What is Classic Car?

The Classic Car Club of America has its definition, the Antique Car Club of America has its definition, and your insurance company, state, or country may have one as well. In this book, we’re not concerned about these instead, we take a step back, look at a variety of body styles, builders, and countries of origin, and strive simply to deliver a selection of interesting and often beautiful cars, ones that I think any red-blooded car enthusiast should want to know more about. In other words, we are defining classic in a broad sense, using the word to indicate cars that are worth remembering years and decades later.

It is true that the majority of these cars were likely built before you and I were born. While enthusiasts gravitate toward vehicles that were popular when we were young and impressionable, for most of us, none of the cars here fit that description.

In any case, if you are already a car enthusiast, the chances are that you have a particular area of interest, and it’s likely that you’re most interested in more recent vehicles than those depicted here.

Don’t be too hasty to disregard these cars, though, even if they seem to be quite different from your favorites. I invite you to read an entry or two in this book, gaze at the beautiful photographs, and see if you can’t spark a new automotive interest.

The same motivations that caused engineers and designers to create the cars you already love also drove the men who built the automobiles found in Art of the Classic Car. The creators of these classic cars had the same goals as car builders from any era to make more power, improve handling, or to make an impactful statement with color and shape. The creativity visible in the cars these early automotive proponents built is just as impressive as that employed in any other era or even more so, given the technological constraints of earlier times.

Are you a fan of light, nimble sports cars? Check out the Mercer Raceabout for a truly bare-bones driving experience, or the Alfa Romeo 8C2900B for a more elegant approach.

Do you like big horsepower? Take a look at the big V-12 engines in the Packard Model 1106 Sport Coupe or the Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow. Hot rodders will like the Edsel Ford Speedster, built on a modified ’34 Ford chassis.

Do you like forced induction? Early auto-makers often turned to superchargers in an era when turbochargers (or more accurately, turbosuperchargers) had yet to be become prevalent. Cars like the Duesenberg SJ and the Mercedes-Benz 540K used supercharging to provide some boost.

Lovers of big land yachts should check out what Cadillac was up to in the early 1930s.

Racing fans are sure to find some inspiration in the Mormon Meteor I or the Stutz Bearcat, cars that achieved a great degree of success in land-speed and circuit racing, respectively.

It’s my hope that by studying these earlier expressions of automotive innovation, you will gain a greater appreciation for the history of the automobile. Not only will you enjoy yourself, but you’ll emerge having broadened your horizons. Perhaps you’ll even pick up some inspiration for a vehicle of your own. If you do, know that you are following in the footsteps and honoring the legacies of the creative minds who have come before you.