It tells the story of a young mechanic from Passaic, New Jersey who becomes involved in automobile road racing during its peak in the 1950s.

The novel meanders through several real life race tracks, including Watkins Glen, Sebring, and Elkhart Lake (touching briefly on the creation of Road America near the end of The Fabulous Trashwagon) and also some real life races such as the Concourse de'Elegance at Elkhart Lake with some of the actual participants such as the three Cunningham's.

Burt Levy's ability to create vivid characters, experiencing the world of amateur motorsports for the first time, and mixing that with historical detail are among the most engaging aspects of the story.

B. S. Levy has written four sequels to The Last Open Road: Montezuma's Ferrari, The Fabulous Trashwagon, Toly's Ghost, and The 200 MPH Steamroller.

Levy weaved his fictional characters together with his knowledge and research into the worldwide racing scene of the 1950s and 60's to produce the novels.