Engines of Change: A History of the American Dream in Fifteen CarsA narrative like no other: a cultural history that explores how cars have both propelled and reflected the American experience— from the Model T to the Prius. From the assembly lines of Henry Ford to the open roads of Route 66, from the lore of Jack Kerouac to the sex appeal of the Hot Rod, America’s history is a vehicular history—an idea brought brilliantly to life in this major work by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Paul Ingrassia. Ingrassia offers a wondrous epic in fifteen automobiles, including the Corvette, the Beetle, and the Chevy Corvair, as well as the personalities and tales behind them: Robert McNamara’s unlikely role in Lee Iacocca’s Mustang, John Z. DeLorean’s Pontiac GTO , Henry Ford’s Model T, as well as Honda’s Accord, the BMW 3 Series, and the Jeep, among others. Through these cars and these characters, Ingrassia shows how the car has expressed the particularly American tension between the lure of freedom and the obligations of utility. He also takes us through the rise of American manufacturing, the suburbanization of the country, the birth of the hippie and the yuppie, the emancipation of women, and many more fateful episodes and eras, including the car’s unintended consequences: trial lawyers, energy crises, and urban sprawl. Narrative history of the highest caliber, Engines of Change is an entirely edifying new way to look at the American story. |
Contents
A Bolshevik Boy Escapes the Nazis | 31 |
Style Status and the Race | 57 |
The Long and Winding | 81 |
The Chevy Corvair Makes Ralph Nader Famous | 111 |
The Youth | 141 |
The Brief but Glorious Reign ofohn Z DeLorean | 163 |
Godzilla Mr Thunder | 191 |
Soccer Moms and a um Driving Force | 219 |
The Rise of the Yuppies | 241 |
From War to Suburbia or How to Look | 265 |
Cowboys Country Music | 289 |
An Innovative Car the Prius Its Insufferable Drivers | 313 |
Afterword | 341 |
Acknowledgments | 347 |
Selected Bibliography | 373 |
Other editions - View all
Engines of Change: A History of the American Dream in Fifteen Cars Paul Ingrassia Limited preview - 2012 |
Engines of Change: A History of the American Dream in Fifteen Cars Paul Ingrassia Limited preview - 2012 |
Common terms and phrases
advertising Author interview auto Automobile automotive Beetle BMW’s bosses buyers Cadillac called Car and Driver car company car’s Chevrolet Chevy Chrysler Cole Cole’s company’s corporate Corvair Corvette culture decades defined DeLorean Detroit developed didn’t drive Duntov early Ed Cole Edsel engine executives Exner factory Ferdinand Porsche field figured financial find first first car fit five Ford Motor Ford’s front full—sized German GM’s GTO’s Harley Earl headline Henry Ford Henry Ford II Hitler Honda horsepower Iacocca Ibid Ingrassia Japanese Jeep kids LaSalle later launched Lee Iacocca magazine Microbus minivan Model Mustang Nader NAHC Nordhoff office officials Paul Ingrassia percent pickup trucks Pontiac Pontiac GTO Porsche president production profits racing Ralph Nader rear road sales brochure selling Soichiro Soichiro Honda sold Sperlich sports car started styling tail fins Toyota vehicle Volkswagen wanted wheels wrote York young yuppie Zora
Bibliographic information
| Title | Engines of Change: A History of the American Dream in Fifteen Cars |
| Author | Paul Ingrassia |
| Publisher | Simon and Schuster, 2012 |
| ISBN | 145164065X, 9781451640656 |
| Length | 416 pages |
| Subjects | › › History / United States / 20th Century Technology & Engineering / Automotive Transportation / Automotive / History |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |