When I was updating a review of a Standard Catalog I came across two depressing pieces of information. First, that prolific author John Gunnell died in late August (Borgart, 2023). Second, that the company which published the catalogs, called F+W in its final iteration, went bankrupt in 2019 (Wikipedia, 2023).
One might put a positive spin on this by noting that F+W’s book-publishing assets were bought by Penguin Random House. The catalogs tended to be a little rough around the edges, so perhaps a bigger publisher could give them the corporate resources they needed to move to the next level.
Alas, it hasn’t happened. Penguin Random House’s (2023) website lists eight Standard Catalog titles. Only five of them are about cars and all are for individual brands. No more reference guides for American cars, imports and trucks. In addition, none of the listed titles covered model years newer than 2003. That suggests an unwillingness to invest in new titles or even updated editions.
Also see ‘How can the auto history field better support small-scale publishing?’
The auto editors of Consumer Guide seem to be doing much better than F+W, but they haven’t published a new edition of their flagship reference guide, the Encyclopedia of American Cars, since 2006. Perhaps not surprisingly, this book currently lists for $116.82 on Amazon.com (2023). That’s too high of a price tag for me even though my aging edition is starting to fall apart.
What does all this mean for the future of automotive history? Those of us who prefer working with books will have to get used to finding web-based sources of information. In my experience that information tends to be out there, although it can take effort to piece together everything I need — and the quality can vary. But then the reference books also suffered from incomplete and sometimes inaccurate information.
The moral to this story: Maybe even us auto history writers need to adapt to a brave new world.
Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.
RE:SOURCES
- Amazon.com; 2023. “Encyclopedia of American Cars Hardcover – January 1, 2006.” Accessed Nov. 20.
- Bogart, Angelo Van; 2023. “Remembering John Gunnell.” Old Cars. Posted Aug. 26.
- Penguin Random House; 2023. “Standard Catalog Series.” Accessed Nov. 20.
- Wikipedia; 2023. “F+W.” Page last edited Nov. 13.
Steve–As I have noted in the past, our comprehensive automotive history is disappearing and there isn’t any effort afoot to save it before all of us auto history writers (and buffs like me) are long gone. So much history is out there residing in private collections, libraries (like AACA), and various club collections, but access is difficult for many and I can’t imagine anyone with a modicum of interest in 20 years will want to dig through boxes of materials, page through old magazines and books and, in many cases, make the long trip to visit a library where the head librarian/archivist really has no working knowledge of the subject. No one, or at least no group, is interested in making this a priority effort to preserve and gather into a cooperative archive that can be accessed by anyone, anywhere, any time.
Jim, it sounds like you know the relevant auto history groups much better than I do. From afar, the Antique Automobile Club of America would seem to have the most resources, such as a facility with research staff. However, I don’t spend all that much time on their website because their content seems more focused on collectors than on substantive automotive history.
It seems inevitable that we are moving to information sources that are more electronic based. As a researcher, one problem with that is that there are so many different entities with bits and pieces of information but no one appears to be making much of an effort to bring it all together. That seems to reflect a highly individualistic culture, where folks prefer to do their own thing rather than join forces. In a way I get that — I didn’t have to create my own blog to write about cars but thought — correctly, as it turned out — that I would have much more latitude to do what I wanted if I operated on my own.
The main point of the above story was to lament the disappearance of fairly comprehensive reference guides such as the Standard catalogs. I assume that pulling together that much content is pretty labor intensive, so there would need to be a mechanism for compensating people for their efforts. That doesn’t seem to be as easy to do with a website than a book given the instability of ad revenue. And perhaps there’s simply not as much interest in that level of information as there used to be.
Apparently with AI we can soon just ask, like give me the history of Studebaker cars, and up will pop the entire story. From the Loewy cars to the Studebaker Mustang…
In theory that’s true. The question is whether the information is both comprehensive and accurate. How would you know without having your own stash of information that you could use to double check facts? Which brings us back to the utility of having good reference books.
For example, some of the basic facts that I need can be relatively obscure, like list prices for premium-priced brands in the 1950s. Will AI be able to spit me out by nameplate and body style accurate prices along with other useful information, such as shipping weight and production levels? What about dimensions, including width (which even the Standard catalogs often don’t include)?
I like J Kelly Flory’s American Car guides, but they only go from 1946 to 1980.
I’m not familiar with that book; I’ll check it out. Thank you for the reference.
Following is a simple AI request to described the history of Studebaker. Read this and then head over to Wikipedia where you’ll find pages of information with detail and references. I may try some of the “other” AI platforms, but I’m not expecting much.
