The 2023 Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot Award for books in languages other than English will be awarded to one or more books published in the previous year that best advance the understanding of the history of the automobile, and are written in any language except English.
Consideration will be given to automotive histories that focus on vehicles, manufacturers, individuals and events, as well as social histories of the automobile that examine the effect of the automobile on society, culture, and everyday life.
The Award Panel may also select an additional book or books published in the previous calendar year for secondary recognition with an Award of Distinction.
Please note that a separate Cugnot Award is given for books written in English.
Requirements
All nominations and enquiries should be sent by email to sahawards@autohistory.org. Your email will then be forwarded to the Cugnot (LOE) committee chair.
Nominations should include the name of the award, the book being nominated, the name and contact information of individual making the nomination, and one or two lines outlining the reason for making the nomination.
Once a nomination has been accepted, the book in question should be forwarded to the Cugnot Award committee as directed by the committee chair.
All books submitted for the Cugnot Award become the property of the SAH and are deposited in the Society of Automotive Historians Special Reference Collection at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in Auburn, Indiana.
Please note neither nominees nor nominators have to be SAH members, and please remember the Cugnot Award is for books published in the previous calendar year.
All nominations for the Cugnot Award must be received by June 15 of this year. Be sure to apply by the deadline.
Previous Award Winners
2025
Donatella Biffignandi and Alessandro Silva for Diatto, published by AISA
Christian Suhr for Krupp Des Ostens: Das Fahrzeugwerk Hunger aus Frankenberg. published by Verlag Kraftakt
2024
Award
Star: Kolebka Polskiej Motoryzachji [Star: A Cradle of Polish Automotive History]
Robert Przybylski
Award of Distinction
Encyclopedie Motocyclu, Ceske Slovenske Motocykly od Roku 1899 po Soucasnost
Marian Suman-Hreblay
2023
Alles Mit Motor, Die Standard/Gutbrod Story by Otfried Jaus, Paul Schilperoord, and Andy Schwietzer. Published in 2022 by CEAUTO Gmbh.
Award of Distinction: Itala – Splendore e declino di una grande marca by Donatella Biffignandi. Published in 2022 by AISA.
2022
Mercedes-Benz C 111, by Gerhard Heidbrink, Joachim Hack and Wolfgang Kalbhenn. Published by Motorbuch Verlag.
2021
Danskbilproduktion, by Erich Karsholt, published by Strandbergs Forlag A/S.
Award of Distinction: Fenaille & Despeaux, Fancetre d’Esso, by Christian Rouxel, published by E.T.A.I.
2020
Paul Daimler, König des Kompressors, by Harry Niemann, published by Motorburch Verlag.
2019
La Hispano Suiza, empresa pionera, El Deportivo Alfonao XIII, by Manuel Lage, published by Ministry of Economy and Business.
Award of Distinction: Kutschenlack, Asphaltschwarz & Nitroglanz Fahrzeuglackierung zwischen 1900 und 1945, by Gundula Tutt, published by Karren Publishing.
Award of Distinction: Durchgeboxt, by Thomas Braun, published by Schneider Media.
2018
Lorraine-Dietrich: de la Voiture de Grand Luxe ah Geant de l’Aeronautigue, by Sébastien Faurès, Fustel de Coulanges, published by E.T.A.I.
Award of Distinction: Encyklopedia Poznanskiej Motoryzacji, by Dobieslav Wielinski.
2017
Los Proyectos Deconocidos de CETA y Pegaso, by Manuel Lage, published by Fundacion Jorge Jove.
2016
Iran Royal Garage, by Borzou Sepasi (self-published in Farsi).
Award of Distinction: Weismann – Power and Passion, by Niels Hamann, published by Schneider Media.
2015
Given to Jean-Louis Loubet for Lifetime Achievement in research and publications in automotive history of France.
Award of Distinction: Ikarus – Busse fur die Welt, by Christian Suhr, published by Verlagkraftakt.
2014
Farman, De I’aviation a I’automobile by Claude Rouxel, Laurent Friry and Sébastien Faurès, Fustel de Coulanges, published by E.T.A.I.
