It Came Out Fighting!

About the Book

It Came Out Fighting! is an analysis of the factors that contributed to Cadillac Motor Car Division’s ascension to sales leadership in the fine car field in the years following World War II.  Factors in play during the pre-war years, such as mechanical and styling innovations, advertising concepts, and the redefinition of the luxury car genre were considered.  Cadillac’s wartime production of aircraft engine parts and tanks hold the real key to post-war dominance.  The War Department paid the company to upgrade its facilities and its drive train, allowing Cadillac to avoid many of the financial burdens endured by its primary rival, Packard, during reconversion. This permitted Cadillac to sell an improved product for less cost to the customer than its competitors.  This advantage, coupled with the rise of the personal luxury concept and a stream of technological innovations, allowed Cadillac to rule the luxury car market until the close of the twentieth century.

About the Author

Jeffrey D. Shively is a passionate historian, finding greatest interest in the Second World War, automotive history, and political history.  He holds a B.A. in History from DePauw University and an  M.A., also History, from Indiana State University. Two of his books are currently in print, Tolerating the Intolerable, and the 1965-1966 Cadillac Authenticity Manual, which he co-wrote with Dr. G. Larsen Kneller.

Mr. Shively has many interests outside of history and writing.  He is a jazz lover, appreciating the works of Glenn Miller and Chet Baker above other musicians.  In his spare time, he works on his stable of vintage Cadillacs, currently including examples from 1941, 1960, and 1965.  Currently, Mr. Shively resides near Greencastle, Indiana with his wife Mila, and teaches at a local community college.