The Illustrated Directory of American Cars


Book Description

This book charts the progress of the automobile in America from the beginning of car production, through the explosive automotive creativity of the 1950s and into the future of the automotive industry today. It highlights the work of the big three, Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors, and the smaller companies who didn't survive the 1930s and 1940s like Crosley, Packard and Studebaker.




The Illustrated Directory of American Cars


Book Description

Everything that is great about the American automobile is presented in this full color, beautifully depicted guide. It includes all of your favorite American models; Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Jeep, Lincoln, Oldsmobile, Plymouth, Pontiac, and many more. There is a car catalogued for every type of enthusiast; big cars, small cars, beautiful cars, eccentric cars, and practical cars. The auto industry was the backbone of American industry, and the product was a pristine line of American automobiles. The Illustrated Directory of American Cars is a tip-of-the-hat to the fantastic creativity and determination that has driven American car design and technology for over a century.




The Illustrated Directory of Greatest American Cars


Book Description

The Illustrated Directory series provide enthusiasts with an attractive, comprehensive hardcover reference book packed with timelines, historical facts and images designed to inform and excite. The Illustrated Directory of Greatest American Cars chronicles the greatest love story in history: the love affair between Americans and their cars. This volume tells the story of one of the true American epics, the rise of the automobile industry. Decade by decade, this book discusses 250 milestone models that exemplify the ebb and flow of style and utility. It catalogs big cars, small cars, beautiful cars, eccentric and practical cars. The beautifully formatted full-color book features ephemeral cars that were the fleeting essence of their time, alongside more durable models that have developed over decades. The Illustrated Directory of Greatest American Cars is a record of the fantastic creativity and determination that has driven American car design and technology for over a century. The story reflects American history itself over the last 105 years, and anticipates exciting models yet to be launched.




The Illustrated Directory of Muscle Cars


Book Description

The American public's love for speed and power has inspired generations of muscle cars. The rising popularity of street racing, stock-car races, and quarter-mile drag races in the pre-war years led to the formation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing in 1947 and the National Hot Rod Association in 1951. These organizations and the growing plethora of specialist auto magazines (including Hot Rod and Motor Trend) stimulated America's fascination with speed and performance. In turn, this resulted in the development of the first production muscle cars. These powerful models took their heritage from the street racers of earlier days, with small bodies equipped with large and potent engines. The Illustrated Directory of Muscle Cars celebrates the complete history of the muscle car, from its earliest inception through to the sophisticated beasts of today. Beautifully illustrated throughout in full color, this book includes full technical specifications for each car featured.




The Illustrated Directory of Classic Cars


Book Description

The Illustrated Directory of Classic Cars covers over 250 of the world's most magnificent cars since the beginning of the 20th century. It looks at cars from around the world, with each car described, and illustrated, in technical detail.




The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Motorcycles


Book Description

Beginning with the early motorcycle manufacturers, such as Pope, Thor, and Merkel, this book continues right up to the long tenure of Harley-Davidson and includes a 32-page directory of manufactures. 500+ photos.




American Funeral Vehicles


Book Description

The most complete, in-depth book on hearses and funeral cars ever! Beginning with horse drawn, highly ornate hearses up to today's motorized vehicles, this book takes you through the complete history of 20th Century hearses. Follow the overall style development from the early carved-panel columned and draped designs, through the limousine-styled Funeral Coach and side-loaders, through the sleek designs that have led to today's hearses.Photos and History on Henney, Eureka, A.J. Miller, Superior, and history of other large and small hearse-builders like Barnette, Economy, Memphian, etc., and the growth and decline of many of these companies. Over 300 high quality photos combined with in-depth text present the most complete history and evolution of motorized hearses ever. A must have book for all automotive enthusiasts.Includes an index of all the important past and present hearse and conversion builders in North America.




Why We Drive


Book Description

Today, we're married to our cars. But life behind the wheel of an automobile didn't come naturally to Americans. Crooked politicians, unscrupulous businessmen, burning streetcars, and convoluted tax shenanigans are a few of the players in this gripping tale of corruption, greed, and endless miles of asphalt. In Andy Singer's accessible, scandalous tale of motordom, comics, text, and historic photographs tell the story of the rise of the U.S. highway system and the corresponding demise of rail and public transportation. He also explores how we can ditch the car and rebuild a functional transportation system that can bring wealth, happiness, and freedom.




American Autopia


Book Description

Early to mid-twentieth-century America was the heyday of a car culture that has been called an "automobile utopia." In American Autopia, Gabrielle Esperdy examines how the automobile influenced architectural and urban discourse in the United States from the earliest days of the auto industry to the aftermath of the 1970s oil crisis. Paying particular attention to developments after World War II, Esperdy creates a narrative that extends from U.S. Routes 1 and 66 to the Las Vegas Strip to California freeways, with stops at gas stations, diners, main drags, shopping centers, and parking lots along the way. While it addresses the development of auto-oriented landscapes and infrastructures, American Autopia is not a conventional history, offering instead an exploration of the wide-ranging evolution of car-centric territories and drive-in typologies, looking at how they were scrutinized by diverse cultural observers in the middle of the twentieth century. Drawing on work published in the popular and professional press, and generously illustrated with evocative images, the book shows how figures as diverse as designer Victor Gruen, geographer Jean Gottmann, theorist Denise Scott Brown, critic J.B. Jackson, and historian Reyner Banham constructed "autopia" as a place and an idea. The result is an intellectual history and interpretive roadmap to the United States of the Automobile.




The Ultimate Guide to American Cars


Book Description

This is an illustrated encyclopedia with more than 600 photographs. This is an illustrated A-Z directory of classic American cars, with over 600 stunning photographs. From the Austin (1940-41) to the Wilton (1847-1924), each entry tells the story of the car from its inception, through its rise to success and then on to its place on the road today. It includes all the most well-known makes and models dating from the 19th century to the modern day - Chrysler, Buick, Pontiac, Studebaker and many more. It features many fascinating anecdotes, such as the Chrysler designer basing his model on the fighter jets he had mistaken for geese flying through the air. This is a beautiful photographic compendium of classic American vehicles, perfect for the automobile enthusiast. Nowhere is the car more strongly a part of society and a means of personal expression than in America. But for Americans, this love affair with the automobile goes deeper even still - America, after all, being a nation founded on free movement of populations. This is why the private car, when it arrived, had such an explosive effect. This beautifully illustrated A-Z directory of classic American cars looks in detail at the seminal models of the last century and a half, accompanied by beautiful colour and black and white photographs of the exteriors, interiors, engines and special features of each. The mixture of engaging anecdotes, fascinating facts and detailed specifications, as well as historical analysis of each brand's success and failure, make this the ultimate visual reference for anyone with an interest in cars or motoring.