/dp/1621050254


Books - Novels - Mad Max Movie Novelizations


Mad Max Movies
http://www.madmaxmovies.com

 
Mad Max
Author: Terry Kaye
Australian Publisher: Circus Books (March 1979)
Australian Publisher: QB Books (1985)


Mad Max 2
Authors: Terry Hayes, George Miller and Brian Hannant
Australian Publisher: QB Books (1982 and 1985)


Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
Authors: Terry Hayes and George Miller
Australian Publisher: QB Books (1985)


Books - Novels - Other Movie Novelizations


Batman
Author: Craig Shaw Garner
Publisher: Warner (June 1, 1989)


WaterWorld
Author: Max Allen Collins
Publisher: Boulevard (1995)
Publisher: Berkley (July 1, 1995)


Comic Books - Car Warriors


Car Warriors 1
The Mad Mex
Publisher: Epic Comics (June 1991)
 
 
Car Warriors 2
Diamonds and Steel
Publisher: Epic Comics (July 1991)

    
Car Warriors 3
The Run
Publisher: Epic Comics (August 1991)  
 

Car Warriors 4
Bloody Blacktop
Publisher: Epic Comics (September 1991)

 
Comic Books - Death Race 2020


Death Race 2020 Issue 1
Frankenstein Unchained
Publisher: Roger Corman Comics (April 1995)
 

Death Race 2020 Issue 2
Bride of Frankenstein
Publisher: Roger Corman Comics (May 1995)
    

Death Race 2020 Issue 3
Frankenstein Goes to Hollywood
Publisher: Roger Corman Comics (June 1995)


Death Race 2020 Issue 4   
Steppenwolf
Publisher: Roger Corman Comics (July 1995)


Death Race 2020 Issue 5 
Ramping
Publisher: Roger Corman Comics (August 1995)


Death Race 2020 Issue 6
Major Reservations
Publisher: Roger Corman Comics (September 1995)


Death Race 2020 Issue 7   
Dark Forces
Publisher: Roger Corman Comics (October 1995)

   
Death Race 2020 Issue 8
Love Me Tender
Publisher: Roger Corman Comics (November 1995)


Comic Books - FutureTech
  

FutureTech Issue 1
NeuWorld
Publisher: Mushroom Comics (October 1994 and February 1995)


FutureTech Issue 2   
Off-Road Assault
Publisher: Mushroom Comics (May 1995)   

 
Comic Books - Viper


Viper Issue 1
The Art Hound
Publisher: DC Comics (August 1\994)
 

Viper Issue 2
Enter the Wastelands
Publisher: DC Comics (September 1994)


Viper Issue 3
Bullets and Brushstrokes
Publisher: DC Comics (October 1994)
   

Viper Issue 4
Creator and Destroyer
Publisher: DC Comics (December 1994) 
 

Graphic Novels - WaterWorld: Children of Leviathan

 
WaterWorld: Children of Leviathan Issue 1
The Mariner Returns
Publisher: Acclaim (August 1997)


WaterWorld: Children of Leviathan Issue 2
Untitled
Publisher: Acclaim (September 1997)


WaterWorld: Children of Leviathan Issue 3
Executive Failsafe
Publisher: Acclaim (October 1997)


WaterWorld: Children of Leviathan Issue 4
Twilight of the Gods
Publisher: Acclaim (November 1997)


Movies - Automotive Combat
 

Batman (1989)
Batman Returns
Batman Forever
Batman Begins
Damnation Alley
The Dark Knight
Death Race (2008)
Death Race 2 (2011)
Death Race 3: Inferno (2013)
Death Race 2000 (1975)
Doomsday
Duel
The Gladiator (1985)
The Green Hornet (2011)
If Looks Could Kill
James Bond Movie Series
Knight Rider 2000
Knight Rider 2010
Mad Max
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome
Mad Max 4: Fury Road (In Production)
MegaForce
Speed Racer
Stripes
Tango and Cash
Warlords in the 21st Century / Battletruck
WaterWorld
xXx (2002)


Movies - Comedy


The Blues Brothers
In the Army Now
Leonard Part 6
Smokey and the Bandit
Smokey and the Bandit 2
Smokey and the Bandit 3


Movies - Horror


The Cars that Ate Paris
Christine
Maximum Overdrive
Trucks
The Wraith


Movies - Death Sports


Futuresport (1998)
Rollerball (1975)
Rollerball (2002)
The Running Man (1987)


Movies - Future Prisons


Deadlocked: Escape from Zone 13
Escape from New York
Escape from L.A.
No Escape


Movies - Dark Future


A.P.E.X.
Dune Warriors
Freejack
The Island
Island City
Race Against Time
Reign of Fire
Repo Men (2010)
RoboCop
Tank Girl


Movies - Present-Day Action


Blue Thunder
The Delta Force (1985)
The Fast and the Furious
2 Fast 2 Furious
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Fast and Furious
Fast and Furious 5 (2011)
Firefox
Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)
Ronin


Television Series


Airwolf (1984-1986)
Ark II
The Highwayman
Knight Rider (1982-1986)
Knight Rider (2008)
Street Hawk
Team Knight Rider (1997)
Viper (1994-2000)


Animated Series


Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors
M.A.S.K.
Pole Position
Speed Racer