Fins

Harley Earl, the Rise of General Motors, and the Glory Days of Detroit

By: William Knoedelseder

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

The New York Times bestselling author of Bitter Brew chronicles the birth and rise to greatness of the American auto industry through the remarkable life of Harley Earl, an eccentric six-foot-five, stuttering visionary who dropped out of college and went on to invent the profession of automobile styling, thereby revolutionized the way cars were made, marketed, and even imagined.

Harleys Earl’s story qualifies as a bona fide American family saga. It began in the Michigan pine forest in the years after the Civil War, traveled across the Great Plains on the wooden wheels of a covered wagon, and eventually settled in a dirt road village named Hollywood, California, where young Harley took the skills he learned working in his father’s carriage shop and applied them to designing sleek, racy-looking automobile bodies for the fast crowd in the burgeoning silent movie business.

As the 1920s roared with the sound of mass manufacturing, Harley returned to Michigan, where, at GM’s invitation, he introduced art into the rigid mechanics of auto-making. Over the next thirty years, he functioned as a kind of combination Steve Jobs and Tom Ford of his time, redefining the form and function of the country’s premier product. His impact was profound. When he retired as GM’s VP of Styling in 1958, Detroit reigned as the manufacturing capitol of the world and General Motors ranked as the most successful company in the history of business.

Knoedelseder tells the story in ways both large and small, weaving the history of the company with the history of Detroit and the Earl family as Fins examines the effect of the automobile on America’s economy, culture, and national psyche.

The Glory Days of Car Design and How it Came About

Not just about Harley but many other gifted designers and their contribution to car styling

Definitely a must-read for any serious car guy anybody working in the industry.

As a serious car guy and automotive engineer I have read a huge portion of the books written about the industry, including many old ones, and can honestly say this is one of the best ever written. The author did some serious research and must be commended for it. The performance, narration, etc are also excellent. Highly recommended.

Vivid and Entertaining

Author William Knoedelseder has a great eye for a good story, and this wonderfully entertaining, vivid, analytical, and at times cinematic book tells story after story about Harley Earl, his cars, and his era. Peter Berkrot does a fantastic job narrating this book in a compelling and witty way. Several times I laughed out loud while listening. Highly recommended for anyone who likes cars or even just good history.

Excellent

Very good book, a little bit too much bashing on Henry Ford, and his company, but overall a very good book.

Very entertaining and historic knowledge about auto industry

I love the history going back to Los Angeles and Hollywood. The in-site to early automotive industry is well detailed, the men and companies history. I loved the story of the people, GM and fins.