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The Americans – Beautiful Machines

The Most Iconic U.S. Cars and Their Era

Discover the captivating stories and timeless allure of American car culture, honoring the legacy of legendary models and the spirit of the open road.

Free shipping in the U.S.
The automobile is, undeniably, the backbone of the last 100 years of American society. The likes of Ford, Plymouth, and Chevrolet, defined a new era for the United States, from transcontinental travel to suburban family transportation. From the mass production of the Model T all the way through to the electric age of the Tesla, the automobile has been a staple in American culture for generations.

But these cars were not just practical machines. For many they projected an image of cool, represented a way of life, or was a means to make a living. The great American road trip was born behind a wheel, the Dodge Challenger ripped up the screen in Vanishing Point, and the city of Detroit rose and fell dramatically off the back of the American automobile industry.

The Americans - Beautiful Machines celebrates the likes of the Mustang, Gran Torino, Corvette, and many of the other classic models that put American automobiles firmly into the 20th Century American zeitgeist. It tells the story of the most iconic cars, their makers, and their era. The book also touches upon the art deco elegance of the Cord, post war optimism, the surf and muscle era, and much more, celebrating the most emblematic, visionary, and iconic automobiles in the history of United States manufacturing.

 

Editors: gestalten & Blake Z. Rong
Release date: October 2024
Format: 11¾ x 10½ inches
Features: Full color, hardcover, stitch bound, 320 pages
ISBN: 9783967041606

Blake Z. Rong is an editor and journalist who has covered historic cars for major publications both in Europe and the United States. His previous work for gestalten includes Beautiful Machines: The Era of the Elegant Sports Car and The Italians – Beautiful Machines. He holds an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in Brooklyn.



FSC™️ (Forest Stewardship Council™️) Certified.

SHIPPING COSTS

    SHIPPING WITHIN THE US:

    SHIPPING WITHIN THE UK:

    SHIPPING WITHIN GERMANY AND THE EUROPEAN UNION:

    SHIPPING TO ALL OTHER COUNTRIES:

    • €0.00 for orders above €60.00 EUR (value of goods) placed via our EU  online shop
    • €40.00 for orders below €60.00 EUR (value of goods) placed via our EU  online shop

    Additional customs charges, taxes, and fees may be charged for shipments to countries outside the EU and the US.

     

    SHIPMENT TRACKING

    Once your order is ready to be shipped, you receive a confirmation email with the delivery details and a tracking link. Please note, that it can take some days before the tracking information is uploaded. You will also be able to track your order when you log into your account.

     

    DELIVERY TIMES

    Unless otherwise specified, 

    • deliveries within the US usually take 5–10 working days,
    • deliveries within Germany usually take 2–5 working days, 
    • deliveries within the European Union, to Switzerland and Norway usually take 3–7 working days, 
    • deliveries within the UK, usually take 3–7 working days,
    • deliveries to all other countries may take 3–8 weeks

    from the date you receive your order confirmation (or, if advance payment  is agreed, from the date payment is instructed).

    Please note that we don’t ship on weekends and public holidays and that there will be no deliveries on Sundays and public holidays.

    If you have ordered items with different delivery times, we will send the goods in one shipment, unless we have made a different agreement with you. In this case, the delivery time is determined by the item with the longest delivery time that you have ordered.

     

    PAYMENT OPTIONS

    We accept the following payment methods:

    • Credit card: MasterCard, VISA
    • Paypal
    • Google Pay
    • Apple Pay
    • Shopify Payments
    • SEPA direct debit
    • Sofortüberweisung
    • ideal
    • eps-Überweisung
    • Bancontact

    FURTHER DETAILS ON PAYMENT:

    The currency used in our EU online shop is Euro (€) and VAT is included in all our prices. The currency used in our UK online shop it is GBP (£) and in our US online shop it is USD ($) and all prices are expressed as exclusive of any VAT or other sales tax payable unless otherwise stated.

    All prices and product information on the gestalten online shop are subject to change.

    If you have any questions, please contact us.

    We will only take payment from your credit card, debit card or your Paypal account once your order has been dispatched.

    For card purchases we work with an authorized payment agent that helps us to check directly with your bank that the card is valid for purchases. Our payment agent processes your card details in the correct way according to the international security standard PCI DSS, which was developed by the card companies VISA, MasterCard, Diners, American Express and JCB. This means that your card details are processed with a very high level of security. To make card purchases with us as secure as possible all information is sent in encrypted form using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). This means that the information is passed through a secure connection and that your card details cannot be read by external parties.

    For further information about Paypal or to create a Paypal account please visit paypal.com.

    When paying by SEPA direct debit, you authorize us to collect the invoice amount from the specified account by issuing a corresponding SEPA mandate. You will receive a pre-notification at least 5 days before the date of direct debit collection. Please note that you are required to ensure sufficient funds are in the account on the announced date. 

     

    RETURNS

    You have a 14-day window to revoke your contract without specifying any reasons. To exercise your right of revocation, please notify us accordingly.

    To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.

    Please note, that gift cards and downloadable software products are non-returnable. 

    Upon revocation, we will provide a full refund using the same payment method you utilized. You are responsible for covering the direct costs associated with returning the products, especially any shipping charges incurred. Repayment may be withheld until the products are returned to us. For further details, please refer to the section on Revocation Right.

