Art of the Classic Car - Hardcover

Bodensteiner, Peter

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0760344159 ISBN 13: 9780760344156

Publisher: Motorbooks, 2013

Synopsis

The rarity and historical significance of prewar classic and antique cars make them hot commodities on the collector car market. These are the automobiles that populate the fairways and manicured lawns of the world’s greatest car shows in alluring locales like Pebble Beach, California, and Amelia Island, Florida. These are the cars that bring a hush to the hall when they roll across the blocks at auctions around the world. These are the cars that fill the world’s greatest collections, like those of Ralph Lauren, Mark Knopfler, and various members of royal families. These are the cars from history’s premiere automakers: hallowed names like Packard, Duesenberg, Stutz, Bugatti, Mercedes-Benz, Cord, and others—six-figure and million-dollar machines that thrill Barrett-Jackson audiences and drive bidders to frenzy. Art of the Classic Car features the stunning studio photography of Peter Harholdt (Art of the Hot Rod, Art of the Muscle Car), lavished on the most significant automobiles from the classic era: the 1910s to early 1940s. Every page contains framable-quality portraits of some of the most important cars ever made, with each car accompanied by a short essay from automotive expert Peter Bodensteiner that places the model contextually within automotive history. Complete with period ads and promotional art, Art of the Classic Car is the most beautiful pictorial history of classic cars ever produced.

About this title

Review:

For folks who enjoy the automobile as art, here is another sumptuous coffee-table book from Motorbooks. Photographer Harholdt (The Allure of the Automobile: Driving in Style, 1930-1965) gives classic cars the full treatment, with an oversize spread shot of each automobile and smaller photos of the engine, the interior and upholstery, and any other attractive parts, such as the hood ornaments. The classic cars included range from a 1911 Mercer 351L Runabout to the 1941 Chrysler Town & Country, with the rest of the cars from the 1920s and 1930s. ­Duesenbergs, Delahayes, and other rare vehicles only seen in museums or at prestigious car shows star on these pages. There is minimal text by Bodensteiner (founder, Stance & Speed Pub.), just enough to identify the car, a few specifications, and sometimes a tidbit of interest—the book explains that the 1934 Packard Twelve Runabout Speedster photographed here was a gift from actress Carole Lombard to her husband Clark Gable. ­VERDICT The images have such a luxurious feel that the reader almost suffers guilt just paging through the volume. Lovers of classics cars will want to have this in their collection, and libraries will find this a worthy addition to collections on automotive history and design. - Library Journal

"Peter Harholdt has beautifully shot each car... a glossy mini-concours..." - AutoWeek

‘The studio photography by Peter Harholdt is sumptuous and beautifully lit’

From the Back Cover:

Prewar classic and antique cars—hallowed names like Packard, Duesenberg, Stutz, Bugatti, Mercedes-Benz, Cord, and others. These are the deep-six-figure and million-dollar cars that drive bidders to frenzy at the world’s premiere auction events and that draw thousands to the top concours shows. And now the very best of the best are collected in one volume: Art of the Classic Car. Featuring the stunning studio photography of Peter Harholdt (Art of the Hot Rod, Art of the Muscle Car) and an authoritative text by automobile historian Peter Bodensteiner, this book is as much a true work of art as the automobiles featured within.

About this edition

• Publisher: Motorbooks
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0760344159
• ISBN 13: 9780760344156
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224