This dissertation explores the theme of the automobile in American visual art in the first half of the twentieth century, specifically as it appears in painting and printmaking...My analysis explores various ways in which artists responded to the automobile and developed auto-related iconography...The study includes consideration of several artists' use of automobiles as well as depictions made of and from the road.--P. iii.

A glorious and nostalgic celebration of a defining period in American car culture—the 1950s to the 1970s, the golden age of Detroit’s icons of the road—when automobile design was at its peak and the car itself was synonymous with a vision of success in America. Auto America offers a compelling look at three decades (the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s) of America’s fascination with the automobile. At a time when self-driving vehicles and climate change are transforming driving around the world, John G. Zimmerman’s pictures capture the optimism and even utopianism of a beloved period in American car culture. Many of Zimmerman’s photographs were originally taken for Life, Time, and Sports Illustrated magazines and highlight diverse aspects of America’s auto industry at its zenith; they feature not only iconic cars of the era, which Zimmerman chronicled comprehensively at car shows and in studio assignments throughout the period, but also a behind-the-scenes look at the people who designed, built, collected, exhibited, and raced them. With more than 200 photographs and drawing on the John G. Zimmerman Archive’s collection—including his best-known photographs of Fords, Chryslers, and GMs in their heyday alongside ephemera, tear sheets, and outtakes from his assignments—the book celebrates the automobile’s central place in American culture during those decades when the timeless silhouettes of classic cars ruled the roads.

Traces the history of American designers and their automobiles from the beginning of the 20th century. The book includes interviews with key figures in the industry, and features photographs of the cars as well as the original designs and drawings for cars that were never built.

From 1930 to 1968, General Motors sponsored a 1:12 scale model automobile design competition for youth--the famous Fisher Body Craftsman's Guild. Each year thousands of boys and young men from across America competed for scholarships by designing, building, and submitting a scale model of their own "dream car," to be judged on such qualities as design originality and craftsmanship. A public relations bonanza for GM, the program helped to identify and nurture a generation of future leaders in design engineering, automotive design, automotive styling, industrial design and other endeavors. In these essays, more than 30 Guildsmen chronicle their experiences in the competition, revealing their model car design techniques, tricks, and secrets: Philip J. Rauth, Joseph R. Rauth, Herman I. Rauth, Roger D. Teter, Gordon D. Williams, William A. Keyser, Jr., Warren M. Bakken, Wilfred C. Keagy, Arnold L. Joslin, Raymond P. Wykes, Charles R. Foreman, Adrian A. Bruno, Charles H. Stewart, George E. Anderson, William D. Scott, Walter F. O'Neill, Jr., Thomas L. De Fazio, Felix R. Collazo, Ronald J. Will, Roger L. Schneider, Thomas L. Covert, Paul F. Bonfilio, George G. Herzog, Samuel T. Kjellman, Frederick J. "Bud" Magaldi, Geza A. Loczi, Jeffrey A. Jones, Robert W. Lawhn, Tom W. Graboski, Terry P. Graboski, Spencer L. Mackay, Grant Onnie, John L. Jacobus and John M. Mellberg.