Award of Distinction: Aerodynamicke Automobiliy, by Marian Suman-Hreblay, published by CPress, Brno.
2013
BMW Gespanne, by Hans-Jurgen Schneider and Stefan Knittel, published by Schneider Media.
Award of Distinction: La Ferrari secondo Forghieri dal 1947 a Oggi, by Mario Foghieri and Daniel Buzzonetti, published by Girogio Nada Editore.
2012
No Award
2011
Gotha de l’Automobile Francaise, by Claud Rouxel and Laurent Friry.
Award of Distinction: Tatra, Nákladní a Užitková Vozidla, Autobusy a Trolejbusy, by Marián Šuman-Hreblay, published by Computer Press.
Award of Distinction: Lindner, Karosserien und Anhänger aus Ammendorf, by Christian Suhr, published by Verlag Kraftakt.
2010
Fiat en Grand Prix, 1920-1930 by Sébastien Faurès Fustel de Coulanges, published by E.T.A.I.
Legende: BMW 02, by Hans-Jürgen Schneider and Halwart Schrader, published by Schneider Text Editions.
Award of Distinction: Samochody osobowe, by Andrzej Zielinski, published by Wydawnictwa Komunikacji in Warsaw.
2009
1,000,000: Un Millón de Camiones y Buses Españoles, by Manuel Lage, published by IVECO España.
Awards of Distinction: SIMCA – L’aventure de l’hirondelle, by Adrien Cahuzac, published by E.T.A.I.
Award of Distinction: Voitures Des Pays De L’est, by Bernard Vermeylen, published by E.T.A.I.
2008
d’Azur à Total: Desmarais Frères, le premier grand petrolier français, by Christian Rouxel, published by Drivers.
Award of Distinction: Alle Autos der 50er Jahre 1945-1960, by Roger Gloor, published by Motorbuch Verlag.
2007
Autorennsport in der DDR – BMW (Ost), EMW, Wartburg, by Horst Ihling.
Award of Distinction: Alle Autos der 60er Jahre, by Roger Gloor.
2006
Panhard & Levassor – entre tradition et modernité, by Bernard Vermeylen, published by E.T.A.I.
Award of Distinction: La belle voiture française, by Daniel Cabart and Claude Rouxel, published by E.T.A.I.
Award of Distinction: Berliet, by Monique Chapelle, published by Éditions Le Télégramme.
2005
Award of Distinction: Sie Bauten Autos, by Michael Graf Wolff Metternich and Hans-Otto Neubauer, published by Verlag Hermann E. Sieger GmbH.
Award of Distinction: Ford en France et en Belgique, by Hubert Bonin, Thierry Grosbois, Nicolas Hatzfeld and J-L Loubet, published by éditions P.L.A.G.E.
2004
Sto Lat Polskiej Motoryzacji, by Stanislaw Szelichowski, published by Krakowska Oficyna SAB.
BMW Automobile, by Halwart Schrader, published by Motorbuch Verlag.
Award of Distinction: Renault en Afrique: Croisières automobiles et raids aériens 1901-1939, by Marie-Christine Rouxel, published by E.T.A.I.
2003
Renault des automobiles de prestige, by Claude Rouxel, Marc Griselhubert, Claude Gueldry, and Jacques Dorizon, published by E.T.A.I.
Award of Distinction: Deutsche Autos Band 1 – 1885-1920, by Halwart Schrader, published by Motorbuch-Verlag.
2002
Handwerk på Hjul (Rolling Coachwork – The Story of Norwegian Bodymakers), by Asbjorn Rolseth.
Award of Distinction: Le Rallye Monte-Carlo au XXème Siècle, by Maurice Louche.
2001
No awards.
2000
La Hispano-Suiza: El Vuelo de las Cigüeñas 1916-1931, by Emilio Polo, published by Wings and Flags.
Award of Distinction: Hanomag-Personenwagen von Hannover in die Welt, by Horst-Dieter Görg and Torsten Hamacher, published by Mundschenk Druck-und Verlagsgesellschaft mbH.
