Sirens of Chrome: The Enduring Allure of Auto Show Models [Hardcover]

Margery Krevsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2008

Ladies and gentlemen...rev your engines for a joyride through auto show history. Dozens of photographs of human hood ornaments and fast cars will bring you back and drive you forward - from turn-of-the-century goddesses and 1950s sexpots to the sleek sophistication of today's auto show spokespeople.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Margery Krevsky cofounded Productions Plus in 1981, and the agency rapidly became one of the major players in selecting and training talent for auto shows. Instead of bowing to the prevailing demand for women in ball gowns and short shorts, Krevksy took a risk with Pontiac, and then other automakers, presenting the talent in sophisticated business attire. At her insistence, models became trained as product information specialists so they could entice customers with facts. Her knowledge of the fashion and talent industries along with behind- the-scenes insights and personal anecdotes make Sirens of Chrome all the more engaging. Productions Plus is based in the Detroit suburb of Bingham Farms, Michigan.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Momentum Books (December 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1879094843
• ISBN-13: 978-1879094840
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #911,013 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, handsome and representative gearheads, January 8, 2009

By 

Robert C. Ross (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sirens of Chrome: The Enduring Allure of Auto Show Models (Hardcover)

Unlike his dad, my son loved cars from the first time he saw one; he used to push little specks of dust around our living room floors, pretending they were cars and he was a parking attendant. As he grew older, taking him to the Auto Show in New York City became an annual and eagerly anticipated (on the one hand) and patiently endured (on the other hand) son and father excursion.

When we first arrived at a booth, the sales people would offer me information and literature, but after a few minutes of my son's comments, I was relegated to keeper of the literature, pounds and pounds of literature, and an observer of the fascinating collection of people and presenters at the shows.

Our first show was in 1976 when my son was six, and beautiful models in a wide array of costumes were featured: ballet dancers, swim suits, ball room gowns, tight fitting Spandex, the list could go on and on.

This fascinating picture book is a wonderful trip down memory lane. I'm sure my son would argue there isn't enough about cars, but he would have to agree that the history of the presenter art form has taken a wide variety of forms over the years.

Margery Krevsky was a talent agent in the late 1970's and visited a couple of auto shows to see the working conditions of her clients. She asked a couple of the models drapped over the hoods of cars about the technical aspects of the machinery. In both cases, the models replied that they knew the answers, but weren't permitted to discuss the cars. Krevsky writes that she saw a great opportunity: she convinced Pontiac and then other auto makers to hire great looking people, but be sure they were educated in the technical aspects of the cars they adorned.

This book tells a great deal of her adventures in selling the concept to the auto companies and describes how the models were educated, all a very well told tale. But it's the pictorial story that fascinates. As she writes:

"These human hood ornaments are descendents of the Sirens of ancient Greek lore. They seek not to dash ships upon rocks but to entice the purchase of land-worthy ships to sail upon the highways and byways of America. Sirens of Chrome includes dozens of photographs, programs, and posters culled from the libraries, corporate files, and auto enthusiast portfolios, capturing decades of hot vehicles and torrid models. Discover whose "body" inspired the Rolls-Royce hood ornament or sit in a "rumble seat" with 1930s silver-screen goddess Joan Blondell. Gawk at over-the-top opulence of the Somali leopard pelt-upholstered 1957 Cadillac Debutante, sing along with Dinah Shore while you "See the U.S.A. in Your Chevrolet" or shake your head in wonder at the fur bikini-clad model atop a soviet-built Lada."

In a recent interview on NPR, Krevsky said that in her opinion the most memorable hood ornament was a beautiful model and a live lion. "It was going along very nicely and the lion was a very bad kitty cause he all of a sudden sunk his jaws into her thigh. Fortunately the handlers removed the jaws of the lion from her thigh, and from that moment forward you do not see many wild animals at press conferences anymore."

NPR has an excellent set of photos from this well produced picture book. I'm sure my son will enjoy a copy for his birthday, and his dad will have a couple of months to chuckle over the obsessions so many Americans seem to have with the automobile.

Robert C. Ross 2009

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sirens of Chrome, October 4, 2009

By 

J. hansen (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sirens of Chrome: The Enduring Allure of Auto Show Models (Hardcover)

The author is a friend, I enjoyed the book. I enjoyed how marketing impacted auto shows over the years. It was fast and informative. Thanks.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A revealing visual glimpse into the history of auto advertising, February 10, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sirens of Chrome: The Enduring Allure of Auto Show Models (Hardcover)

Sirens of Chrome: The Enduring Allure of Auto Show Models is an exceptional photography collection of vintage black-and-white and color photographs and posters used to advertise and sell cars - especially images involving attractive women! Each two-page spread features a photograph on the right, and a brief description of the history behind the image on the left; one of the more extraordinary shows an auto model posing with a lion, mere moments before the animal attacked her and had to be pried off by its handlers. A revealing visual glimpse into the history of auto advertising, Sirens of Chrome is sure to prove mesmerizing to automotive buffs of all types and backgrounds.