My latest book – Cars of the Fantastic 50’s - features 44 chapters on some of the decade’s most famous (and infamous) names. Includes chapters on favorite Fifties classics, like the ’55-’57 Chevy and the ’55-’57 Ford Thunderbird. But, you’ll also find rarely seen Fifties classics like the Muntz Jet, Kaiser Dragon, Oldsmobile Fiesta, Dual-Ghia and the El Morocco. Beautiful color photos, interesting stories and period advertisements make this a great book for car lovers of all ages.
Reviews
Car Collector magazine:
If you love the 50’s, you’ll love this book. Having written my own book on the era, I know firsthand what it takes to write a credible book on American cars from the postwar era, and Dan has done a spectacular job both in his writing and even more so in his striking photography. His approach is less academic and focuses more on individual cars built in the 1950’s. In fact, the book doesn’t even have any chapters. It simply goes year by year, make by make from 1950 to 1959, touching on many of the greatest cars from Detroit’s glory era. He also makes sure to get in the boys from Indiana and the great American cars that came from Studebaker, as well as an eclectic mix of some legendary failures and lost marques including the 1952 Muntz Jet, 1953 Kaiser Dragon, 1953 Nash Healey, 1954 Kaiser-Darrin and Hudson Italia.
In all, Dan manages to pack 45 cars into only 192 pages, each with at least three pages and half a dozen photos. He also pays attention to details with shots of interiors and engines, and close-ups of dashboards, trim, hood ornaments, and unusual features, such as Kaiser Traveler’s secret hatchback and fold down rear seats, which were well ahead of their time for 1950.
Among my personal favorites that Dan pays tribute to with his camera are the 1953 Buick Skylark, Corvette and Olds Fiesta. Even if you don’t care that much about 1950’s American Cars, Cars of the Fantastic 50’s is just a beautiful book to look at and a perfect coffee table conversation piece. Where else can you get all that for less than $30?
Dennis Adler, Editorial Director
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
From The New York Times
“Those who receive it as a gift will soon be curled up, sipping a hot toddy or an eggnog, with visions of fender skirts dancing in their heads”
A survey of the most memorable vehicles of the times, June 25, 2006
Reviewer:
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
The 1950s were the heyday of innovative American automobile design, a fact celebrated by CARS OF THE FANTASTIC '50s, a survey of the most memorable vehicles of the times. The colorful tri-tones and chrome, wild design features, and glamorous embellishments come alive in a presentation featuring photographer Dan Lyons' lovely full-page color shots. Add in vintage color ads and plenty of background history and you have a keepsake coffee table display with outstanding depth and detail.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Click Here for the MotorWeek Review
From Booklist
Many car enthusiasts would argue that at least in terms of styling, the 1930s and the 1950s were the supreme moments in the U.S. automobile industry. Doubters will need little further persuasion of that fact, at least as it pertains to the 1950s, once they have perused the gorgeous pages of this large-format tribute to cars of that decade. This was, of course, the decade of fins and chrome, of three-tone paint jobs, of what marque you drove being a keen reflection of your economic and financial station in life. The 45 examples illustrated here, in exterior and interior and under-the-hood shots, and accompanied by helpful text highlighting the model's history and features, range from the 1950 Buick Roadmaster to the 1959 Pontiac Bonneville. Page after page to guide the reader down memory lane.
Brad Hooper
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