Overall this was very good book. It tells the story of fifteen cars and the impact they had on American life. Some of the choices were no-brainers such as the Mustang or the Volkswagen Beetle. Both cars are included and the stories, though fairly well known, are detailed and presented in an enjoyable manner.
What I really enjoyed were the not-so-obvious choices. My favorite among these stories were the tales of the Honda Accord and the Chrysler Minivan. I like the subject of cars and frequently read blogs like Jalopnik and watch TV shows and documentaries on car history. These frequently revolve the history of high performance models or rare vehicles. Honda Accords and minivans aren't frequently the subject of articles or shows. They are so ubiquitous, one hardly thinks of them at all. Yet, there is a story behind them. Mr. Ingrassia tells those stories very well.
I do have a couple quibbles that kept this book out of 5 star territory. There were a couple points where the author cracked some awful one-liners that I felt detracted from on going narrative. There were also a couple spots where he oversimplified a complex issue. For instance, one he mentioned that the Tucker Torpedo venture "...collapsed becuase his cars weren't reliable..." Personally, I think that way oversimplifies what happened to Tucker Motors. Anybody who has seen the movie Tucker can tell you that (even if you don't believe the hagiographic portrayal). That wasn't the focus of the chapter, so I let it slide, as I did the other times I felt it occured.
That said, I felt it was a very enjoyable read.