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Engines of Change: A History of the American Dream in Fifteen Cars
From Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Paul Ingrassia comes a narrative of America like no other: a cultural history that explores how cars have both propelled and reflected the national experience—from the Model T to the Prius.
From the assembly lines of Henry Ford to the open roads of Route 66, America’s history is a vehicular history–an idea brought brilliantly to life in this major work by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Paul Ingrassia.
Engines of Change is a wondrous epic in fifteen automobiles, including the Corvette, the Beetle, and the Chevy Corvair, as well as the personalities and tales behind them: Robert McNamara’s unlikely role in Lee Iacocca’s Mustang, Henry Ford’s Model T, as well as Honda’s Accord, the BMW 3 Series, and the Jeep, among others. Through these cars and these characters, Ingrassia shows how the car has expressed the particularly American tension between the lure of freedom and the obligations of utility. Narrative history of the highest caliber, Engines of Change is an entirely edifying new way to look at the American story.
From the assembly lines of Henry Ford to the open roads of Route 66, America’s history is a vehicular history–an idea brought brilliantly to life in this major work by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Paul Ingrassia.
Engines of Change is a wondrous epic in fifteen automobiles, including the Corvette, the Beetle, and the Chevy Corvair, as well as the personalities and tales behind them: Robert McNamara’s unlikely role in Lee Iacocca’s Mustang, Henry Ford’s Model T, as well as Honda’s Accord, the BMW 3 Series, and the Jeep, among others. Through these cars and these characters, Ingrassia shows how the car has expressed the particularly American tension between the lure of freedom and the obligations of utility. Narrative history of the highest caliber, Engines of Change is an entirely edifying new way to look at the American story.
416 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2012
37 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
About the author
Paul Ingrassia
13 books11 followersPaul Ingrassia was an American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who served as managing editor of Reuters from 2011 to 2016.
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January 7, 2022
Paul Ingrassia's Engines of Change is a spirited ride through Americana, especially "the automobiles that have influenced how we live and think as Americans" (341). Hop in. You're going to enjoy the journey.
About Paul Ingrassia:
Paul Ingrassia (1950-2019) was a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist. His posts included Detroit Bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal, President of Dow Jones Newswires, and former managing editor of Reuters News. Ingrassia co-authored Comeback: The Fall and Rise of the American Automobile Industry (1994), Crash Course: The American Automobile Industry's Road from Glory to Disaster (2010), and Engines of Change (2012). Paul Ingrassia battled cancer for years, finally succumbing to pancreatic cancer in 2019. Reuters paid a wonderful tribute as did Stephen J. Adler in ‘Magic act: A tribute to Paul Ingrassia.' You can read both by clicking here.
About the cars featured:
Here are the fifteen cars Ingrassia features along with a prominent figure associated with the ride. Remember, this is about impact, not popularity:
1. The Ford Model T (Henry Ford)
2. The General Motors LaSalle
3. The Chevrolet Corvette (Zora Arkus-Duntov)
4. The 1959 Cadillac (Chuck Jordan, Harley Earl, George Walker, Virgil Exner)
5. Volkswagen Beetle and Microbus (Ferdinand Porsche, Heinz Nordhoff)
7. Chevy Corvair (Ed Cole, Ralph Nader)
8. Ford Mustang (Lee Iacocca)
9. Pontiac GTO (John DeLoran)
10. Honda Accord (Shige Yoshida, Soichiro Irimajiri, Tetsuo Chinio)
11. The Chrysler Minivan (lee Iacocca, Hal Sperlich)
12. The BMW 3 Series (Herbert Quandt)
13. The Jeep
14. The Ford F-Series Pickup Truck
15. The Prius (Takeshi Uchiyamada)
A few takeaways:
1. Cars and culture: "Whether the cars shaped the culture or the culture shaped the cars is just another version of whether the chicken came before the egg, or vice versa. Let's just say it's both" (xx). I thought this comment insightful:
2. Dynamic Duos: Ingrassia highlights some of the powerful #2 leaders. James Couzens (an essential second to Henry Ford) and Takeo Fujisawa (second to Soichiro Honda) and Hal Sperlich (second to Lee Iacocca).
3. Persistence and vision: Duntov is the embodiment of both. See chapter 2, "Zora, Zora, Zora." His story is a lesson in pushing through difficulties, speaking up when you see something others don't, and leaning into your vision. His was the Corvette. "What's your Corvette?"
4. Seeing the value beyond the value: Duntov resisted the push to add a back seat to the Corvette even though Ford's additional seat was helping sell thousands of units. "The value must be gauged by effects it may have on an overall picture." "He was arguing that the Corvette's greatest value to General Motors would lie not in its actual sales, but in its ability to help transform the lackluster image of Chevrolet" (46).
5. Unsung Cultural Icons:
About Zora Duntov, George Will wrote: "If you do not mourn his passing, you are not a good American" (55). George Will's eyes see further, his mind digs deeper than many. He recognized the significance of Duntov and the Corvette to America, the importance of fighting for an ideal, of understanding the importance of a flagship even though that flagship may not generate revenue, the necessary desire for ingenuity and the power of overcoming adversity.
6. The cost of a bad idea: "Ford hoped to sell 200,000 Edsels in the first year, but wound up selling just one-third that many. In November 1959, after two years of futility and $400 million in losses, Ford killed the Edsel before the car could kill the company" (75).
7. The power of good advertising and self-deprecation.
VW decided not to attempt to "out-Detroit Detroit. The Volkswagen ads instead would be witty and self-deprecating befitting a car that looked, well, funny" (97-98). Their ad, "How do you think the snowplow man gets to the snowplow?" was voted the "Best Television Commercial of the Century" in 1999 (100). Lesson: Advertise who you are. Don't try to play up something you are not.
8. Ironic Providence: Read the Ingrassia account of the Corvair, Ralph Nader, and the election of George W. Bush. "It can be safely said, at any speed, that the Chevy Corvair's legacy helped make George W. Bush president of the United States" (139). This is not hyperbole.
