Karl Ludvigsen

Who is Karl Ludvigsen?

Karl Ludvigsen. Cum Laude graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy and attended both the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, studying engineering, and Pratt Institute where he matriculated in industrial design. In 1958-59 he served in the US Army Signal Corps in West Germany.

Ludvigsen is best known for his work over 50 years as a journalist, author and historian. Ludvigsen began his automotive writing and editing for MIT's Tech Engineering News in 1953. He has served as technical editor of both Auto Age and Sports Cars Illustrated, east coast editor of Motor Trend and editor of Car and Driver. Currently he writes for Automobile Quarterly, The Automobile and Hemmings Sports & Exotic Cars, among others, plus various one-make periodicals and leading website publications Winding Road and Just-Auto.com.

As an author, co-author or editor Ludvigsen has some four dozen books to his credit. Four Ludvigsen books concern the Chevrolet Corvette, one of them that was credited with sparking the Corvette hobby. He has written three times about Mercedes-Benz, twice about its racing cars. His books on the latter subject have won the Montagu Trophy and the Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot Award, both recognizing outstanding automotive historical writing. In 2001 he again received the Cugnot award from the Society of Automotive Historians for his book about the early years of the Volkswagen, Battle for the Beetle. In 2002 he was named a Friend of Automotive History by the SAH, the Society's highest award.