The Inextricable Case of the Gray Automobile Gang

How did organized crime and political power join forces in revolutionary Mexico?

The Gray Automobile Gang tells one of the most shocking and fascinating episodes in Mexican history: a band of thieves, protected by the highest levels of power, spread terror throughout Mexico City while the nation struggled to reinvent itself amid betrayed ideals and boundless ambition.

With a vibrant, sharp, and deeply researched narrative, Juan José Rodríguez reconstructs this extraordinary chapter where conspiracies, luxury cars, unsolved crimes, and historical figures like Emiliano Zapata, José Juan Tablada, and the men behind the Decena Trágica collide.

Amid the chaos of the Revolution — with the capital besieged by violence, shortages, and epidemics — life went on: theaters were packed, audiences cheered the first national films, and the country was unknowingly heading toward the authoritarian future that would shape its destiny.

Blending history, essay, and narrative nonfiction, Rodríguez weaves a gripping story that reveals how organized crime infiltrated the very heart of political power. A thrilling, eye-opening account that exposes the origins of modern Mexico and invites us to see our present through a new lens.