9. Don't mock plain and effective: The Falcon of the 1960's was derided as bland. "Super low cost, zero personality." But Ford sold 417,174 Falcons during the car's first year.
10. Sometimes a budgetary challenge is a good thing: Ford lost $400,000,000 on the Edsel so proposed only a $50 million budget to build the Mustang. The car had to sell for under $2,500 and did (See Chapter 6).
11. Eat Crow! Early in his career, Soichiro Irimajiri had to publicly apologize to each member of the R&D team at Honda after his design of a piston caused them to lose a race. Later, he would reign over Honda's American manufacturing and lecture at Harvard Business School. Imagine what might not have happened had he quit or refused to eat crow (See pages 197 and 213).
12. Visionaries see what others do not: This is true of Iacocca (Mustang, Minivan), Soichiro Honda, John DeLorean, Harley Earl and so many more. Take the time to see, look ahead, and think.
Leaders Are Readers:
1. "The Marque of Zora" 1972 Sports Illustrated
2. Jerry Burton, Zora Arkus-Duntov: The Legend Behind Corvette (Cambridge, MA: Bentley Publishers, 2002).
My recommendation:
I read one reviewer's headline: "This is a car guys book." Yes it is, but it is so much more than that. Engines of Change shows off Ingrassia's impressive research, fascinating stories, delightful sense of humor, insights about the automotive world, and even more his understanding of the automobile's ability to shape America and American culture -- and to be shaped by it. Engines of Change is what you see at the intersection of cars and culture. Not a crash, but an interesting parade of progress. Ingrassia writes, "The great American road trip was always about searching for something meaningful, more or less" (295). The author gives us that meaningful "more." I highly recommend Engines of Change: A History Of The American Dream In Fifteen Cars.
But this book isn't intended to be about great cars, fast cars, or famous cars, although it contains some of each. . . . The cars in this book either changed American society or uniquely captured the spirit of their time. By those criteria most cars, even those regarded as automotive icons, fall short" (341).I have traveled the pages of this book two times. This trip won't be my last. Engines of Change: A History of the American Dream in Fifteen Cars is that good. Interesting. Insightful. Enlightening. Humorous. It is all of that and more.
About Paul Ingrassia:
Paul Ingrassia (1950-2019) was a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist. His posts included Detroit Bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal, President of Dow Jones Newswires, and former managing editor of Reuters News. Ingrassia co-authored Comeback: The Fall and Rise of the American Automobile Industry (1994), Crash Course: The American Automobile Industry's Road from Glory to Disaster (2010), and Engines of Change (2012). Paul Ingrassia battled cancer for years, finally succumbing to pancreatic cancer in 2019. Reuters paid a wonderful tribute as did Stephen J. Adler in ‘Magic act: A tribute to Paul Ingrassia.' You can read both by clicking here.
About the cars featured:
Here are the fifteen cars Ingrassia features along with a prominent figure associated with the ride. Remember, this is about impact, not popularity:
1. The Ford Model T (Henry Ford)
2. The General Motors LaSalle
3. The Chevrolet Corvette (Zora Arkus-Duntov)
4. The 1959 Cadillac (Chuck Jordan, Harley Earl, George Walker, Virgil Exner)
5. Volkswagen Beetle and Microbus (Ferdinand Porsche, Heinz Nordhoff)
7. Chevy Corvair (Ed Cole, Ralph Nader)
8. Ford Mustang (Lee Iacocca)
9. Pontiac GTO (John DeLoran)
10. Honda Accord (Shige Yoshida, Soichiro Irimajiri, Tetsuo Chinio)
11. The Chrysler Minivan (lee Iacocca, Hal Sperlich)
12. The BMW 3 Series (Herbert Quandt)
13. The Jeep
14. The Ford F-Series Pickup Truck
15. The Prius (Takeshi Uchiyamada)
A few takeaways:
1. Cars and culture: "Whether the cars shaped the culture or the culture shaped the cars is just another version of whether the chicken came before the egg, or vice versa. Let's just say it's both" (xx). I thought this comment insightful:
Hefner, Elvis, and the other cultural rebels of the day stood for bigger parties not for social justice or conservation or anything like that. I have a coincidence, self-indulgence offered Detroit a lot more profit potential than self-denial. Cars that were bigger and flasher cost more than cars that were plain and simple. So there was an odd, if often wary, alignment between America’s cultural rebels and its blue-suited corporate establishment. It was a perfect atmosphere for automotive extravagance (66-67).One may not think of automobiles as a reflection of culture, but I think Ingrassia's assessment is spot on. What are the implications for today?
2. Dynamic Duos: Ingrassia highlights some of the powerful #2 leaders. James Couzens (an essential second to Henry Ford) and Takeo Fujisawa (second to Soichiro Honda) and Hal Sperlich (second to Lee Iacocca).
3. Persistence and vision: Duntov is the embodiment of both. See chapter 2, "Zora, Zora, Zora." His story is a lesson in pushing through difficulties, speaking up when you see something others don't, and leaning into your vision. His was the Corvette. "What's your Corvette?"
4. Seeing the value beyond the value: Duntov resisted the push to add a back seat to the Corvette even though Ford's additional seat was helping sell thousands of units. "The value must be gauged by effects it may have on an overall picture." "He was arguing that the Corvette's greatest value to General Motors would lie not in its actual sales, but in its ability to help transform the lackluster image of Chevrolet" (46).
5. Unsung Cultural Icons:
About Zora Duntov, George Will wrote: "If you do not mourn his passing, you are not a good American" (55). George Will's eyes see further, his mind digs deeper than many. He recognized the significance of Duntov and the Corvette to America, the importance of fighting for an ideal, of understanding the importance of a flagship even though that flagship may not generate revenue, the necessary desire for ingenuity and the power of overcoming adversity.
6. The cost of a bad idea: "Ford hoped to sell 200,000 Edsels in the first year, but wound up selling just one-third that many. In November 1959, after two years of futility and $400 million in losses, Ford killed the Edsel before the car could kill the company" (75).
