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Krause Publication |
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American Car Spotter's Bible 1940-1980 |
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by Tad Burness |
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Reviewed By Joe Staudt, #39453 |
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MSRP: $29.99 USD ISBN 0-89689-179-8 Okay, let’s get one thing straight here: I am a car nut. Certifiable and committable. I remember people by their cars, and I remember the dates of events in our family history by the car we were driving at the time. I learned early on the styling differences between the ’68, ’69, and ’70 Chevrolets. I love this stuff. So when this book came up for review, I knew I had to get my hands on it. I was sure it was made for me. And I was right. Sitting on the desk beside me is 792 pages worth of color photos and illustrations of pretty much every American car made from 1940 through 1980. I’m in heaven! Well, almost in heaven. This book is not a neat, orderly compendium of facts, figures and diagrams describing each of the cars and how they changed from year to year. It follows more in the format of the author’s syndicated “Auto Album” newspaper series that began in the 1960’s, in that each page is a collage of images drawn from manufacturer’s brochures and period advertisements, supplemented by the occasional contemporary photo, some of Mr. Burness’ own superb drawings, and jotted notes and commentaries. The overall effect is more like a scrapbook than an encyclopedia. This is not a bad thing, mind you, but if you were looking for something more formal you will be disappointed. But not for long, because this book has over 8,000 color illustrations that do a very good job of covering the subject matter. Pictures of exteriors, of interiors and dashboards, and of all models and body styles are presented, along with the occasional color chart and engine photo. The comments point out small details that might otherwise be overlooked, and sometimes provide interesting commentary. The book is organized alphabetically by model and/or make, and every make and model from Cadillac to Ford to Graham, Tucker, and the King Midget is represented. Finding a particular model isn’t always easy, however. For example, the Ford, Ford Maverick, and Ford Torino follow each other under “F”, but the Thunderbird is listed under “T”, the Mustang is under “M”, and the Pinto is under “P”. Go figure. But once you find the particular model you are looking for, the pictures are presented chronologically, making it easy to see how the styling of that vehicle evolved through the years. While this book isn’t geared specifically toward the car modeler, it is still an excellent resource. You want to backdate that 1953 Chevy kit to a ’52? This book can help. Need to see what the dash of a 1968 Mustang looked like? It’s in here. Want to know what colors were offered on 1973 Plymouths? There’s a chart. Overall, I think this is a great book. It may not be exhaustive, and it may not have the most orderly format, but it has more information in one place than any other reference book I’ve seen. And since I enjoy building factory-stock models of cars from this era, it will be of great help to me in the future. Many thanks to Krause Publications and the IPMS for giving me the opportunity to look it over. |
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