2025
“1974-1983 Jeep Cherokee: The Start of Something Big,” by Patrick Foster, published in Collectible Automobile.
2024
“Too Clever by Half/Claveau, the Front Drive Years,” by Karl Ludvigsen, published in the October and November, 2023 issues of The Automobile.
2023
“Sebring’s Forgotten Man—1949 Crosley Hotshot” by J. Michael Hemsley, published in the September, 2022 issue of Sports Car Digest.
Award of Distinction – “Chrysler’s Birth of the ‘Solid-State Electronic Age’ – Part 2” by Rick Hirsh, published in the January-February, 2022 issue of Chrysler Power.
2022
“Upward Mobility: The Low-Cost Luxury Cars of 1966,” by Kit Foster. Published in the October, 2021 issue of Collectible Automobile.
2021
“The Origin of the Species,” by Karl Ludvigsen. Published in the June 2020 issue of The Automobile.
Award of Distinction – “Fuhrmann’s Formidable Four-Cam,” by Karl Ludvigsen. Published in January 2020 issue of Classic Porsche.
2020
“The Rise and Demise of the Packard Speedster,” by Ronald Sieber. Published in the January/February 2019 issue of Antique Automobile the official publication of the AACA, Volume 83, Number 1.
2019
“Toward the Tucker: Creating Preston Tucker’s Bid for Glory,” by Karl Ludvigsen. Published in the December, 2018 issue of Collectible Automobile.
Award of Distinction – “The Long and Winding Road of the Packard Pan Americans,” by Leon Dixon. Published in Fourth Quarter 2018 issue of The Packard Cormorant.
2018
“Race to the Clouds: The Pikes Peak Hillclimb, Parts 1 and 2,” by David Bellm. Published in Vintage Motorsport.
2017
“The Cars of 1969: Rising Middle Class,” by Kit Foster. Published in Collectible Automobile.
2016
“1967-70 Cadillac Eldorado: Applying a Personal Touch” by Terry V. Boyce published in Collectible Automobile.
Award of Distinction – “Record Collector: The Story of a Special 1958 Chrysler 300D” by Andy Mikonis published in Collectible Automobile.
2015
“Lightning in a Bottle Again: The Return of the Electric Car in America” by Gary Witzenburg, published in Collectible Automobile.
2014
“A Star is Reborn” by Terry V. Boyce, published in Collectible Automobile..
2013
“Trans Am Memories” by Sam Posey, published in Hagerty Classic Cars.
2012
“Flying Low,” by Carl Goodwin, published in Vintage Motorsport.
2011
“1951 Buick XP-300: Mr. Chayne Builds His Dream Car” by Terry V. Boyce in Collectible Automobile.
2010
“The LeBarons: Heir Apparent to the Throne,” by John L. Baeke, M.D.,published in The Reunion, the annual publication of the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Club.
Award of Distinction -“Last Legs: A Story of the Final Carrera Panamericana,” by Chuck Giametta, published in the June, 2009 issue of Collectible Automobile.
2009
“Packard and Winton: The Transcontinental Rivalry” by Jim Chase, published in The Packard Cormorant.
2008
“The End of the Future: Chrysler Corporation Cars of 1957” by Jeffrey I. Godshall, published in Collectible Automobile.
2007
“Breaking the Mold: NASCAR at Road America, 1956,” by Greg Fielden, published in Collectible Automobile.
Award of Distinction – “Standing the Test of Time: The Continuing Story of the Packard Proving Grounds,” by Gary Witzenburg, published in Collectible Automobile.
2006
“Lucky Goes to Camp,” by William Oosthoek, published in Vintage Motorsport.
Award of Distinction – “Brooks Stevens: The Seer that Made Milwaukee Famous,” by Richard M. Langworth, published in Collectible Automobile.
2005
“1,000 Miles in Half a Day,” by Carl Goodwin, published in Vintage Motorsport.