7. The power of good advertising and self-deprecation.
VW decided not to attempt to "out-Detroit Detroit. The Volkswagen ads instead would be witty and self-deprecating befitting a car that looked, well, funny" (97-98). Their ad, "How do you think the snowplow man gets to the snowplow?" was voted the "Best Television Commercial of the Century" in 1999 (100). Lesson: Advertise who you are. Don't try to play up something you are not.
8. Ironic Providence: Read the Ingrassia account of the Corvair, Ralph Nader, and the election of George W. Bush. "It can be safely said, at any speed, that the Chevy Corvair's legacy helped make George W. Bush president of the United States" (139). This is not hyperbole.
9. Don't mock plain and effective: The Falcon of the 1960's was derided as bland. "Super low cost, zero personality." But Ford sold 417,174 Falcons during the car's first year.
10. Sometimes a budgetary challenge is a good thing: Ford lost $400,000,000 on the Edsel so proposed only a $50 million budget to build the Mustang. The car had to sell for under $2,500 and did (See Chapter 6).
11. Eat Crow! Early in his career, Soichiro Irimajiri had to publicly apologize to each member of the R&D team at Honda after his design of a piston caused them to lose a race. Later, he would reign over Honda's American manufacturing and lecture at Harvard Business School. Imagine what might not have happened had he quit or refused to eat crow (See pages 197 and 213).
12. Visionaries see what others do not: This is true of Iacocca (Mustang, Minivan), Soichiro Honda, John DeLorean, Harley Earl and so many more. Take the time to see, look ahead, and think.
Leaders Are Readers:
1. "The Marque of Zora" 1972 Sports Illustrated
2. Jerry Burton, Zora Arkus-Duntov: The Legend Behind Corvette (Cambridge, MA: Bentley Publishers, 2002).
My recommendation:
I read one reviewer's headline: "This is a car guys book." Yes it is, but it is so much more than that. Engines of Change shows off Ingrassia's impressive research, fascinating stories, delightful sense of humor, insights about the automotive world, and even more his understanding of the automobile's ability to shape America and American culture -- and to be shaped by it. Engines of Change is what you see at the intersection of cars and culture. Not a crash, but an interesting parade of progress. Ingrassia writes, "The great American road trip was always about searching for something meaningful, more or less" (295). The author gives us that meaningful "more." I highly recommend Engines of Change: A History Of The American Dream In Fifteen Cars.
September 22, 2019
Not really a tech-y book about cars, but about 100+ years of American history, our culture (and pop culture), business, and sociology. This one's not just for the gear-head crowd, folks! Ingrassia's work educates - with a fair dose of humor and opinion - while it entertains and I'm fond of that type of style in a book, TV show, and/or movie. He deftly is able to connect the dots between Mustangs, Corvettes, and GTOs to Beetles, Prius, and minivans. This one may be going onto my 'favorites' list.
February 9, 2022
“Our whole way of life in America is geared to the automobile. It has come to mean much more than transportation. It has become a status symbol.”
tl;dr: Boomer pokes fun at every car he didn’t grow up with.
Just off Woodward, the Royal Pontiac dealership specialized in modifying GTOs to hit nearly 110 miles an hour. As Poynter put it, “you could feel the sensation in the seat of your pants.” Or maybe in the front of your pants. #justboomerthings
As a history of the automobile industry, Engines of Change was decent. Since reading the book, I participated in a conversation where I was able to speak intelligently about the ZR1. I will likely forget most of what I read, but Engines of Change provided context for a world I’ve never much been a part of. There were plenty of little factoids that ticked my brain.
The “Tin Lizzie,” as the Model T was nicknamed
The automobile’s influence on American culture extends even to its colloquialisms.
The bankrupt Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company was revived under new ownership with a top-of-the-line model costing upward of $20,000—equivalent to $245,000 today. The phrase “It’s a Duesie” entered the language as an expression of admiration, even though Duesenberg would fold during the Depression.
The most interesting factoid:
Jerry Garcia, leader of a band called the Grateful Dead
Okay so sue me, I knew the namesake of the Ben & Jerry flavor was someone famous, just didn’t know who.
The impetus to “keep up” propelled Detroit’s annual styling change, indeed its entire business model, not to mention the conspicuous consumption driving the whole American economy. By implication Volkswagen buyers were different—heck, not just different, but better—than their conventional, status-seeking neighbors.
Volkswagen - the original Apple.
After building only 8,563 cars DeLorean Motor entered bankruptcy in February 1982.
And if one of those cars wasn’t featured in a movie they would be known as the failures of engineering they were and not as a collectible for nerds. Looking at you, Ernest Cline.
Army bureaucrats called their new prize the General Purpose vehicle, or GP, which sounded like “jeep” when pronounced quickly.
So, technically, “jeepie” is more historically accurate than “jeep”. NOBODY TELL MY SISTER.
He was Ed Cole, whose Horatio Alger life had brought him to the top of Chevrolet, the biggest automotive nameplate in the world.
The fact that one guy I’ve never heard of is compared to another guy I’ve never heard of tells me I’m not the target demographic for this book. I would have appreciated more engineering and design details and fewer character studies and reliving the glory days.
During the tail-finned Fifties Americans had trusted, by and large, government officials, clergy, educators, and corporate executives. But that was before Vietnam, urban riots, campus unrest, and before the Chevy Corvair. Mistrust of authority became the new ambient attitude.
This, this is good writing. How Ingrassia possessed the awareness to pen this line and then completely gloss over the Punk subculture of the 70s in a book ostensibly about American culture is flabbergasting.
“In our age where the average person is a cog wheel who gets pushed in the subways, elevators, department stores, cafeterias, lives in the same house as the next fellow, has the same style of furniture, [and] wears the same clothing, . . . the ownership of a different car provides the means to ascertain his individuality to himself and everybody around”
“Assert your individuality through the purchase of a mass-produced good.” If that ain’t peak Boomer mentality.
