Standard Catalog of American Cars 1976-1999 (Paperback)

~ (Author), Ron Kowalke (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Provides in-depth coverage of future collector cars from 1976 through to 1999, with more than 2000 photographs. The book includes listings of production figures, options, serial numbers, technical data, specification charts, chassis information and historical facts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 976 pages
• Publisher: Krause Publications; 3 edition (December 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873417550
• ISBN-13: 978-0873417556
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.8 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #457,547 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exhaustive and informative, May 2, 2000

By	Mark Hasty (Verdon, NE) - See all my reviews

This book is not for everyone. Flammang and Kowalke have given us not merely a reference book, but a sort of "living history" of the American automobile industry's most challenging era. It's great fun to track the changes in American cars from the North American Vinyl-Backed Road Pigs of the mid-70s through the confusing transitional years of the 80s, on into the rebirth of the American auto industry in the 90s. Reading this book not only shows you how the way cars are built has changed; you also get a sense of how the way cars are sold has changed.

The reason this book is not for everyone is that this is essentially an encyclopedia. There's a section for every American automaker, and within those sections, a section for every model year. Thus you can learn what makes, say, a 1978 Chevy Impala different from the 1979 models. Or you can read about the travails of the Ford Motor Company in the late 70s and see how they dug themselves out of a rut with their products. Flammang and Kowalke have done a good job researching this book and finding telling little factoids to help illustrate where each company was at in a given year.

This book is also a boon to collectors, as it gives fairly complete production numbers. You can learn about ultra-rare body styles, option packages, and the like.

I've only got one quibble: the authors exclude any discussion of "captive imports" (cars produced by foreign manufacturers but sold with American names, like the Dodge Colt and Ford Fiesta). I can understand their rationale, but there are future collectibles among these cars, and it's been a *long* time since the Standard Guide to Imported Cars has been updated. On the whole, though, this is a good book for any hard-core auto enthusiast, and one of the best rainy-day reads I've got.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wealth of Information, April 22, 2002

By	joey kluck (Colo Springs, CO) - See all my reviews

The Standard Catalog of American Cars really sets the
standard to an automotive history book. The information is
overwhelming, and you will find yourself glued to the book
any chance you get.It's also a great book for anyone looking
for a used domestic automobile. It lets you find the right
car, and gives you options that you can look for while
shopping for your car. This is not a book for page flippers.
But it will fill your head with a wealth of information.
Best book ever!!!!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Standard catalogue of American Cars, November 16, 2007

By	L. A. Cooper (New Zealand) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Bought this for my husband and it will keep him busy for hours reading it. He loves any book that has Cars or Truck in it.