During the 1930s, the automobile industry expanded beyond the utilitarian, and producing cars with improved speed, strength, efficiency, size and comfort.
Auto body designs also changed considerably during the thirties, transitioning from the more box-like shapes (reminiscent of their predecessors, horse-drawn carriages) to those that were smoother, sleeker and more rounded. Luxury car designs also began to feature perks like radios, heaters, extra legroom and trunk space along with more powerful engines and automatic transmissions.
Buyers loved these improvements, and their popularity helped make it possible for the automotive industry to survive the Great Depression — and thrive — in the years leading up to World War II.
On the pages within, we have many of classic car brands dating back to the Thirties, including Plymouth, Studebaker, Chrysler, Pierce Arrow, Ford, Cadillac, Buick, Franklin, Lincoln, Hudson, Hupmobile, Packard and Oldsmobile. (Note that these images are not modern interpretations of these cars, but authentic illustrations drawn in the ’30s to advertise the automobiles or to go with newspaper stories.)
The drawings are arranged by year, and each of the images on the pages inside was chosen from thousands of illustrations published between 1930 and 1939. They’re all printed on just one side of the paper, while page numbering and other image information appears on the reverse, ensuring the coloring side is distraction-free and even suitable for framing.
Hope you enjoy the ride!
Note: In keeping with the original designs, the pictures are often very intricate, and there are large areas of black on certain pages. We chose not to over-simplify the artwork because of the tremendous amount of detail (and personality) that would be lost in the process. Please look at the preview pages to see thumbnails of the illustrations in this book.
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