Sign-In
Cart
Shifting Gears: One Family's Journey Through the Automobile Age
Paperback
Publisher Price: $17.99
ISBN13: 9781735807805
Publisher: William C. Shaffer
Published: Aug 31 2021
Pages: 340
Weight: 1.00
Height: 0.71 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Shifting Gears is a comprehensive automotive history that reaches back to the birth of the internal combustion engine in Europe and the first cars developed there. The gasoline engine and early automobile designs gradually make their way across the Atlantic to America. The bicycle had already made that journey, creating an army of bike mechanics that soon turned their talents to building automobiles. Over the next century, over 2,000 different automobile brands would come and go in the United States. The narrative focuses deeply on Henry Ford and his company as well as the stories of the other key pioneers and their cars - Buick, Chrysler, Studebaker, Jeep, and Oldsmobile - running all the way up to Elon Musk and Tesla.
The image on cover of the book is a Ford Model T with the author's grandfather at the wheel, taken at his small farm in the Midwest. The story of the impact of the automobile on his way of life is overlaid on the larger automotive history. The contrast between life before and after the automobile is stark. The age of the horse and steam power yields to the first gasoline engines, the first automobiles, and then the first tractors. World War II interrupts, car manufacturing is halted, and the surviving car companies produce other internal combustion machines (Hellcat fighter planes, Sherman tanks, and Jeeps), which are used by the next generation of the family in the war effort.
The end of the war sees a roaring return of the automobile, now sporting fins, chrome, and ponderous size. In the ensuing decades, the number of automobile makes shrinks to three, and even those left teeter on the brink of bankruptcy with the electric revolution on the horizon. The automobile has decimated the small farming towns in the Midwest. And, the fourth generation of the family is now in New York City and Chicago, and making do without a car.
Also from
Shaffer, William C.
IBM and Computing: The Story of the Iconic Company Amid Technological Progress from the Abacus to AI
Shaffer, William C.
Paperback
IBM and Computing: The Story of the Iconic Company Amid Technological Progress from the Abacus to AI
Shaffer, William C.
Hardcover
Also in
Automobiles
100 Years of Legends: The Official Celebration of the Le Mans 24 Hours
Holtz, Gerard
Holtz, Julien
Davoine, Basile
Hardcover
The Impossible Road Trip: An Unforgettable Journey to Past and Present Roadside Attractions in All 50 States
Dregni, Eric
Hardcover
The Hardest, Longest Race: Henry Ford and the Cross-Country Contest That Changed America
Moskowitz, Eric
Hardcover
Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile
Goodyear, Sarah
Gordon, Doug
Naparstek, Aaron
Hardcover
Mechanic Shop Femme's Guide to Car Ownership: Uncomplicating Cars for All of Us
Milchtein, Chaya M.
Paperback
100 Cars That Changed the World: The Designs, Engines, and Technologies That Drive Our Imaginations
Publications International Ltd
Auto Editors of Consumer Guide
Hardcover
California DMV Driver's Handbook: Practice for the California Permit Test with 350+ Driving Questions and Answers
Prep, Discover
Paperback
Mobile Solar Power Made Easy!: Mobile 12 volt off grid solar system design and installation. RV's, Vans, Cars and boats! Do-it-yourself step by step i
Prowse, William Errol, IV
Paperback
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD) 11th Edition, December 2023 (Complete Book, Color Print) National Standards
U S Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
Paperback
ASE Technician Test Preparation Automotive Maintenance and Light Repair (G1)
Delmar Cengage Learning
Paperback
The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Ind
Roos, Daniel
Womack, James P.
Jones, Daniel T.
Paperback
The Race to the Future: 8,000 Miles to Paris - The Adventure That Accelerated the Twentieth Century
St Clair, Kassia
Paperback
Driving the Green Book: A Road Trip Through the Living History of Black Resistance
Hall, Alvin
Paperback
Killed by a Traffic Engineer: Shattering the Delusion That Science Underlies Our Transportation System
Marshall, Wes
Paperback
Jeep, Dana & Chrysler Differentials: How to Rebuild the 8-1/4, 8-3/4, Dana 44 & 60 & AMC 20
Shepard, Larry
Paperback
Chevy Big-Block Engine Parts Interchange: The Ultimate Guide to Sourcing and Selecting Compatible Factory Parts
Baechtel, John
Paperback
CDL Study Guide 2025-2026: 6 Practice Tests and CDL Permit Prep Book [2nd Edition]
Hettinger, B.
Paperback
Understanding A3 Thinking: A Critical Component of Toyota's PDCA Management System
Sobek II, Durward K.
Smalley, Art
Hardcover
100 Most Collectible Cars: Timeless Icons of Automotive Excellence
Publications International Ltd
Hardcover
The Story of Classic Cars Gift Set: A Tribute to Four Automotive Icons
Tomalin, Peter
Smith, Luke
Codling, Stuart
Hardcover
CDL: Commercial Driver's License Truck Driver's Test, Fifth Edition: Comprehensive Subject Review + Practice
Mike Byrnes and Associates
Paperback
Backroads & Byways of Upstate New York: Drives, Day Trips, and Weekend Excursions
Smyczynski, Christine
Paperback
Food Truck Business Guide for Beginners: Simple Strategic Plan to Build and Maintain a Successful Mobile Business
Durrant, Shaun M.
Paperback
The Million-Dollar Car Detective: Inside the Worldwide Hunt for a Stolen $7 Million Car
Bonner, Stayton
Hardcover
Designing Dreams: Essays on the Inside Story of Gm, Harley Earl and America's Golden Automotive Age
Ruzzin, Dick
Hardcover
Formula 1 75 Years: At Speed with the World's Greatest Motorsport
Codling, Stuart
Roberts, James
Mann, James
Hardcover
Pennsylvania Driver's License Mastery: Ace Your Exam! 360 Practice Q&A (21 Full Tests) with Expert Tips and Detailed Explanations
Publishing, Autoadept
Paperback
Cult of Gt-R: A True Story of Crime, Obsession and the World's Most Coveted Car
Zummallen, Ryan
Paperback
How to Restore Ford Tractors: The Ultimate Guide to Rebuilding and Restoring N-Series and Later Tractors 1939-1962
Gaines, Tharran E.
Paperback
Auto Biography: A Classic Car, an Outlaw Motorhead, and 57 Years of the American Dream
Swift, Earl
Paperback
Formula 1: The Greatest Races: The Official Story of the Most Iconic Grand Prix Moments in F1
Richards, Giles
Hardcover
Oklahoma Drivers Manual: Comprehensive Guide to Passing the Oklahoma Drivers Test and Safe Driving
Starcrest, Lucian
Paperback
Ike's Road Trip: How Eisenhower's 1919 Convoy Paved the Way for the Roads We Travel
Black, Brian C.
Hardcover
Corvette: The Photographic History of a Legendary Sports Car
Publications International Ltd
Hardcover
Private Pilot Oral Exam Prep Handbook: A Complete Guide to FAA Checkride Preparation
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
U S Department of Transportation
Paperback
Modified Car Magazine The JDM Magazine: The World Wide Modified JDM Car Magazine
Doherty, Paul
Paperback
Truck Time: Vintage Cars & Trucks Coloring Book For Adults & Kids A Fun-Time Coloring Activity For Muscle Car Lovers
Publications, Tinted Tracks
Paperback