The motorcycle got off to a bad start and for its first decade was generally considered a fun object for daring men.
We recently unearthed these incredibly rare photographs in our library, depicting a Renault, in the mid-1920's, seemingly doing the impossible, navigating the streets of Paris, without an operator at the wheel.
It is said that Carl Benz was the world’s first commercial automobile manufacturer. His first effort, the Benz Patent Motor Wagon was released and offered for sale as early as 1888. At the time, this newfangled technology befuddled many of its operators, and it was soon decided that some sort of instruction manual needed to be produced to assist with their operation. Before you is an extraordinarily rare publication that was devised to suit this purpose.
Early in the nineteen twenties, French aviator and inventor Gabriel Voisin sought to leverage the popularity of the French Impressionism movement to sell motor cars.
We all think that hybrid cars are a novel invention, but did you know that hybrid automotive technology has been in use since as early as 1905?
Did you know that West Virginia once produced a luxury car that was five to six times more expensive than a comparable Ford of the same era?
The 1924 Delaunay Belleville is one of the most bizarre pieces of literature that Dr. Simeone has ever seen.
Product sales literature is the pride of our library. In many instances the automobile maker had no other way to explain and illustrates the benefits of his vehicles, particularly before the era of mass media. As such, sales brochures are considered the “official” description of the car, with illustrations, specifications, and the information one might need to make a purchase decision. We believe this brochure might be the first one ever created.
Sales brochures have become an important part of the history of the automobile. Among our collection of great sales brochures, we have found one which we find very puzzling.
Early automotive brochures were influenced by a lot of different factors, including nature it seems.
This is one of the most successful advertisements in the history of advertising and represented an entirely new way to approach marketing the automobile.
Alex Kow was one of the most prolific, and in demand artists of his day. His work, mostly advertising ads and few posters, focused exclusively on French manufacturers and was always signed “A. Kow”.