“We in the United States have a new feature, a strictly American invention—the provision of continually increasing purchasing power for the consumer.”
Are you sure?
As a commentary on American culture, Engines of Change leaves something to be desired. Ingrassia argues that American culture is car culture. This is an unsurprising take from a member of the Boomer generation, but I agree with the spirit of his thesis - up to a certain point. Car culture declined as Internet culture rose. Consider the car as a series of value propositions that can now be fulfilled by the Internet: driving to the local spot to hang out with friends is now logging into Discord or Fortnite; grabbing dinner is now Uber Eats; dating is now Tinder; work is now Microsoft Teams. American culture was car culture, but American culture is Facebook culture.
The Beach Boys sang a song about a drag race called “Shut Down,” but nobody has yet recorded one called “Download.”
Engines of Change was published in 2012. I’m going to give Ingrassia the benefit of the doubt; this statement may have been accurate then, but it’s not accurate now.
---
Ingrassia is a good writer, and he has a knack for poking fun at demographics of car owners in a subtle way, like a guy talking in such a smooth monotone that it takes you a second to realize he slipped an insult into the conversation. It’s a shame that, with a couple exceptions, he wasn’t able to point that insight at his own demographic. By and large, he writes in tones of reverence for the cars and public figures surrounding those cars he grew up with, and veiled disdain for everyone and everything else. Still, it’s fun to read, so let’s round ‘em up.
The mystique and the throaty roar of the GTO still resonate with the Cruisin’ Tigers, mostly men in their late fifties and early sixties, some paunchy, others gray-haired, others nearly bald. Their vintage GTOs are like potent elixirs that vividly evoke the flat-bellied, full-haired, testosterone-driven days of their past.
gottem
Women represented 42 percent of Mustang buyers
DAILY REMINDER THAT MUSTANGS WERE ALWAYS A GIRL CAR LMAO GOTTEM
Behind the wheel, Skwirblies isn’t just another suburban salesman with a house and a family. “I like showing off and I like the attention,” he says. “My car is my getaway.”
Ah, the rare self-burn. gottem
The Accord would never be a flashy hot rod like those cars. It appealed to people who wanted safe, reliable, and enjoyable driving, not to people who saw their car as an extension of their personality, or of anything else.
Actually, this one doesn’t seem to be a gottem. But maybe that’s because it’s the demographic I most belong to.
Yuppies, distinguished not only by their age and their occupations, were people who had to buy to live, just as sharks had to swim to breathe. But they couldn’t buy just ordinary stuff. Theirs was a restless and creative materialism, a constant search to find the most distinctive and expensive version of just about anything.
Yuppies, amiright? Bit rich of a Boomer to denigrate another demographic as “people who had to buy to live, just as sharks had to swim to breathe.” still, gottem
THE JEEP: FROM WAR TO SUBURBIA, OR HOW TO LOOK LIKE YOU’RE GOING ROCK CLIMBING WHEN YOU’RE REALLY GOING TO NORDSTROM
This was the subheading for the chapter on the Jeep, and it literally describes one of my sisters. absolutely rekt
“People want to be in the costume,” L.L.Bean executives told one another. “They want to be part of the tribe.” Which meant wearing Bean Boots and a field coat on rainy-day runs to Target.
lol gottem
Another woman, in Sarasota, bought her $40,000 Range Rover to “go antiquing,” and told the Wall Street Journal that she’d never even consider driving it off-road. “Ugh. Imagine the dirt,” she explained.
We’re heading into Poe’s Law territory with this one.
Many Harley-Davidson edition owners were accountants or urologists who rode motorcycles on weekends to indulge their inner outlaw. They could haul their Harley motorcycles to Harley conclaves in Harley trucks, in case anyone missed the point.
gottem
You have a Prius. . . . You probably compost, sort all your recycling, and have a reusable shopping bag for your short drive to Whole Foods. You are the best! So, do we really need the Obama sticker? —The Portland Mercury, 2008
This is 50% me. Still, gottem
---
So. Engines of change was flawed, and wasn’t written for me, but I find increasing value in historical context as I complete my transition into an old man. Worth reading, not worth rereading.
tl;dr: Boomer pokes fun at every car he didn’t grow up with.
Just off Woodward, the Royal Pontiac dealership specialized in modifying GTOs to hit nearly 110 miles an hour. As Poynter put it, “you could feel the sensation in the seat of your pants.” Or maybe in the front of your pants. #justboomerthings
As a history of the automobile industry, Engines of Change was decent. Since reading the book, I participated in a conversation where I was able to speak intelligently about the ZR1. I will likely forget most of what I read, but Engines of Change provided context for a world I’ve never much been a part of. There were plenty of little factoids that ticked my brain.
The “Tin Lizzie,” as the Model T was nicknamed
The automobile’s influence on American culture extends even to its colloquialisms.
The bankrupt Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company was revived under new ownership with a top-of-the-line model costing upward of $20,000—equivalent to $245,000 today. The phrase “It’s a Duesie” entered the language as an expression of admiration, even though Duesenberg would fold during the Depression.
The most interesting factoid:
Jerry Garcia, leader of a band called the Grateful Dead
Okay so sue me, I knew the namesake of the Ben & Jerry flavor was someone famous, just didn’t know who.
The impetus to “keep up” propelled Detroit’s annual styling change, indeed its entire business model, not to mention the conspicuous consumption driving the whole American economy. By implication Volkswagen buyers were different—heck, not just different, but better—than their conventional, status-seeking neighbors.
Volkswagen - the original Apple.
After building only 8,563 cars DeLorean Motor entered bankruptcy in February 1982.
And if one of those cars wasn’t featured in a movie they would be known as the failures of engineering they were and not as a collectible for nerds. Looking at you, Ernest Cline.
Army bureaucrats called their new prize the General Purpose vehicle, or GP, which sounded like “jeep” when pronounced quickly.
