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Home1940s

1940s

Readings

Packard: A History of the Motor Car and the Company

April 22, 2013 Steve 2

This is the Olympics of automotive history books — 800-plus pages of detailed business analysis, production information and photography. Its 32 chapters are written by a handful of writers with varying analytical styles. For example, […]

Readings

Cars of the Fascinating ’40s: A Decade of Challenges and Changes

April 22, 2013 Steve 0

The first of a four-book Cars series places a greater emphasis on reproductions of advertising. The quality of proofing is better than the Cars of the Sizzling ’60s (auto editors of Consumer Guide, 2002).  Like the other three Cars of […]

Readings

Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975

April 22, 2013 Steve 0

I probably use this 1,000-page reference guide more frequently than any other book in my automotive library. This is the second in a three-part series on American cars (see 1805-1942 and 1976-1999). As with most other Standard […]

Readings

Standard Catalog of Independents: The Struggle to Survive Among Giants

April 19, 2013 Steve 0

Ron Kowalke has put together a handy source of data about American independents. As with other Standard Catalog volumes, this 400-page book has some data gaps. This book can be exceptionally dense reading even for a […]

Readings

Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805-1942

April 16, 2013 Steve 0

This may be the most heavily researched of the Standard Catalog of American Car series. That’s by necessity — the 1,612-page catalog covers almost 140 years and a huge number of minor makes. Editors Beverly Rae Kimes […]

Readings

Studebaker 1946-1966: The Classic Postwar Years

April 13, 2013 Steve 0

If I were to own only one Studebaker history, this would be it. As with Richard M. Langworth’s other books written in the 1970s (e.g., Hudson, Kaiser-Frazer and Chrysler), this is a refreshingly “old-school” automotive history. Unlike all […]

Readings

Chrysler & Imperial 1946-1985: The Classic Postwar Years

April 13, 2013 Steve 0

As with Richard Langworth’s other automotive books (e.g., on Hudson, Kaiser-Frazer and Studebaker) Chrysler & Imperial offers a more substantive history compared to newer, more visually-oriented books. When doing research on the Chrysler Corporation I reach for this book […]

Readings

Standard Catalog of American Light-Duty Trucks, 1896-1986

April 13, 2013 Steve 0

This 800-page paperback reference book covers pickups (both truck and car based), vans and sport utility vehicles. Like most Standard catalogs, the format is unpretentious — non-glossy paper, small black-and-white photos, and a sea of text in small type. […]

Readings

‘The Reckoning’ still ranks as one of the all-time-best auto history books

April 6, 2013 Steve 1

(EXPANDED ON 8/11/2022) I would rank David Halberstam’s The Reckoning as one of the top automotive histories of the last 50 years. The book was published in 1986 but still provides one of the most […]

Readings

The Complete History of Chrysler Corporation 1924-1985

April 5, 2013 Steve 0

The text of this book has many similarities to Chrysler & Imperial 1946-1985 (1993) as well as various Consumer Guide histories. The result is often derivative but contains plenty of interesting historical nuggets. For example, authors Richard […]

Posts pagination

« 1 … 11 12 13 »
  • 1964 Studebaker Challenger
    Brooks Stevens’s rejection of brand continuity was bad for small automakers
    June 14, 2025 0
  • EVs need a George Romney to champion them in the next few years
    June 13, 2025 16
  • Citroen SM
    Citroen SM: A surprisingly conventional next step
    June 12, 2025 5
  • 1936-37 Cord 810/812 tried to do too much at once
    June 11, 2025 10
  • 1963 Studebaker Daytona convertible
    Classic film shows human side of Studebaker’s end
    June 10, 2025 15
  • Once upon a time, car wheels were 36-to-42 inches in diameter
    June 9, 2025 5
  • Ram customized pickup
    What would you think if it was 1965 and you could magically see this truck?
    June 8, 2025 1
  • Brooks Stevens’s 1965 Studebaker Lark concept: Almost a baby Continental
    June 6, 2025 5
  • 1949 Packard Super Eight
    Packard kept a bigger foothold in the luxury-car field than commonly assumed
    June 5, 2025 9
  • Exner bio offers mostly positive take on controversial car designer
    Peter Grist views car designer Virgil Exner through rose-tinted glasses
    June 3, 2025 9
  • 1970 Mercury Cyclone
    1970 Mercury Montego had a last-of-the-wine quality
    June 2, 2025 2
  • A query, a thank you and an update on miscellaneous stuff
    April 4, 2025 0
  • 1956 Buick hood scoop
    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 124
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