Books and Videos

Keith Marvin, Old Cars Magazine

This is the story of Alexander Winton and the Winton automobile, probably one of the finest cars ever built in the United States, with some 24,190 leaving the Cleveland, Ohio factory between 1898 and 1924. Written by Thomas F. Saal and Bernard J. Golias and subtitled The Story of Alexander Winton; Automotive Pioneer and Industrialist, I think a more apt title to the book might be Famous But Far From Forgotten, for, even as any student of American Automobile history will recognize his name, the Winton itself lives on as part of General Motors diesel engine production.

Its authors include Thomas F. Saal, former editor of the Veteran Motor Car Club of America's magazine, The Bulb Horn, and Bernard J. Golias, a specialist on Winton and a member of the AACA, the Society of Automotive Historians, the Horseless Carriage Club of America, and Winton World Wide. They have taken one of this country's most important pre-1900 automobile pioneers, and, indeed, have produced a book that might well have been entitled "Famous But Far-From-Forgotten" for Winton carries on to this day as the Cleveland Division of General Motor's Diesel Engine Division.

As for books, I tell 'em as I see 'em, and I cannot overstate the excellence, accuracy, or importance on this one.

Besides the usual introduction, acknowledgements, prologue, and dedication, the body of it comprises of 18 chapters, starting with Winton bicycles, its successful exploits on the early race track, tours, Winton's connections with Henry Ford and Barney Oldfield, and a carefully annotated year-by-year report on its production ranging from models to prices. There is, in my view, an exactly appropriate balance in everything pertaining to the car, its owners, and those who built and sold it. As for its contribution to automotive history, I have seldom seen a more carefully compiled history. Detailed, yes, but written in a style that makes it hard to put down.