So, technically, “jeepie” is more historically accurate than “jeep”. NOBODY TELL MY SISTER.
He was Ed Cole, whose Horatio Alger life had brought him to the top of Chevrolet, the biggest automotive nameplate in the world.
The fact that one guy I’ve never heard of is compared to another guy I’ve never heard of tells me I’m not the target demographic for this book. I would have appreciated more engineering and design details and fewer character studies and reliving the glory days.
During the tail-finned Fifties Americans had trusted, by and large, government officials, clergy, educators, and corporate executives. But that was before Vietnam, urban riots, campus unrest, and before the Chevy Corvair. Mistrust of authority became the new ambient attitude.
This, this is good writing. How Ingrassia possessed the awareness to pen this line and then completely gloss over the Punk subculture of the 70s in a book ostensibly about American culture is flabbergasting.
“In our age where the average person is a cog wheel who gets pushed in the subways, elevators, department stores, cafeterias, lives in the same house as the next fellow, has the same style of furniture, [and] wears the same clothing, . . . the ownership of a different car provides the means to ascertain his individuality to himself and everybody around”
“Assert your individuality through the purchase of a mass-produced good.” If that ain’t peak Boomer mentality.
“We in the United States have a new feature, a strictly American invention—the provision of continually increasing purchasing power for the consumer.”
Are you sure?
As a commentary on American culture, Engines of Change leaves something to be desired. Ingrassia argues that American culture is car culture. This is an unsurprising take from a member of the Boomer generation, but I agree with the spirit of his thesis - up to a certain point. Car culture declined as Internet culture rose. Consider the car as a series of value propositions that can now be fulfilled by the Internet: driving to the local spot to hang out with friends is now logging into Discord or Fortnite; grabbing dinner is now Uber Eats; dating is now Tinder; work is now Microsoft Teams. American culture was car culture, but American culture is Facebook culture.
The Beach Boys sang a song about a drag race called “Shut Down,” but nobody has yet recorded one called “Download.”
Engines of Change was published in 2012. I’m going to give Ingrassia the benefit of the doubt; this statement may have been accurate then, but it’s not accurate now.
---
Ingrassia is a good writer, and he has a knack for poking fun at demographics of car owners in a subtle way, like a guy talking in such a smooth monotone that it takes you a second to realize he slipped an insult into the conversation. It’s a shame that, with a couple exceptions, he wasn’t able to point that insight at his own demographic. By and large, he writes in tones of reverence for the cars and public figures surrounding those cars he grew up with, and veiled disdain for everyone and everything else. Still, it’s fun to read, so let’s round ‘em up.
The mystique and the throaty roar of the GTO still resonate with the Cruisin’ Tigers, mostly men in their late fifties and early sixties, some paunchy, others gray-haired, others nearly bald. Their vintage GTOs are like potent elixirs that vividly evoke the flat-bellied, full-haired, testosterone-driven days of their past.
gottem
Women represented 42 percent of Mustang buyers
DAILY REMINDER THAT MUSTANGS WERE ALWAYS A GIRL CAR LMAO GOTTEM
Behind the wheel, Skwirblies isn’t just another suburban salesman with a house and a family. “I like showing off and I like the attention,” he says. “My car is my getaway.”
Ah, the rare self-burn. gottem
The Accord would never be a flashy hot rod like those cars. It appealed to people who wanted safe, reliable, and enjoyable driving, not to people who saw their car as an extension of their personality, or of anything else.
Actually, this one doesn’t seem to be a gottem. But maybe that’s because it’s the demographic I most belong to.
Yuppies, distinguished not only by their age and their occupations, were people who had to buy to live, just as sharks had to swim to breathe. But they couldn’t buy just ordinary stuff. Theirs was a restless and creative materialism, a constant search to find the most distinctive and expensive version of just about anything.
Yuppies, amiright? Bit rich of a Boomer to denigrate another demographic as “people who had to buy to live, just as sharks had to swim to breathe.” still, gottem
THE JEEP: FROM WAR TO SUBURBIA, OR HOW TO LOOK LIKE YOU’RE GOING ROCK CLIMBING WHEN YOU’RE REALLY GOING TO NORDSTROM
This was the subheading for the chapter on the Jeep, and it literally describes one of my sisters. absolutely rekt
“People want to be in the costume,” L.L.Bean executives told one another. “They want to be part of the tribe.” Which meant wearing Bean Boots and a field coat on rainy-day runs to Target.
lol gottem
Another woman, in Sarasota, bought her $40,000 Range Rover to “go antiquing,” and told the Wall Street Journal that she’d never even consider driving it off-road. “Ugh. Imagine the dirt,” she explained.
We’re heading into Poe’s Law territory with this one.
Many Harley-Davidson edition owners were accountants or urologists who rode motorcycles on weekends to indulge their inner outlaw. They could haul their Harley motorcycles to Harley conclaves in Harley trucks, in case anyone missed the point.
gottem
You have a Prius. . . . You probably compost, sort all your recycling, and have a reusable shopping bag for your short drive to Whole Foods. You are the best! So, do we really need the Obama sticker? —The Portland Mercury, 2008
This is 50% me. Still, gottem
---
So. Engines of change was flawed, and wasn’t written for me, but I find increasing value in historical context as I complete my transition into an old man. Worth reading, not worth rereading.
March 20, 2025
I started this book very excited. Unfortunately, it was an agonizing read. It’s very apparent that there author never expected a woman (anyone beyond an older straight man, really) to pick up this book and it is full of boomer jokes, sexism. One notable example is a story about an exec who would grab the secretaries breasts from behind and say “guess who!” told in a cutesy way, like it is hilarious and totally okay. Barf me a river. It contained a lot of interesting facts and stories but woof, the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze on this one.
January 18, 2025
Take that, Skippy!
September 1, 2024
Super super fun book drawing very believable connections between culture and commodity in America.