    The automobile is, undeniably, the backbone of the last 100 years of American society. The likes of Ford, Plymouth, and Chevrolet, defined a new era for the United States, from transcontinental travel to suburban family transportation. From the mass production of the Model T all the way through to the electric age of the Tesla, the automobile has been a staple in American culture for generations.

    But these cars were not just practical machines. For many they projected an image of cool, represented a way of life, or was a means to make a living. The great American road trip was born behind a wheel, the Dodge Challenger ripped up the screen in Vanishing Point, and the city of Detroit rose and fell dramatically off the back of the American automobile industry.

    The Americans - Beautiful Machines celebrates the likes of the Mustang, Gran Torino, Corvette, and many of the other classic models that put American automobiles firmly into the 20th Century American zeitgeist. It tells the story of the most iconic cars, their makers, and their era. The book also touches upon the art deco elegance of the Cord, post war optimism, the surf and muscle era, and much more, celebrating the most emblematic, visionary, and iconic automobiles in the history of United States manufacturing.

     

    Cars Escape

    Editors gestalten & Blake Z. Rong
    Release date: October 2024
    Format: 11¾ x 10½ inches
    Features: Full color, hardcover, stitch bound, 320 pages
    ISBN: 9783967041606

    Blake Z. Rong is an editor and journalist who has covered historic cars for major publications both in Europe and the United States. His previous work for gestalten includes Beautiful Machines: The Era of the Elegant Sports Car and The Italians – Beautiful Machines. He holds an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in Brooklyn.



    FSC™️ (Forest Stewardship Council™️) Certified.

    SHIPPING COSTS

      SHIPPING WITHIN THE US:

      SHIPPING WITHIN THE UK:

      SHIPPING WITHIN GERMANY AND THE EUROPEAN UNION:

      SHIPPING TO ALL OTHER COUNTRIES:

      • €0.00 for orders above €60.00 EUR (value of goods) placed via our EU  online shop
      • €40.00 for orders below €60.00 EUR (value of goods) placed via our EU  online shop

      Additional customs charges, taxes, and fees may be charged for shipments to countries outside the EU and the US.

       

      SHIPMENT TRACKING

      Once your order is ready to be shipped, you receive a confirmation email with the delivery details and a tracking link. Please note, that it can take some days before the tracking information is uploaded. You will also be able to track your order when you log into your account.

       

      DELIVERY TIMES

      Unless otherwise specified, 

      • deliveries within the US usually take 5–10 working days,
      • deliveries within Germany usually take 2–5 working days, 
      • deliveries within the European Union, to Switzerland and Norway usually take 3–7 working days, 
      • deliveries within the UK, usually take 3–7 working days,
      • deliveries to all other countries may take 3–8 weeks

      from the date you receive your order confirmation (or, if advance payment  is agreed, from the date payment is instructed).

      Please note that we don’t ship on weekends and public holidays and that there will be no deliveries on Sundays and public holidays.

      If you have ordered items with different delivery times, we will send the goods in one shipment, unless we have made a different agreement with you. In this case, the delivery time is determined by the item with the longest delivery time that you have ordered.

       

      PAYMENT OPTIONS

      We accept the following payment methods:

      • Credit card: MasterCard, VISA
      • Paypal
      • Google Pay
      • Apple Pay
      • Shopify Payments
      • SEPA direct debit
      • Sofortüberweisung
      • ideal
      • eps-Überweisung
      • Bancontact

      FURTHER DETAILS ON PAYMENT:

      The currency used in our EU online shop is Euro (€) and VAT is included in all our prices. The currency used in our UK online shop it is GBP (£) and in our US online shop it is USD ($) and all prices are expressed as exclusive of any VAT or other sales tax payable unless otherwise stated.

      All prices and product information on the gestalten online shop are subject to change.

      If you have any questions, please contact us.

      We will only take payment from your credit card, debit card or your Paypal account once your order has been dispatched.

      For card purchases we work with an authorized payment agent that helps us to check directly with your bank that the card is valid for purchases. Our payment agent processes your card details in the correct way according to the international security standard PCI DSS, which was developed by the card companies VISA, MasterCard, Diners, American Express and JCB. This means that your card details are processed with a very high level of security. To make card purchases with us as secure as possible all information is sent in encrypted form using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). This means that the information is passed through a secure connection and that your card details cannot be read by external parties.

      For further information about Paypal or to create a Paypal account please visit paypal.com.

      When paying by SEPA direct debit, you authorize us to collect the invoice amount from the specified account by issuing a corresponding SEPA mandate. You will receive a pre-notification at least 5 days before the date of direct debit collection. Please note that you are required to ensure sufficient funds are in the account on the announced date. 

       

      RETURNS

      You have a 14-day window to revoke your contract without specifying any reasons. To exercise your right of revocation, please notify us accordingly.

      To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.

      Please note, that gift cards and downloadable software products are non-returnable. 

      Upon revocation, we will provide a full refund using the same payment method you utilized. You are responsible for covering the direct costs associated with returning the products, especially any shipping charges incurred. Repayment may be withheld until the products are returned to us. For further details, please refer to the section on Revocation Right.

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