Car Design America: Myths, Brands, People

Car Design America is the second title published by teNeues series on world automotive history. From the streamliner to the show cars of the ’50s and ’60s, American car design’s influence on international style is reflected in Cadillac’s slogan: “the standard of the world.” The bombastic Harley Earl and the extravagant Raymond Loewy created iconic designs and saw the development of cars as mythical as the Corvette, Mustang, and Thunderbird were born. Whether the Cadillac fins of the 1950s, the Muscle Cars of the 1970s or the Sport Utility Vehicles that marked the beginning of the 21st century, American car design is primarily known for its excesses. However, from a broader perspective, a different picture emerges.

America was the first to recognize the creative and strategic potential of design and to create a system of brands, models and versions that set global standards. In this second volume of his series on the global automotive history, Paolo Tumminelli tells the story of American car design as cultural history–from the Streamliner experiments of the 1930s up to the recent resurgence of the American automobile industry–drawing intriguing parallels with the social developments of the time.

Without forgetting retro and the most recent designs, this book traces the evolution of American automobile culture through the decades–both all-time classics as well as unique models. With over 400 original images from the manufacturers’ archives, Car Design America is an indispensable reference work for every car enthusiast.