In 1965 Thomas Warth began a modest automotive book retail business, then known as Classic Motorbooks, in his home because he was unable to find quality car, motorcycle and racing books.

In 1973, Motorbooks began to publish auto-related books of its own, which it distributed along with those of leading publishers from around the world. In 1976, Motorbooks relocated to Osceola, Wisconsin.

Motorbooks International was created in the mid-1970s to wholesale automotive and aviation books (through its Zenith Books catalog), first to specialty bookstores and then to the book trade.

During the 1980s and 1990s, the company continued to grow, expanding its own publishing program of books and calendars, and providing the highest quality products to enthusiasts in the United States and around the world. Tom Warth sold the company to the Chronicle Publishing Company of San Francisco in 1989.

In 2000, Motorbooks was acquired by Flagship Partners, Inc. and a new phase of growth began. The publishing offices and headquarters were moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, and the publishing program further expanded.

The Quarto Group Inc. acquired Motorbooks in August 2007 and the offices were moved to Minneapolis in early 2008.