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The Crittenden Automotive Library @ CarsAndRacingStuff.com

The Crittenden Automotive Library is a free resource for automobiles, motorcycles, buses, trucking, automobilia, hobbies, and related topics. It's different because it's browsable, with Subjects and Topic Pages functioning a bit like an old card catalog system.

Subjects: American Government · Buses · Emergency Services Vehicles · Hobbies · Military · Motorcycles · Racing · RVs · Trucking

New Indexing Features! We're adding new subjects and geographic region pages. They're online but they don't yet feature all of their content from the archives of CarsAndRacingStuff.com.
Autonomous Vehicles · Car Cleaning & Washing · Crime · Driver Licensing · Driving · Electric Vehicles · The Environment · Fuel Stations · Highways · Labor · GLAM · Parking · Petroleum · Safety · Taxicabs & Limousines · Tires · Asia · Europe · North America

Topic Lists: Marques · Models · People · Events

All Topics:  # · A · B · C · D-F · G-I · J-L · M · N-Q · R · S · T-V · W-Z


Like any card catalog system, not every entry in a book's index is going to get a card. To dig deeper into more obscure topics, try using our Google Site Search:


Language Resources
Automobiles Decoded
acronyms, initialisms, engine codes, chassis codes
Glossary of Automotive Terms
Poetry
General Quotations
Advertising Slogans
Entertainment Resources
Audio Playlist
Music with an automotive theme & car movie soundtracks
Automotive Fiction
Comics
Video Games
Video Guide
List of feature films & documentaries
Other Resources

On This Day in Automotive History...
Computer Software
Miscellaneous Images
Automotive Libraries
Automotive Links



We primarily operate in American English, but our content is worldwide in scope, so here's our content in languages other than English: Arabic Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Croatian French German Italian Japanese Portuguese Russian Serbian Spanish

Main Chronological Archives

Skip to the latest: Articles · Patents · Periodicals · Other Publications

1800sThe 1800s
Gasoline engine meets wheeled wagon in the very beginnings of the automobile as we know it today.
1900sThe 1900s
The automobile transforms from mechanical curiosity to world-changing industry, ending with the car that would put the working class on wheels: the Ford Model T.
1910sThe 1910s
Automobiles and the industry to manufacture them continue to develop, as the standard car control configuration we still use today emerges from the Cadillac Type 53.
1920sThe 1920s
The Roaring Twenties see a shift in automobiles from open air motorized carriages to the fully enclosed automobiles we're familiar with today.
1930sThe 1930s
The American automobile industry matures as a few large companies emerge as the Big Three, while Europe and Asia descend into war.
1940sThe 1940s
The Second World War shuts down most of the automobile industry for war production. One notable vehicle emerges from the conflict: the Jeep.
1950sThe 1950s
This was a Golden Age for the American automobile, with buyers choosing big finned cars decorated with a lot of chrome and tinkerers inventing hot rod culture.
1960sThe 1960s
A new Golden Age began with the introduction of the muscle car. It was a special era for motorsports as engineers could be wildly inventive before the speeds they were reaching became too unsafe and cars had to be regulated for safety.
1970sThe 1970s
The age of the American muscle car came to a close, squeezed out between rising insurance rates and low gasoline supplies. The U.S. EPA was founded in 1970 and the Malaise Era began.
1980sThe 1980s
The "Dark Ages" continue through the beginning of the decade as the automobile industry shifts from vacuum operated gadgets & carburetion to fuel injection & electronics.
1990sThe 1990s
The Computer Age saw rising performance as manufacturers gained experience and developed digital technology, while the shapes of cars rounded off with more fuel efficient aerodynamics.
2000sThe 2000s
The shift to electric vehicles begins as hybrids start taking market share and Tesla is founded.
2010sThe 2010s
As digital and communications technologies rapidly develop, most of the changes in this decade are inside cars: GPS navigation, touchscreens, exterior cameras, and smartphone connectivity become widespread.
2020sThe 2020s
The current decade began with the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to take shape as automakers struggle against labor shortages to maintain their supply chains.


John Walczak The Crittenden Automotive Library is dedicated to John Walczak and all of the amateur automotive historians who have preserved & shared what they have.
View image of John Walczak · 8.0MB
1958 Cadillac by Russell Brockbank

Read about a different perspective on automotive history in this month's Tail Lights newsletter.