Chrysler Muscle: Marketing Detroit's Mightiest Machines [Paperback]

Bill Holder (Author), Phil Kunz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2003

- Photographs of legendary MOPAR cars from the late 1960s and early 1970s- Rich illustrations show how the marketing of these cars made them desirable- More than 200 full-color images from professional photographer Phil Kunz

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bill Holder is a retired U.S. Air Force aerospace engineer and has been an automotive writer for a quarter century. He has written hundreds of magazine articles and several popular books on aviation and automotive subjects. He lives in Lewisburg, Ohio. For nearly 20 years, Phil Kunz has devoted his life as a photojournalist to capturing the spirit of competition in his photographic art. He displays a unique view of action through his camera lens. He lives in Dayton, Ohio.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Krause Publications (October 31, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873496337
• ISBN-13: 978-0873496339
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,696,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A nice collection of pictures with horrid information!, December 20, 2003

By 

Sean Oster (Cudahy, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chrysler Muscle: Marketing Detroit's Mightiest Machines (Paperback)

I recieved this book as a gift for my birthday with very high hopes. Sadly it appears the autors knowledge of Chrysler Muscle cars was obtained by driving past a few dealerships during the late 60's and early 70's!

It is possible to find an illustration that is incorrectly identified on at least 50% of the pages: numerous cars are given the wrong names, some that are correct are the right years, chrome parts are said to be painted grey, round emblems are called gas caps and it goes on and on!

The text is horrible also. A few lines seem to have come straight from someone that has never been near the cars: "For example, the Dodge Super Bee and Plymouth Road Runner had identicle bodies. The differences were in the way they were detailed, chromed and advertised." "You can belive that if you placed a 425-HP Hemi in a 1960's Road Runner that originaly came with a 318-cid, the altered car would be worth more-Much, Much more!" These are just 2 ignorant errors within 2 pages of the book!

Overll the book is not anywhere near the standards of Krause Publications books and should be avoided at all costs! Some of the pictures are nice but there are quite a few pictures of fogged lace paint jobs from the mid 70's that will make anyone who loves these cars recoil in disgust.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Pictures are nice, June 24, 2004

By 

E. Dean Storonsky (Oxford, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chrysler Muscle: Marketing Detroit's Mightiest Machines (Paperback)

I was really excited when I purchased this book because the pictures are nicely laid out and show great detail. But there are so many errors it is tough to justify spending $24 on this book. It includes pictures of 1969 cars stating they are 1971??? Any mopar nut would know that from 50 feet away. Plus there are more errors where there is not enough space here to include. It is too bad because the book looks real nice but never judge a book by it's cover. The author could have any Mopar fan to proof read it and point out all the mistakes. Mopar fans are serious about Chrysler cars and know them inside and out.. Expensive picture book!!

1.0 out of 5 stars A book that gets by on its cover alone..., January 22, 2011

By 

Ryan Green (PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chrysler Muscle: Marketing Detroit's Mightiest Machines (Paperback)

The really only redeeming thing this book has is its cover artwork....which happens to be courtesy of actual vintage Chrysler advertisements, not the book's authors or producers. I bought this book largely based on the well done cover and the subtitle: "Marketing Detroit's Mightiest Machines", expecting a thoughtful analysis on the advertising and marketing that sold these great cars in their day. I was highly disappointed.

While there are some nice photos, and a small section that reproduces some the great period ads, the book is absolutely ruined by the worst writing I think I've ever come across in ANY book on ANY subject. It is unbelievable that this book was allowed to be printed and sold with such inane and useless writing and photo captions such as, "From this tough stance, you know this '69 GTS is one tough performance machine". There is hardly a photo in the entire book that does not have an equally absurd caption or one that simply states the patently obvious like: "A '69 Charger R/T aptly demonstrates the use of black on the rear valance".

I am not even going to go into the factual errors which also abound in this book, because others have. I know that the book's author is supposedly a known automotive writer with years of experience. I am not knowledgeable about any of his other work, but something clearly went wrong on this one.