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Book: The Custom Body Era by Hugo Pfau

DNC · 2013-05-12T08:29:05.000Z

I have just finished reading this book as suggested by some of you. It was an outstanding read; written by a fellow who was there on the front line. I found it especially interesting to read a first hand account of the reputations of these great cars when they were new. Does anyone have other recommendations for similar books?

May 12, 2013 (edited)1.8K views

Replies (9)

· May 16, 2013

Now pick up Rolling Sculpture by Gordon Beuhrig. It is an insightful one. I got both when they first came out.

For a real good time read Sloan's My Years with General Motors back to back with Iacocca. The tone of the two will make you smile.

Bernie

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· May 16, 2013

Hi Bernie, Thanks for the recommendations. They all sound great, especially "Rolling Sculpture".

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· May 16, 2013

FYI Rolling Sculpture had been out of print for some time and was fairly pricey but it has recently been reprinted and is available online through the ACD museum for just under $50.00. Pfau also wrote "The Coachbuilt Packard" which is also out of print but shows up from time to time.

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· May 16, 2013

Almost as much fun as reading, pictures are good, too: Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum

I live near Rochester, New York and had a 10 AM meeting in Maumee, Ohio. Staying at the Auburn Inn and stopping by the museum seemed the most logical thing to do.

Bernie

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· May 16, 2013

FYI Rolling Sculpture had been out of print for some time and was fairly pricey but it has recently been reprinted and is available online through the ACD museum for just under $50.00. Pfau also wrote "The Coachbuilt Packard" which is also out of print but shows up from time to time.

Steve, "The Coachbuilt Packard" is going to be a must have since it is written by Pfau. There is nothing like getting the information from someone who was there when it happened. Thanks for letting me know!

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· May 17, 2013

How about "Olympian Cars of the Twenties and Thirties" by Richard Burns Carson or "The Survivors: American Classic Cars" by Henry Rasmussen. Both should be available on e bay or AbeBooks.com

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· May 17, 2013

If your interest extends to foreign coachbuilders, Swedish Coachbuilders by Jan Stroman is a recent publication, available in both Swedish and English. A good number of the cars illustrated are on US chassis, mostly Packard, Buick & Cadillac. A nice addition to the library of someone interested in coachbuilding.

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· May 22, 2013

[h=4]1967 THE FUN OF OLD CARS* STUBENRAUCH * RESTORING & COLLECTING is another great standby from the early days of American published books. If you get a copy there is a nice original 1931 Pierce-Arrow convertible coupe in it. I have serviced and driven that car. Surprisingly peppy and sporty to drive, you just can't beat an original car. [/h]Bernie

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· May 23, 2013

You would probably also enjoy "The American Rolls-Royce" by the late Art Soutter. Mr. Soutter was the Service Manager for RR of America, and was practically the first person hired, and last to go, so his experience covered the entire history of the American company. Its long out of print and I suppose quite expensive now but if you see a copy, its well worth getting. There is quite a bit of information about coachbuilding, especially the upgrades they did to older cars when they were still in excellent condition but starting to look dated.

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