Award of Distinction – “1960-62 Plymouth Valiant: Chrysler’s Unique Slant on the Compact,” by Jeffrey I. Godshall, published in Collectible Automobile.
Award of Distinction – “Bound by Tradition: The Coachcraft Story,” by Vince Manocchi, published in Collectible Automobile.
2004
“General Motors LeSabre: Harley Earl’s Think Tank,” by Michael Lamm, published in Collectible Automobile.
“Mysterious Ways: The Long, Strange Trip of the 1954 Oldsmobile F-88,” by Michael Lamm, published in Collectible Automobile.
“The Story Behind the Marmon 12,” by Beverly Rae Kimes, published in Automobile Quarterly.
2003
Benz: “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” by Terry B. Dunham, Antique Automobile.
Award of Distinction: “Tom McCahill: Say ‘Uncle’,” by Richard M. Langworth, Collectible Automobile.
2002
Benz: “Doble E-14: The Pinnacle of Steam Power,” by Jonathan A. Stein with James J. Crank, Automobile Quarterly.
Award of Distinction: “The Aesthetics of Sport,” by Carl Goodwin, published in Vintage Motorsport.
2001
Benz: “Unrealized Dreams: GM’s 1955 LaSalle II Motorama Cars,” by Michael Lamm, Collectible Automobile.
Award of Distinction: “Origins of the French Concours d’Elegance,” by Brooks T. Brierley, Car Collector.
2000
Benz: “Kurtis” by Michael Lamm, Collectible Automobile.
Award of Distinction: “Edmund Rumpler: An Engineer’s Life” by Karl Ludvigsen, The Automobile.
1999
Benz: “Austie,” by Beverly Rae Kimes, Automobile Quarterly.
Award of Distinction: “Frank Lloyd Wright and Automobility,” by Stuart W. Wells, Automobile Quarterly.
1998
Benz: “Forget What You Have Seen,” by Carl Goodwin, Vintage Motorsport.
Award of Distinction: “No Questions Asked – Ford’s Harry Bennett,” by David L. Lewis, Automobile Quarterly.
1997
Benz: “George Romney – On the Path of Persistence,” by Patrick R. Foster, Automobile Quarterly.
Awards of Distinction: “Climbing His Own Ladder – The Elevation of Charles Nash,” by Karla A. Rosenbusch, Automobile Quarterly. “Jomar – The British Sports Car from New Hampshire,” by Jonathan A. Stein, Automobile Quarterly.
1996
Benz: “Burning the Midnight Oil – Cummins Diesel,” by L. Spencer Riggs, Automobile Quarterly.
Award of Distinction: “The steam automobiles of James Herbert Bullard,” by Scott Jamieson, The Automobile.
1995
Benz: “ReVere’s Short Ride,” by L. Spencer Riggs, Automobile Quarterly.
Award of Distinction: “Not on the Road to Anywhere: Fleetwood’s Early Years,” by Stuart Wells, Automobile Quarterly.
1994
Benz: “Ken Purdy, King of the Road,” by Beverly Rae Kimes, Automobile Quarterly.
Award of Distinction: “Mitchell, the Car You Ought to Have,” by Bob Hall, Automobile Quarterly.
1993
Benz: “On the Wings of Larks and Hawks: The Last Flight of Studebaker,” by Robert R. Ebert, The Bulb Horn. “The Checkered History of the Cab from Kalamazoo,” by John A. Heilig, Automobile Quarterly.
Awards of Distinction: “05L: The Proposed Lincoln for 1940,” by Richard H. Stout, The Classic Car. “Locomobile, the Best Built Car in America,” by Karl S. Zahm, The Bulb Horn.
1992
Benz: “Microphone Taillights and Doughnut Decks,” by Jeffrey I. Godshall, Automobile Quarterly.
Awards of Distinction: “Mercedes-Benz Type 80,” by Dean Batchelor, The Star, magazine of the Mercedes-Benz Club of North America. “Edsel, the Forgotten Ford,” by Thomas E. Bonsall, Automobile Quarterly.
