Archive for Items Categorized 'US', only excerpts shown, click title for full entry.

The Man and Car that Circled the Globe

by G. N. Schuster and J. Mahl

Forget the 1965 movie The Great Race. This book tells and shows what it was really like back in 1908, when traveling 22,000 miles in 169 days was as untried as space travel to Mars is today.

The V-8 Album

by Charles Seims et al

A compilation of facts and photographs pertaining to Fords and Mercurys and a tribute to the flathead V-8 engine that powered them for 21 years, 1932–1953.

The Fall of the Packard Motor Car Company 

by James A. Ward

Packard made a better attempt than its peers at surviving the damage done by the Depression of the 1930s, but still it was for naught. Transportation historian Ward examines the reasons.

Corvette; Legend or Myth & Zora’s Marque of Excellence

by Kenneth W. Kayser

The Corvette program began in the 1950s and you’d think by now every morsel of data has been turned over multiple times and the canon is rock solid. Well, this deep dive by a retired GM engineer offers new wrinkles—and he shows the internal docs to prove it.

Chrysler 300: America’s Most Powerful Car

by Robert Ackerson

The “banker’s hot rod” was not an ordinary car. The 300 has a deservedly proud history, which is why Chrysler keeps bringing the nameplate back. To learn how it all started check out this book.

HOT ROD Magazine: 75 Years

by Drew Hardin

Aside from, obviously, the hot rod/drag racing/muscle car theme HRM is noteworthy as a cultural phenomenon. Its success became the template for a host of other niche magazines that would build a veritable publishing empire.

Steve Magnante’s 1001 Corvette Facts

by Steve Magnante

On the lighter but by no means lightweight side of the large body of Corvette literature, this book will entertain and educate for a long while. Written by someone who is a sponge around all things automotive!

The Tom Mix Cord: Saga of a Western Film Star’s Classic Motorcar

by Bob M. White

The “King of Cowboys” was the Hollywood action hero of his day and the highest-paid actor of the silent film era. He did his own stunts so of course he loved fast cars—and this 1937 Cord is the one in which he had that fatal crash.

The Women of General Motors, A Century of Art and Engineering

by Constance A. Smith

Profiles of and interviews with female GMers in design, engineering, manufacturing, and administration. In a 2019 report, GM finished first out of 200 companies in gender equality and is the first—and still only—automaker with a female CEO.

The Ford Dealership, Volumes I, II, and III

by Henry L. Dominguez

Three volumes strong—and with two more planned—this is surely the most voluminous coverage of the subject. Ford did not only invent standardized mass production but also the system of franchised dealers. The Blue Oval’s lasting success rests on both of these.

Fin Tales: Saving Cadillac, America’s Luxury Icon

by John F. Smith

Cadillac, used to being the name in American luxury cars, once dropped back far enough to resort to inflating year-end sales reports to edge out Lincoln for the top spot, requiring an official apology from the top brass. The author was there for the soul searching and the corrective action.

Auto America, Car Culture 1950s–1970s

by Linda, Greg and Darryl Zimmerman

Despite the “car culture” part of the title, this book casts a wider net. You’ll probably be surprised by how many of the images you recognize from period magazines and advertising without knowing anything about the photographer’s whole, wide-ranging body of work.