The Automobile and American Life

This blog will expand on themes and topics first mentioned in my book, "The Automobile and American Life." I hope to comment on recent developments in the automobile industry, reviews of my readings on the history of the automobile, drafts of my new work, contributions from friends, descriptions of the museums and car shows I attend and anything else relevant. Copyright 2009-2026, by the author.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

The Mafia and Auto Theft: 1930s to 1950s -- Gabriel Vigorito, "Blah Blah"

Taken FromWill Oursler, "Hot Car King, The American Weekly, January 9, 1955, 7ff. Underworld intimates called him Blah Blah because he ...

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Toby Halicki and the Original "Gone in 60 Seconds" -- a remarkable independent film

The two "Gone in Sixty Seconds" films of the post-1970s era celebrated both the professional thief and the high performance, elega...

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Cars from Coronado, IV -- a Special Sunday Treat!

Every party needs atleast one Model T -- the car that changed the world! Ludwig Erhard, the architect of the German post-WWII miracle, woul...

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Cars from Coronado, CA, III

Could there be a California without the ubiquitous VW Combi? This one has a Brown sticker onthe rear window. The seem to be plenty of eas...

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Janet Evanovich's Motor Mouth: Auto (and Truck Carrier) Theft and Disabling GPS?

Janet Evanovich, Motor Mouth. New York: Harper Collins, 2006. pp.30-31. Mouth Mouth is Janet Evanovich's entertaining but forgettable st...

Syllabus, HST 378, The Automobile and American Life, Spring 2011, University of San Diego

Automobile and American Life Class Meeting: TTH 2:30-3:45 p.m., KPJ 214 Instructor: John A. Heitmann, visiting Knapp...

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John Heitmann

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