The Studebaker Corporation was a major American wagon and automobile manufacturer that played a significant role in the transportation industry from the 19th century into the mid-20th century. Here is an overview of the history of Studebaker:
Early Years (1852-1902): The Studebaker brothers, Henry and Clement, founded the company in South Bend, Indiana, in 1852. Initially, they produced horse-drawn wagons for farmers, miners, and the military. Studebaker wagons gained a reputation for quality and durability, contributing to the company’s success.
Transition to Automobiles (1902-1919): As the automotive industry emerged, Studebaker recognized the potential of automobiles. In 1902, they introduced electric vehicles, followed by gasoline-powered cars in 1904. Studebaker’s early entry into the automobile market helped establish its presence in the growing industry.
World War I and Postwar Era (1914-1945): During World War I, Studebaker shifted its production to military vehicles and wagons, contributing to the war effort. After the war, Studebaker faced financial challenges, but under the leadership of Albert Erskine, the company rebounded and introduced new car models.
The Depression Era (1920s-1930s): The Great Depression of the 1930s took a toll on Studebaker, leading to financial difficulties. Despite the economic challenges, Studebaker continued to innovate, introducing the stylish and aerodynamic Studebaker Champion in the 1930s.
World War II (1941-1945): Once again, Studebaker shifted its production to support the war effort, manufacturing trucks and other military vehicles. The company’s contribution to the war earned it the Army-Navy “E” Award for excellence in wartime production.
Post-World War II and the Raymond Loewy Designs (1945-1966): In the postwar period, Studebaker gained attention for its sleek and modern designs, thanks to collaborations with industrial designer Raymond Loewy. The Studebaker Starliner and Studebaker Hawk were among the notable models from this era.
Challenges and Decline (1960s): Studebaker faced increased competition from larger automakers, and the company struggled financially. In 1963, the decision was made to cease automobile production in South Bend, marking the end of an era for Studebaker as an independent automaker.
Later Years and Closure (1964-1966): Studebaker continued to produce cars in Canada until 1966, but financial troubles persisted. The last Studebaker rolled off the assembly line on March 16, 1966, in Hamilton, Ontario, marking the end of Studebaker’s long and storied history as a vehicle manufacturer.
While the company no longer produced automobiles, the Studebaker name and legacy continue to be celebrated by automotive enthusiasts, and Studebaker vehicles remain collectible classics.
I suppose this isn’t bad, but it’s so general as to not be very useful for the kind of writing that I do. I should take the time to do similar explorations, but at least at this point I’m not comfortable relying upon AI-generated content to verify specific facts.
Take a look at the Internet Archive (archive.org). It is a non-profit, public digital library founded in 1996 with a stated mission to provide “universal access to all knowledge.” In addition to its archiving function, the Archive is an activist organization, advocating for a free and open Internet.
Currently, the Archive provides free, public access to:
410 billion web pages (accessible via the Wayback Machine)
20 million books and texts
4.5 million audio recordings (including 180,000 live concerts)
4 million videos (including 1.6 million Television News programs)
3 million images
200,000 software programs (including historic computer applications, vintage console & arcade games, and more)
Registered users can upload their own content to the Archive.
Do a simple search for automotive within the metadata search criteria. Then take a look at the digitized historical publications that can be accessed for free.
Jim, they do have a lot of content. I’ll add this to the “Bibliography of Links” when I have a moment. I have been skeptical about the comprehensiveness of the Wayback Machine because I have had mixed results when looking up deceased local websites I am familiar with, e.g., they have text but no photos or graphs.
In my initial look, the most promising thing I’ve come across are old Automotive News. That’s a big score that I suspect I’ll be drawing upon regularly.
I admit I have some misgivings about the archive, but I’m not certain who has a lock on gathering thorough information. Automotive history is fraught with bad information much like most history that passes through all kinds of people, organizations, events, missteps, collusion, and illegal or untenable behavior.
But my fear is the complete history of the automobile is going to be lost unless a group can come together to fashion a central repository, much like the Internet Archive, where trusted information can reside and future writers, historians or enthusiasts can be confident that resource is reliable and complete.
That preservation effort will require cooperation and a willingness to share information which right now is tucked away, out of reach and protected by people afraid to give up territory they believe belongs exclusively to them.
Just imagine what could happen if all the major automotive organizations decided to come together with the singular purpose of creating the ultimate historical resource for future generations to deliberate and trust for accuracy and indepth quality. Maybe that’s just an unreachable fantasy.