Description
Editor: George Hildebrand, Softbound, 153 Pages, ISBN: 9780486239842, First Published, 1980 **VERY RARE BOOK IN EXCELLENT CONDITION**
Before its untimely demise in the depths of the Depression, luxury coach-building flourished, reaching its peak of perfection in the vintage years 1927-1931. Numerous companies in America and Europe built auto bodies to go with standard chassis for those wealthy customers who wanted a car that didn't look mass-produced.
The grandeur and elegance of these auto bodies, most custom made, have never been surpassed; they are probably the most beautiful cars the world has ever known.
Now see these cars and read how they were designed in the very coverage that circulated at the time among car designers—the elegant and informative Autobody magazine. Here, in a selection of 72 articles—with 377 illustrations (mostly photographs) — are the finest designs, discussions of design theory, and reportage on the posh car shows of the years 1927-1931.
Auto bodies for Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce, Stutz, Pierce-Arrow, Hispano-Suiza, Packard, Duesenberg, Cord, and other manufacturers are extensively illustrated, including work from such coach builders as Brewster, Dietrich, Fleetwood, Rollston, Derham, Hibbard & Darrin, Hooper, and Farina, and nine remarkable renderings by the great Roland L. Stickney from the lush Le Baron salon catalogs.
The material has been organized, chronologically within each section, into seven topical sections: salons and shows of America, salons and shows of Europe, selected American coachwork, selected European coachwork, deluxe delivery cars and motorcoaches, body design art and engineering, and motorcar design of the future.
Editor George Hildebrand was a young designer during the late 1920s and participated in many of the events described in these pages. He has made a selection of articles, arranged them, and furnished the rare issues of Autobody for reproduction. He has also written an informative introduction and provided a comprehensive index that will be especially helpful for anyone interested in particular cars or designers.
Original Dover (1980) publication. 306 photographs. 71 drawings. Introduction. Index. 160pp. 8% x 11%. Paperbound.
A DOVER EDITION DESIGNED FOR YEARS OF USE!
We have made every effort to make this the best book possible. Our paper is opaque, with minimal show-through; it will not discolor or become brittle with age. Pages are sewn in signatures, in the method traditionally used for the best books, and will not drop out, as often happens with paperbacks held together with glue. Books open flat for easy reference. The binding will not crack or split. This is a permanent book.