April 22, 2013
EofC is a really good look at the Detroit Big Three back when they really were the Big Three. Ingrassia covers fifteen of what he sees as the cars that changed America. Included are Mustang, Corvette, the Corvair. It was fun and interesting to read about the luck, the mistakes, the changes over 40 years and since that's the same 40 to 50 years I've been driving I remember a lot of what he talks about.
My favorite by far is the chapter on the Jeep which talks more about the changing tastes of American mainstream than anything else. I never thought of L.L. Bean and the Gremlin and Jeep brand as having something in common.
If, on the other hand, you're not a car nut than this is probably not for you. But, tired of the van, then maybe it's time to look at the car culture. No new models here just good reading for us gearheads.
My first car was a 1955 Bel-Air Chevy my dad bought for me to commute to school. It had a steering wheel that should have been on a riverboat, the gas cap was hidden behind the tail light, and I could probably sleep in the trunk if I had to. My first car I owned was a 1970 Pontiac LeMans. It was the last of the super cool Pontiac. I've only owned the Pontiac, a new VW, a used Tempo and a used '95 Ford Ranger.
I had a pal who married the back of a '65 Vette with the front end of a '64 Vette. One evening, in the summer, we took it out on the US 45 south of Tolono, Illinois, and he lit her up! That baby could punch holes in the atmosphere.
My favorite by far is the chapter on the Jeep which talks more about the changing tastes of American mainstream than anything else. I never thought of L.L. Bean and the Gremlin and Jeep brand as having something in common.
If, on the other hand, you're not a car nut than this is probably not for you. But, tired of the van, then maybe it's time to look at the car culture. No new models here just good reading for us gearheads.
My first car was a 1955 Bel-Air Chevy my dad bought for me to commute to school. It had a steering wheel that should have been on a riverboat, the gas cap was hidden behind the tail light, and I could probably sleep in the trunk if I had to. My first car I owned was a 1970 Pontiac LeMans. It was the last of the super cool Pontiac. I've only owned the Pontiac, a new VW, a used Tempo and a used '95 Ford Ranger.
I had a pal who married the back of a '65 Vette with the front end of a '64 Vette. One evening, in the summer, we took it out on the US 45 south of Tolono, Illinois, and he lit her up! That baby could punch holes in the atmosphere.
July 29, 2012
This book (like the title suggests) is the American dream in fifteen cars. Some of the facts about those cars, the history behind their existence, and the history they represent were very surprising. I didn't know that the Corvette almost wasn't made and the war of the great tail fins happened. Nor did I know the story behind the Prius and the Beetle. This book showed me what the American Dream is all about through the lens of a subject I love; cars. It changed my view of how we the people have evolved and adapted to overcome the obstacles placed before us and it proved to me that we make great cars. Each chapter is the story and relevance for another car. There weren't really and debatable subjects except maybe which car is the best. I would recommend this book to people who care about the history of the American Dream and who care about cars. I loved this book because I care about both.
October 27, 2012
...good read over all...certainly for car-guys and gals but interesting in it's historical presentation and interpretations...the chapter on pick-up trucks was probably the most humourous and the Prius the most educational...didn't know much about the genesis of the alternate fuel auto...and, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche also showed up there...turns out he too had one on the drawing board and even made it into producing a one-off model...man before his time...again...the writer has some chops (won a Pulitzer Prize for writing so that should be a given) and uses some dry, almost biting wit in his delivery...worth a read for sure...
February 23, 2014
This is more than a "car book." It is culural history at its finest; a unique approach and informative on a grand scale. It deftly traces the evolution of the automobile industry and its influence on changes in American entertainment and life styles, and vice-versa. It will bring back memories to readers of all ages. I was not prepared for the pleasure I found in this book.
October 10, 2021
If you’re a car buff, this is a rollicking read, impossible to put down! I enjoyed it from front to back, it never lost my interest, and it will change how you think of various time periods in history. American’s self-image have always been connected to the cars they drove (who keeps the paperwork from their first computer purchase, or names it?), yet certain cars in American history “rose above merely defining the people who drove them. ..Like some movies, and books they defined large swaths of American culture, helped to shape their era, and uniquely reflected the spirit of their age.” This book chronicles 15 of those cars, and Paul Ingrassia is an excellent tour guide, being the former Detroit bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal and other of other books on the auto industry. Here’s how he frames it, which I just loved:
“Modern American culture is basically a big tug-of-war. It’s a yin-versus-yang contest between the practical and the pretentious, the frugal versus the flamboyant, haute cuisine versus hot wings, uptown versus downtown, big-is-better versus small-is-beautiful, and Saturday night versus Sunday morning. Every vehicle in this book represents either practicality or pretension, although a couple of them straddle the great divide.”
Did the cars shape the culture, or the culture shape the cars? “Let’s just say it’s both.” You’ll meet not only the well-known names behind each car (Ford, Sloan, DeLorean, Iacocca, Porsche, etc.) but also the less known engineers and designers who did so much behind the scenes to bring these cars to market, sometimes fighting against the bureaucracies of the very companies in which they worked. For instance, the man behind the Corvette is a fascinating story. My favorite line in the book is actually from John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row:
“Someone should write an erudite essay on the moral, physical, and esthetic effect of the Model T Ford on the American nation. Two generations of Americans knew more about the Ford coil than the clitoris, about the planetary system of gears than the solar system of stars.”
Well, Paul Ingrassia did exactly that with this work. One of my Top Five books of the year, highly recommended.
“Modern American culture is basically a big tug-of-war. It’s a yin-versus-yang contest between the practical and the pretentious, the frugal versus the flamboyant, haute cuisine versus hot wings, uptown versus downtown, big-is-better versus small-is-beautiful, and Saturday night versus Sunday morning. Every vehicle in this book represents either practicality or pretension, although a couple of them straddle the great divide.”
