A career engineer at Studebaker, Harold E. Churchill became president of the recently merged Studebaker-Packard Corporation in 1956, at a time when finances were shaky and an aging product line was losing ground to the Big Three. Quickly launching a program of "realism and common sense," he focused the company's energies on a few selected market segments where he saw opportunities for gain. His vision for a compact economy car led to the Lark, the hit model that Studebaker desperately need...

Elyria is named for Heman Ely, who in 1817 settled in a strategically located area close to Lake Erie along the picturesque Black River. Historically, Elyria, which became the seat of Lorain County, has been a center of commerce and government while also serving as a market and source of supplies for the surrounding agricultural community. Industrial development has included steel mills, quarries, automobile-related firms, and a wide variety of other manufacturing facilities. Over the year...

Muscle Cars is the story of America's pursuit of sheer horsepower in the 1960s and '70s. The first of the type, the famous Pontiac GTO or “Goat,” would launch a race between America's automotive manufacturers to produce ever-more-powerful V8 engines wrapped in legendary “Coke-bottle” sheet metal styling. Following Ford's extremely successful introduction of the galloping Mustang in 1964, others would follow, such as General Motors's Camaro and Firebird as well as Plymouth's Barracuda, comp...

The 1960s and early 1970s were the age of raw American automotive power. Whether it was a classic Hemi ‘Cuda, Pontiac GTO, Charger, or Boss Mustang, big engines were king at local drag strips and cruises. Muscle Cars explores this era and the current models with a broad survey of classic muscle and today’s new machines. Each chapter is organized around a theme (milestones, factory racers, etc), each model getting a multi-page spread of full-color photography, performance stats, tr...

It's every motorcyclist's dream. A friend or acquaintance says, "You know, there's an old bike that's been sitting in this garage for years." The hunt is on. And rather than the usual worthless Hondazukimaha pile of hopeless oxidation, at the back of that barn you find a genuine classic, the motorcycle collector's dream. The Vincent in the Barn tells forty such stories--tales of motorcycle hunting dreams come true. From Ducatis in basements to Vincents abandoned in sheds, Harleys in barns ...

Into the lightBy popular demand comes the sequel to the original “Lost and Found†from the publishers of Old Cars Weekly magazine. This collection of great automotive discoveries reminds us yet again that you never know where a prized old car might be hiding. Corvettes, Cadillacs, Packards, coveted muscle cars, even Duesenbergs seem to somehow emerge from hiding from us for years and even decades. Find out where some of them have been in Lost and F...

Now in paperback for the first time, here is the classic version of a car lover's fairy tale: You look into an old abandoned barn or garage or warehouse--and there's the car you've searched for your whole life. Here are the true stories of people who found their dream cars in the most unlikely places: A man finds one of three King Cobras ever built in a junkyard in South Carolina; another discovers a rare Delahaye in a barn in the former Czech Republic; yet another answers an obscurely wri...

Reviews: "Tom Cotter's sequel to last year's best-selling The Cobra in the Barn relays one great tale after another, with players unearthing rare cars to die for. The treasures include an armored Mercedes-Benz Aktion P command car discovered in pieces in Russia, a desirable Dodge Daytona Hemi virtually abandoned behind bushes in a guy's yard, a bushel of Bugattis in a barn, the 'Divorcee Cobra,' and a GTO owned by a mobster. These are great stories about great cars." - Edmunds.com "The boo...

Harley-Davidson: words that evoke the open American road and the 'Made in America' tradition like no others. The sweeping chopper handlebars, the distinctive throaty 'potato potato' roar of the engine and the unmistakable logo are all emblems recognized the world over. This book expertly ties together the mechanical evolution of the Harley's engines – from the earliest motorized pedal bicycles to the iconic heavyweight twin cylinder V-engines we know and love today – and the social history...

Biographical profile of Ransom E. Olds, regarded as the first of the great American automobile pioneers. He not only sold the first car manufactured in America, his company was also the first of the great automobile enterprises, a model and training ground for the Dodge brothers, Henry Ford, Henry Leland (founder of Cadillac and Lincoln), and other automotive trailblazers. His first horseless carriage, a vehicle made of whitewood and oak, resting on three steel-tired buggy wheels, steered by ...

The great American automotive pioneers were entrepreneurial inventors and visionaries who changed the American landscape and brought us a new national culture. These pioneers lifted the veil of isolation that enveloped most pre-twentieth century Americans and made it possible for the average person to travel whenever and wherever he or she pleased. Automobiles changed the concept of transportation and more so, how and where we lived, worked and played. Many lessons can be drawn from these pio...

Chopped or channeled, candy metalflaked or rusted-out, hot rods are institutions of American motoring. This collection of more than three dozen roadsters, coupes, rat rods, and show cars provides a nicely priced, all-color survey of this enduring hobby. Each hot rod is featured in full-vehicle and detail shots of the car, a brief history of the car and the build, and more.