Voitures (jusqu'à 1945) - USA : aperçus des modèles

American Cars in Europe, 1900-1940 - A Pictorial Survey

Germany is most often credited with the birth of the internal combustion engine. France gave rise to the first credible motor industry. The United States added a little Yankee ingenuity and came up with its own version of both. While the American automobile industry got off to a bumpy start, by 1908, U.S. automobile production had surpassed that of European manufacturers.
When the outbreak of World War I all but halted European production of passenger cars, American auto makers took advantage of the opportunity to establish a toehold in Europe. During the war and for two decades after, American automobiles, which were considered reliable and cheap, were a common sight on the streets of many European cities and towns.

This book contains a unique and unprecedented collection of period photographs, recording American automobiles - and their owners - in various locations throughout Europe between the years of 1900 and 1940.
Captions include the make and model of each car; information on the setting of the photograph; and remarks on interesting details, unusual accessories or distinguishing features of each car. Argo, Jewitt, Durant and Reo automobiles are represented here along with household names such as Buick, Chevrolet and Ford.

American Automobiles of the Brass Era - Essential Specifications of 4,097 Gasoline Powered Passenger Cars, 1906-1915

From Abbott-Detroit to Zip, this unique reference book documents American gasoline-powered automobiles manufactured for the model years 1906 through 1915, the Brass Era.
In these explosive early years of automotive history, a vast number of manufacturers - most of which failed within two years - produced a range of cars whose sheer diversity is unmatched in later times.

The short corporate lifespans and constant change throughout the industry left a fragmented historical record, with data about specific models scarce and scattered in later sources. Here the basic facts of 4,000+ cars, painstakingly researched in all available period sources, are collected and trends of the era are analyzed.

The Electric Car in America, 1890-1922 - A Social History

At the end of 1900 the auto industry was set to become a huge force in America over the following ten years or so as the car moved from being a plaything of the rich to being a mass market item, increasingly available to most segments of society. The electric vehicle seemed poised in 1900 to be a leader, or even the dominant force. It had large advantages over vehicles driven by the other two main motive powers, steam and gasoline.

Electric cars were clean, odorless, noiseless and they were mechanically simple, compared to their rivals. They rarely broke down and they were easy to operate. An electric car could be started instantly from the driver's seat; no other machine could claim that advantage.

But then it all went wrong. The hope and confidence of 1900 collapsed and just two decades later the electric car was dead; two makers continued to produce until late in the 1920s but it was all over for the electrics by the start of the 1920s. Inherent advantages paled in the face of disadvantages that were never resolved.

The machines were costly and never came down in price while gasoline cars saw dramatic price reductions over time. Most of all the storage battery was an endless source of problems. Even the genius of Thomas Edison, who worked for over a decade to try and produce a better battery, was unable to prevail.

All the electric car industry was able to mount in the guise of dealing with myriad problems was to present an increasingly frantic public relations campaign of lies and deceptive advertising; but never any solutions to the industry's problems.

American Cars in Prewar England - A Pictorial Survey

After World War I, there was a great hunger for cars in Britain. Many servicemen had learned to drive and had money from their demobilization grants to spend, but British factories were not immediately able to get back into car production so they looked to America for automobiles.
In 1919, two out of every five cars on British roads were Fords built in England, and in 1925, General Motors took over British manufacturer Vauxhall. Hudson also became a prolific assembler during this time and Chrysler built an assembly plant in Kew, west of London.

This book features numerous photographs and commentary on many makes of American cars that could be seen on British roads before the beginning of World War II. Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Durant, Duryea, Essex, Ford, Hudson, Jewett, La Salle, Oldsmobile, Overland, Packard, Plymouth, Saxon, Stanley, Studebaker, Stutz and White are among the manufacturers whose cars are included.
The author provides a concise description of each automobile he covers, and points out some interesting features and technical details (horsepower and engine size, for example).

Police Cars: Restoring, Collecting & Showing America's Finest Sedans

Finally, a how-to guide to collecting, restoring and showing the 4-door police sedan. The police car hobby has grown dramatically over the past decade. Many private citizens and police departments alike have restored or attempted to restore a police car for civic or show purposes, but even many police officers don't know how to do it the "right" way.

Because police cars were low-end, 4-door sedans, reproduction restoration parts can be hard to find, and specialized emergency equipment and markings needed for a restoration are even more difficult to research and locate.

Automóviles americanos 1934-1974 - Los años dorados de la automoción

En los Estados Unidos, durante los años dorados del automóvil, ningún otro país experimentó una integración tan profunda de los vehículos en la vida cotidiana. Este libro busca capturar el auténtico espíritu de esa época, reflejado en los diseños automotrices que encarnaban los sueños, necesidades y deseos de los estadounidenses.
Se destacan modelos clásicos de renombre, brillantes éxitos y lamentables fracasos, así como marcas reconocidas y extrañas rarezas: Airflow, Zephyr, Mercury, Corvette, Sting Ray, Mustang, Firebird, entre otros.

La obra invita a realizar un fascinante viaje visual a través de la estética de aquellos años, una corriente de creatividad explosiva que difícilmente se repetirá. Cada automóvil cuenta una historia única, contribuyendo a la rica y diversa historia automotriz de Estados Unidos plasmada en estas páginas.