Did the cars shape the culture, or the culture shape the cars? “Let’s just say it’s both.” You’ll meet not only the well-known names behind each car (Ford, Sloan, DeLorean, Iacocca, Porsche, etc.) but also the less known engineers and designers who did so much behind the scenes to bring these cars to market, sometimes fighting against the bureaucracies of the very companies in which they worked. For instance, the man behind the Corvette is a fascinating story. My favorite line in the book is actually from John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row:
“Someone should write an erudite essay on the moral, physical, and esthetic effect of the Model T Ford on the American nation. Two generations of Americans knew more about the Ford coil than the clitoris, about the planetary system of gears than the solar system of stars.”
Well, Paul Ingrassia did exactly that with this work. One of my Top Five books of the year, highly recommended.
January 19, 2019
The book "Engines of Change" by Paul Ingrassia walks you through the history of fifteen famous cars. The book starts with introducing Henry Ford who was the founder of the Ford Motor Company. He created a revolutionary vehicle called the Model T that was the most popular automobile of its time because it was well designed to make transportation even better. The Model T was the creation of The Ford Motor Company which started their success. Although the Model T was one of the best selling cars of its time other companies were creating vehicles to compete with Ford. Later in time newer car designs were being built and the Volkswagen Beetle came to be popular after the Model T. Surprisingly enough Adolf Hitler actually owned a Volkswagen Beetle because he wanted something was economical and efficient. These two cars started the competition of which company could create a car with both fashion and quality of transportation. Then Ford introduced the Mustang that was designed for racing. The Mustang was a special combination of a casual car that had speed. Overall, Ford has been seen to have incredible inventions in the past and they are still doing a great job with creating new models to this day.
This book was really fascinating to learn about these car companies and their previous creations compared to the cars of today. It was enjoyable to hear about what their first creations were like compared to their newest models because they are so different. This book was interesting because I enjoy cars and like to learn about their history. I had no idea how these cars had such an impact on people’s lives. Reading about the Mustang was my favorite part of the book because people were amazed by its performance and speed. All in all, I was thoroughly educated about the automobile history and am excited to keep up on the future of what these companies are going to accomplish next.
This book was really fascinating to learn about these car companies and their previous creations compared to the cars of today. It was enjoyable to hear about what their first creations were like compared to their newest models because they are so different. This book was interesting because I enjoy cars and like to learn about their history. I had no idea how these cars had such an impact on people’s lives. Reading about the Mustang was my favorite part of the book because people were amazed by its performance and speed. All in all, I was thoroughly educated about the automobile history and am excited to keep up on the future of what these companies are going to accomplish next.
February 16, 2025
Quoting the author, this book is about “the automobiles that have influenced how we live and think as Americans.” Note, that doesn’t necessarily include the best cars or the most popular cars.
I challenge one to find a male boomer who wouldn’t like this book, both for its review of many cars we grew up with, as well as concise reviews of 20th century American history and sociology. The chapters on the WWII jeep and on pickup trucks are still relevant today.
These cars didn’t build themselves. Some of the men behind them were one of a kind. One thinks of Zora Arkus-Duntov (Corvette); John DeLorean (Pontiac) (yes, Pontiac, not his DeLorean Back-to-the-Future car); and Harold Sperlich (not well known, but responsible for both the Ford Mustang and the Chrysler minivans).
The author’s writing style is easy reading and to the point. For example: “Their [the French] only real goal was to sell Renault cars in America [about 1980], which was like trying to sell Hamburger Helper in Paris.”
The hardcover edition I read had many large and clear photos of both the cars and the men behind them, much enhancing the text.
Published in 2012, Tesla gets just a one-sentence mention, electric vehicles a few paragraphs. Let us pray for a second edition.
Which will probably never come. This book is all we’ll get.
I wish it had gone on forever.
I challenge one to find a male boomer who wouldn’t like this book, both for its review of many cars we grew up with, as well as concise reviews of 20th century American history and sociology. The chapters on the WWII jeep and on pickup trucks are still relevant today.
These cars didn’t build themselves. Some of the men behind them were one of a kind. One thinks of Zora Arkus-Duntov (Corvette); John DeLorean (Pontiac) (yes, Pontiac, not his DeLorean Back-to-the-Future car); and Harold Sperlich (not well known, but responsible for both the Ford Mustang and the Chrysler minivans).
The author’s writing style is easy reading and to the point. For example: “Their [the French] only real goal was to sell Renault cars in America [about 1980], which was like trying to sell Hamburger Helper in Paris.”
The hardcover edition I read had many large and clear photos of both the cars and the men behind them, much enhancing the text.
Published in 2012, Tesla gets just a one-sentence mention, electric vehicles a few paragraphs. Let us pray for a second edition.
Which will probably never come. This book is all we’ll get.
I wish it had gone on forever.
February 15, 2018
For a car lover like myself, this is book was an extremely engaging read. Much more than a look at the evolution of the automobile, this microhistory examines how culture steered the development of the car (front-wheel drive?!) and likewise how the car drove the culture (rear-wheel drive?!). You might think such subject matter would be dry, but the author (Paul Ingrassia) brings it alive by telling the personal stories of the men behind the machines and even the consumers themselves. You might not expect it from a car guy, but Ingrassia is actually a very good writer and thorough researcher, plus his sense of humor comes through in every chapter. I'm a tail fin guy myself (and owner of a 1961 Imperial), so I was delighted by the an entire chapter devoted to this memorable era and men like Virgil Exner, the designer of my Imperial, who popularized them. Whatever era of car you prefer, I believe this book will rev up your engine.
April 15, 2025
Best enjoyed by car guys, but non-gearheads will learn a lot about technology and how cars have altered our lives. From the Ford model T to Ralph Nader and the corvair lawsuits, the writer does a great job.
The dream of a hybrid vehicle goes way back before the toyota prius, but its creation as a wonder of around-the-clock design and development makes for grand reading. The intrusion of beyond-the-horse technology into life today proves the old phrase of "unintended consequences." Five stars for car buffs, but a lot for the "normals" out there too!
The dream of a hybrid vehicle goes way back before the toyota prius, but its creation as a wonder of around-the-clock design and development makes for grand reading. The intrusion of beyond-the-horse technology into life today proves the old phrase of "unintended consequences." Five stars for car buffs, but a lot for the "normals" out there too!