1991
Benz: “Found! The Real Lost Cord,” by Pat Tobin, Special Interest Autos.
1990
Benz: “The 1962 and 1963 Thunderbird Sports Roadsters,” by James F. Petrik, Automotive History Review.
Award of Distinction: “Marmon’s Masterpieces,” by Griffith Borgeson, Automobile Quarterly.
1989
Benz: “Ahrens von Sindelfingen: Creating the Classic Mercedes,” by Griffith Borgeson, Automobile Quarterly.
Award of Distinction: “Victor Pagé and his Automobile Company,” by Frank C. Derato, Bulb Horn.
1988
Benz: “A History of the Automobile in North Dakota to 1911,” by Carl F.W. Larson, North Dakota History.
Award of Distinction: “F.E. and F.O. Stanley: The Challenge from Steam,” by John F. Katz, Automobile Quarterly.
1987
Benz: “Andre Dubonnet: As Supple as a Cat,” by Frederick Usher, Automobile Quarterly.
Awards of Distinction: “Strategies for Success in a Changing Marketplace,” by L.J. Andrew Villalon, Bulb Horn. “The Autovia,” by Michael Worthington-Williams, The Automobile.
1986
Benz: “The Duke of Earle: Earle C. Anthony,” by Stuart R. Blond, Packard Cormorant
Awards of Distinction: “Lamborghini, Quest for Perfection,” by Ken Browning, Automobile Quarterly. “Comptes Mecomptes et Redressement d’une Gestin Industrielle le Automobiles Peugeot, 1918-1930,” by Daniel Henri Le Revue d’Historie Moderne et Contemporaire. “Cord and His Auburns,” by Maurice Hendry, Cars and Parts.
1985
Benz:
“Edmund Rumpler: Icarus Bound,” by Griffith Borgeson, Automobile Quarterly. “The American Chaffeur: A Sociologic Appraisal,” by Keith Marvin, Antique Automobile.
1984
Benz: “GM Turns 75,” by Menno Duerksen, Cars and Parts.
1983
Benz: “Seventy-five Years with Palette, Paintbrush, and Wheels,” by Peter Helck, Bulb Horn.
Award of Distinction: “The Selden Patent,” by Gerald A. Wolfe, Antique Automobile.
Prior to 1983, article awards were a subcategory of the Cugnot Award.
1982
Cugnot: “J. Frank de Causse: The Man of Mystery and His Motorcars,” by Walter E. Gosden, Automobile Quarterly.
Awards of Distinction: “J. Frank de Causse,” by Walter E. Gosden, Automobile Quarterly. “Holden Before the Holdens,” by Max Gregory, Restored Cars.
1981
Cugnot Article: “Origins of the VW Beetle,” by Griffith Borgeson, Automobile Quarterly.
1980
Cugnot Article: “Maryland and District of Columbia Cars,” by Willard J. Prentice, Antique Automobile.
1979
Cugnot Article: “Locke and Company: Custom Body Builders 1902-1932, New York City and Rochester, NY,” by Harold H. Emmons, Jr., Torque.
1978
Cugnot Article: “The Nash Story,” by Beverly Rae Kimes, Automobile Quarterly.
1977
Cugnot Article: “Hupmobile,” by Menno Duerksen, Cars and Parts.
1976
Cugnot Article: “The Dead End Kids,” by Ken Gross, Special-Interest Autos. “The Graham Brothers and their Cars,” by Jeffrey I. Godshall, Automobile Quarterly.
1975
Cugnot Articles: “Taxi: A Look at Checker’s Past,” by Stanley K. Yost, Car Classics. “Post War Babies,” by R. Perry Zavitz, Car Classics.
1974
Cugnot Article: “Body by Briggs,” by Michael Lamm, Special-Interest Autos.
1973
Cugnot Article: “Dolphin Motors of Shoreham,” by Michael Worthington-Williams, Sussex Industrial History.
1972
Cugnot Article: “La France et L’Automobile,” by Charles L. Bishop, Éditions M.-Th. Géwin, Paris.