Customer Reviews

Wisconsin Cars and Trucks

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There are chapters of SAH throughout the USA and in Britain. They vary in size and interests; some are primarily social and others have regular historical programs for their members. A few, like the Wisconsin chapter, carry on chapter-wide research and writing projects. This work has culminated in the publcation of their first book, timed to coincide with the state's sesquicentennial celebrations.

Wisconsin Cars and Trucks is neatly organized into ten chapters plus an appendix listing over 80 automotive marques built in the state, and an index. Seven of the chapters cover vehicle manufacture; steam cars, trucks, major car and truck manufacture today, and four regional summaries covering vehicles built in Racine, Kenosha, southeast Wisconsin, and the Fox River Valley. Complimentary chapters concern component manufacturers, related auto topics (mostly Wisconsin license plates). The authors of several of the chapters are authorities on their subjects; most are chapter members. coverage of Wisconsin vehicles is exhaustive, from J.W.Carhart's 1871 steam-propelled "Spark" to present day Chrysler production in Kenosha, including the "mainstream" Nash, Kissel, Case and Mitchell, the not so wellknown Harris Six and Wausau Flyer, and the very obscure Ballard and Radford.

The book is nicely produced, with generally good quality photo reproduction, and a smooth-reading text, that belies its origins on the keyboards of 16 authors. Editor Quandt, who wrote a good many of the chapters himself, is to be congratulated on this book, which will tell you just about everything you could want to know about the automobile industry in Wisconsin.

I like to read books like this! Many of the articles, oops, chapters, may have been printed before in a local newsletter, but who cares? They seem well researched and are presented with a good deal of respect. Surprise!

Kenosha built automobiles make up only 10% of the pages in Wisconsin Cars and Trucks. There could have been more pages dedicated to the largest and longest-lasting manufacturing plant in Wisconsin, but there was so much more to cover, and besides that story is better covered in a book of its own.

The list of 183 brands of vehicles built in Wisconsin in the last 100 years is impressive. Kissel Kar, Mitchell, National and Rambler were the big ones during the brass era, but there were others and many of them are covered quite nicely. Harley-Davidson is not covered at all but, then again, has never been accused of making a car or truck.

Chapter 9 covers manufacturers of automotive components and it is quite interesting.

Wisconsin Cars and Trucks is not a coffee table book. It is something to read cover to cover and to be thankful for.

John C. Meyer III