February 8, 2021
Interesting take on history by looking at the impact of different cars on American society. Plenty of social history included, but car buffs would really like this. Lots about the personalities behind the cars and car companies. Best of all was his take on the 2 most significant, in his mind. That's fodder for many conversations.
Took a while to get used to the reader - not to my liking, but I eventually got okay with him.
Took a while to get used to the reader - not to my liking, but I eventually got okay with him.
February 12, 2022
Follows the evolution of the American auto industry, and our culture along with it, through 15 cars and 15 incredibly readable chapters. The chapter format lets you jump around the book at your own discretion, dabbling in your favorite car genres first before going back to the others.
A fun and easy read!
A fun and easy read!
March 5, 2024
This book is so much fun to read. I enjoyed the later chapters much more than the first ones, but that’s probably due to the fact that I’m familiar with the cars that are more recent. I have a new respect for jeep, which I never thought I would say lol. The cultural analysis was overreaching at times but he does a great job of giving each car a story.
November 1, 2020
An enjoyable well-researched read into the legacy of several cars that defined the automobile landscape. Ingrassia has picked models that every enthusiast knows and shares the background history of models that excelled, and some that failed. A must read for car lovers of all ages.
January 19, 2023
"Engines of Change" by Paul Ingrassia was a kick to read. No politics, war, famine, etc., etc. Just great writing about cars that have had outsized influence on American culture. Ingrassia never takes himself too seriously; his writing is humorous and easy to read. This was a fun book!
November 5, 2024
Good and informative book on car history in America. The jokes made me laugh once or twice a chapter.
So much info the chapters can get sluggish, but just take it in smaller chunks and it is enjoyable.
So much info the chapters can get sluggish, but just take it in smaller chunks and it is enjoyable.
June 23, 2017
An intriguing and at times, humorous look at 15 cars that has cultural and economic impacts in our country. A truly enjoyable read. Highly recommended.
August 3, 2019
I loved this back. Very witty and wise writing style with many interesting anecdotes. I'm not even a car person and it was such a good read.
June 6, 2020
Originally read this book in 2014 ... but decided that it was worth reading again. A good history of automobiles which includes the stories of the individuals involved.
October 3, 2020
A great overview of the influence of cars on society, on style, and on the future. It's a well-done book, and a quick read. Definitely worth the time for anyone, not just car people.
January 16, 2021
A treasure trove of stories and information about ground breaking cars and the advances they brought to mobility. It may incur the wrath of some but it was brilliantly tied together in the book
April 10, 2025
well done. this book is both a history lesson and a compendium of talks of not giving up on your dreams. a huge must-read for any gear head or auto aficionado.
May 8, 2025
Fascinating stories of cars in Americas history
August 17, 2019
All automotive aficionados know the highlights of the cars that changed America's car culture. Paul Ingrassia does a great job of filling in the details with great story-telling.
September 6, 2014
The main idea of this book, which is that there are some cars that had specific cultural impacts or are particular signposts of trends affecting American history, and for each car we see how and by whom it was developed and introduced, is an interesting idea.
The problem with this book is how this approach is developed. As the book proceed chronologically, it shifts from clear pioneers (the first reliable car affordable to a mass audience, the first car from a tiered system of brands) to vehicles not breaking new categories for society but vehicles that have a certain cultural perception: the BMW for yuppies, the F150s for urban cowboys, the Jeep for rich outdoor chic, the Minivan for soccer moms, and the Prius for Hollywood liberals looking for token demonstrations of supporting causes. As it does so, I'm no longer sure I'm looking at trends of social change that make American history, but am instead reading cultural stereotypes. On the other hand, in some cases, these aren't stereotypes but are well-developed in the history of their ad campaigns (in the case of the VW Beetle), their appearance in music (the Ford Mustang), and their appearance in new publications (such as the emergence of Motor Trend magazine in what is established as the "hot-rod" era). In particular, the changing social needs based on urbanization and education (why do we now have the extra-curricular demands that require soccer practice?) that led to the minivan and the changing environmental background that has led to the hybrid could have been developed as as primary engines of change, rather than starting from their backlashes.
However, in no case does the author fail to delve into the automotive story behind the vehicle. The automotive-industry coverage is really well done.
Overall, the entire book is an insightful listen, composed into car-by-car breakdowns that make it easy to listen to in segments over a set of long car rides. On the other hand, it wasn't like some books that can just be listened to all the way through, and I don't think "culture war" stereotypes is really the way modern American history should be told.
The problem with this book is how this approach is developed. As the book proceed chronologically, it shifts from clear pioneers (the first reliable car affordable to a mass audience, the first car from a tiered system of brands) to vehicles not breaking new categories for society but vehicles that have a certain cultural perception: the BMW for yuppies, the F150s for urban cowboys, the Jeep for rich outdoor chic, the Minivan for soccer moms, and the Prius for Hollywood liberals looking for token demonstrations of supporting causes. As it does so, I'm no longer sure I'm looking at trends of social change that make American history, but am instead reading cultural stereotypes. On the other hand, in some cases, these aren't stereotypes but are well-developed in the history of their ad campaigns (in the case of the VW Beetle), their appearance in music (the Ford Mustang), and their appearance in new publications (such as the emergence of Motor Trend magazine in what is established as the "hot-rod" era). In particular, the changing social needs based on urbanization and education (why do we now have the extra-curricular demands that require soccer practice?) that led to the minivan and the changing environmental background that has led to the hybrid could have been developed as as primary engines of change, rather than starting from their backlashes.
However, in no case does the author fail to delve into the automotive story behind the vehicle. The automotive-industry coverage is really well done.
Overall, the entire book is an insightful listen, composed into car-by-car breakdowns that make it easy to listen to in segments over a set of long car rides. On the other hand, it wasn't like some books that can just be listened to all the way through, and I don't think "culture war" stereotypes is really the way modern American history should be told.
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