Iconic: Art, Design, Advertising, and the Automobile Book

A Ford GT with a custom Gulf Oil paint job, an Aston Martin DB5, Jacques Villeneuve’s Reynard Formula Ford, Jaguar E-Types, Mercedes-Benz 300 SL’s, and a 2015 Porsche 918m. These are only a few of the fabulous cars featured in Miles S. Nadal’s awe-inspiring Dare to Dream Automotive Museum. With this remarkable group - still only a part of his overall collection - Miles has acquired some of the most celebrated automobiles of the past century. They are carefully curated for their significance, relevance, and, most of all, for their iconic essence. Each vehicle is accompanied by an authoritative history prepared by award-winning author Ken Gross matching with photographs by acclaimed photographer Michael Furman. Every car is brought to life to the point where readers feel as they are walking through the museum.

Iconic: Art, Design, Advertising, and the Automobile not only features Miles’ collection, but also explores what it truly means to be an icon. Interviews with renowned automotive celebrities such as Bruce Meyer, Jay Leno, Mark Trostle, and Chris Bangle, explore what makes a car “iconic”- yesterday, today, and tomorrow. With an essay on iconic advertising by marketing genius Chuck Porter, this book investigates the relationship between the car and the advertising world, and examines how that world shapes public perception of the automobile as an object of desire. From supercars to Ferraris, from Ford to Porsche, and the latest electric cars, this book covers every marque, era, and event significant to the automotive world.

This volume examines what resounds with the public, what it takes to become more than just a car or more than just the person behind the wheel - and finally what it takes to become “iconic”.

About the Author:

As an esteemed international entrepreneur, philanthropist, businessman, and automotive enthusiast, Miles S. Nadal has built a world-renowned classic car collection and automotive museum. The collection encompasses a broad selection of 130 classic, modern, iconic, and unique vehicles as well as 30 unique motorcycles, spanning many different eras and marques. His world class collection, housed in the Dare to Dream Automotive Museum, ranges from a 1913 Baker Electric, to a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, to a BMW i8, and nearly all the major exotic supercars. Miles is also celebrated for his many philanthropic initiatives, and entrepreneurial successes.

Ken Gross is a former executive director of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, and a Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance judge for 28 years. He has been a critically respected guest curator for automobile exhibitions in fine art museums throughout the United States. Among his many honors, he is a recipient of the Automotive Hall of Fame Distinguished Service Citation, the Ken Purdy Award, Dean Bachelor Award, Lorin Tryon Award, and Lee Iacocca Award. Ken lives in Virginia with his wife, Trish Serratore. He is also the author of Vintage Cars, published by Assouline.