The Cadillac Story: The Postwar Years

by Thomas E. Bonsall

The Cadillac story is more than the story of a car company. It is, in many ways, the story of the American automobile industry itself-- which, as much as any industry, drove America's growth in the twentieth century and defined who we are as a people: mobile and prosperous. Cadillac, again and again, played a critical role in that story, for both good and ill.

In the depths of the Great Depression, the brand redefined itself and the luxury...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0804749426
• ISBN13: 9780804749428
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: Stanford General Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.3" x 10.2"

Customer Reviews

This is a book I have read twice, and I suspect I will read it again in the future

I enjoyed this book very much. It tells the `behind the scenes' story of Cadillac and their competitors from the depths of the great Depression to the early 2000s. From Cadillac's early struggles against Packard, to the emergence of Mercedes and BMW, then later Lexus and Acura, this book tells the good decisions and the bad decisions that defined Cadillac's path for over 50 years. As the cover flap says, although the book is focused on Cadillac, it also is the story of the overall Luxury Car business during this period. The Author addresses who was in charge at GM or Cadillac at the time, explains the context of their situation relative to contemporary competitors, and what the outcome was of the choices they made. I found this approach very informative, and thought provoking. I like the chapter titles & segregations, because this really gives one a capsule summary (the Cliff Notes Version) of Cadillac's fortunes: In the beginning 1946-47 [Cadillac began in 1902 but this book picks up in 1946] The Tail Fin Era: 1948-49 Of Tail Fins and Bathtubs 1950-53 Fending Off the Competition: 1954-58 Cadillac Hits Its Stride: 1959-64 At the Apex: 1965-70 Trouble Brews: 1971-79 Crisis in Paradise: 1980-84 A Division in Limbo: 1985-91 Cadillac Fights Back: 1992-2001 Looking to the Future: 2002-Up This book also discusses how Cadillac developed a TERRIBLE relationship with the Automotive Press, and the extent to which Cadillac was punished by the Press for their part in that relationship. That in itself is a primer for our time. I enjoyed the book, and consider it a good addition to my Cadillac library.

5 stars to the 1978 model year - 3 stars from 1979 to 2003

Thomas Bonsall should be thanked for this book. The anecdotes he relates on the inner workings of General Motors, and how they impacted Cadillac, are worth the price alone. Unfortunately, his editors have done him a disservice as there is hardly a page without an awkward sentence, spell check-induced typo, misplaced end note, mislabelled photograph or inconsistency. Although the definitive book on Cadillac for the period from the 1979 Eldorado to the current Art + Science era has yet to be written, this book should be read together with Robert Ackerson's opus, Cadillac America's Luxury Car, to gain the most complete appreciation of the company's post-war history.

The second best book on the history of Cadillac...

[Attention editor: Please replace the existing review by "Mary Madoni" with this review. The previous review was written when I was accidentally logged in as Mary (my wife). I wrote to your customer service people about this problem and re-submitting the review under my own account was a suggested resolution, so here it is. Thank you.]...the first is Bonsall's other Cadillac book, the out-of-print "Cadillac: The American Standard" (CTAS).In fact, this book is essentially a near-verbatim subset of CTAS. Where CTAS begins in 1902 and ends right around 1994 (when it was published), this book begins in 1946 (hence "The Postwar Years" in the title), and seems to leave off right around the beginning of 2002 even though it includes references to 2003 and 2004 Cadillacs, (it seems that most of the copy covering 1946 to 1994 was lifted right out of CTAS). The fact that the book makes no mention of the enthusiastic public reaction to the '02 Escalade and the CTS, as well as the incorrect reference to the '04 XLR as the "SLR" tell me that Mr. Bonsall probably wrapped up the manuscript in early 2002.This is a bit problematic, because even though the rest of the book is thorough, engaging, and superbly researched, it sort of sputters once you hit 2002--when all the really cool new Cadillacs suddenly hit the market, (the new Escalade, EXT,and ESV; the CTS, SRX, XLR). From that point onward, it reads like reprinted Cadillac brochures (literally in some paragraphs) and signals an abrupt end to the author's thoughtful analysis and edge-of-your-seat storytelling. It's like watching Cinderella up to the point where the clock strikes midnight, and then being hit with a commercial for glass slippers and ending the story without ever getting to the Prince and all the "happily ever after" stuff.Otherwise, this is an excellent book from the absolute best automotive writer on the planet. If you're a Cadillac enthusiast and you don't already have or can't get Bonsall's "Cadillac: The American Standard", then this book is a must-have. If you already have the other book and you don't mind shelling out some good money to fill in the space between 1994 and 2001, then this is also a good book to get.Note that there are no color pictures in this book, although there are many very good pictures on most pages. This book is perfect as a history of Cadillac after WW2, but it isn't intended as a coffee table book. If you want beautiful photographs in a large book, check out Rob Wagner's "Cadillac: A Century of Excellence".

The second best book on the history of Cadillac...

...the first is Bonsall's other Cadillac book, the out-of-print "Cadillac: The American Standard" (CTAS).In fact, this book is essentially a near-verbatim subset of CTAS. Where CTAS begins in 1902 and ends right around 1994 (when it was published), this book begins in 1946 (hence "The Postwar Years" in the title), and seems to leave off right around the beginning of 2002 even though it includes references to 2003 and 2004 Cadillacs, (it seems that most of the copy covering 1946 to 1994 was lifted right out of CTAS). The fact that the book makes no mention of the enthusiastic public reaction to the '02 Escalade and the CTS, as well as the incorrect reference to the '04 XLR as the "SLR" tell me that Mr. Bonsall probably wrapped up the manuscript in early 2002.This is a bit problematic, because even though the rest of the book is thorough, engaging, and superbly researched, it sort of sputters once you hit 2002--when all the really cool new Cadillacs suddenly hit the market, (the new Escalade, EXT,and ESV; the CTS, SRX, XLR). From that point onward, it reads like reprinted Cadillac brochures (literally in some paragraphs) and signals an abrupt end to the author's thoughtful analysis and edge-of-your-seat storytelling. It's like watching Cinderella up to the point where the clock strikes midnight, and then being hit with a commercial for glass slippers and ending the story without ever getting to the Prince and all the "happily ever after" stuff.Otherwise, this is an excellent book from the absolute best automotive writer on the planet. If you're a Cadillac enthusiast and you don't already have or can't get Bonsall's "Cadillac: The American Standard", then this book is a must-have. If you already have the other book and you don't mind shelling out some good money to fill in the space between 1994 and 2001, then this is also a good book to get.Note that there are no color pictures in this book, although there are many very good pictures on most pages. This book is perfect as a history of Cadillac after WW2, but it isn't intended as a coffee table book. If you want beautiful photographs in a large book, check out Rob Wagner's "Cadillac: A Century of Excellence".