Is the name of the coffee table tome resting underneath my left elbow. Michael Furman's photographic study of automobiles built from 1925 to 1948 leads with pictures of American models, and it's enough to make an American car lover cry. From the Bentley Blower-like 1927 Kissel 8-75 Speedster to the perfectly proportioned 1932 Lincoln KB Model 248 Convertible Roadster (I'm ignoring the hideous 1940 Lincoln Continental Convertible), the US section features some of the most beautiful and charismatic cars the world had ever seen. As TTAC continues to chronicle Detroit's dissolution, let it be said that we look forward to the flowering of talent that its conclusion will bring. There will come a time when the US once again return to the pinnacle of automotive design and engineering. Count on it.
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Was it World War II that ruined American car design? Or what? I know they produced some good designs after that (the 49 Ford, 68 Charger, et al) but relative to the number of models produced, they were few and far between. I never understood that.
I could be horribly wrong, but I think innovation (of the gearheads that designed the wonderful cars of yore) gave way to profit generation (for the large companies that those beautiful cars created). When something is designed out of passion, talent, and focus, it will generally succeed. When a car is commissioned to turn the greatest profit- quality, reliability, and its soul are lost in the vapor.
Even “some” of the cars of the 1950’s, when looked at objectively, have pretty stellar “looks”, such as
The 1953 Studebaker Commander Regal Starliner hardtop (what a name!) see for yourself
http://www.tocmp.com/pix/Studebaker/images/53Studebaker03-or.jpg
Or, how about the 1957 DeSoto Adventurer? The fins captured the time – the new, lower, longer styling – the Hemi V8 – all optimistic signs for the future of America… and a styling coup which forced GM to build 1958 Chevies and Pontiacs for only one year before tearing out their assembly lines and starting over to try to catch up…
http://www.tocmp.com/pix/DeSoto/pages/57DeSoto06-or_jpg.htm
(Now, you guys! Keep it clean!) Remember 1957 was a different time… and the meaning of words was “according to Webster” at the time…
Or, how about the 1953 Buick Skylark convertible with it’s all-new “nail-head” V8 and wire wheels?
http://www.tocmp.com/pix/Buick/images/part2/53Buick09-or.jpg
Grandpa owned a ’58 Desoto (Firesweep)….whatta’ car!!
Good calls (and picks), Glenn126.
Detroit lost its way sometime in the late 1960’s, to my way of thinking. Until then, imagination, style, and passion could still be found.
Who remembers or went to GM Motoramas? Even if you were a kid!
The 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham 4 door HT with the stainless steel roof, air suspension, dual quads, air conditioning, suicide rear doors was a benchmark car in its time.
http://www.tocmp.com/brochures/Cadillac/1957/ElDorado/pages/1957%20Cadillac%20Eldorado%20Brougham-08_jpg.htm
The Lincoln Mark from the mid 50’s, the first Chrysler 300’s from the same time.
These were cars that had a “soul” that exuded character,that conveyed a message.
Chrysler replicated a modern version of the 300, with positive results. Imagine if Cadillac would replicate a modern version of a 1957 Eldorado, and Lincoln a modern version of the early Mark’s.
Its not a car but its an icon of American automotive
http://www.peterbilt.com/index_gal_pho_lrg.asp?p=388_4&m=388
You guys talked about wanting an American Luxury car manufacturer to be number one again.
I suspect it will definitely happen when the cars start driving themselves. Once again, the living room on wheels will be the rage, and no one does it better than Detroit.
Interesting article on the failure of one attempt to use an electric vehicle as a taxi in NYC.
Electric taxis can’t hack it on city streets
Hopes of battery-powered taxis in New York were zapped after an electric cab couldn’t hack the average taxi shift during a pilot program earlier this year.
The Taxi and Limousine Commission announced Thursday that the lithium battery-powered PT Cruiser cab also couldn’t withstand cold temperatures. The commission was testing whether the environmentally-friendly car could tough it out during the average, strenuous 10-hour New York cab shift.
…
“It got to spend a lot of time on the back of a flatbed tow truck and not a lot of time as a taxicab,” said commission spokesman Allan Fromberg.
…
The little cab that couldn’t hit the streets early this year, but usually stopped working after driving 40 miles, Fromberg said.
Once it made it more than 90 miles, but never the average cab shift of 100. The manufacturer, Hybrid Technologies, took the car back about a month ago, Fromberg said.
The company could not be reached Thursday. Well d’uh, they bought an electric car from a company called “Hybrid Technologies”.
Maybe they should have flipped back a few more listings in the Thomas Register until they hit “Electric Car Technologies”.
The ComedianWhat the hell is that thing? Is that the taxi that couldn’t hack it. It looks like an old Soviet armored personnel carrier, definately something military in theme. Hmm the more my eyes burn from it the more I see the ugliest Tonka truck ever.
Let’s not forget the absolutely drop-dead gorgeous Continental Mark II from 1956-1957.
(It was not badged as a Lincoln, but Continental had it’s own DIVISION for awhile under Ford, upscale from Lincoln).
The intent was to have multiple marques like GM did.
Ford. E-Cars *. Mercury. Lincoln. Continental. *Edsel – which didn’t come out until 1958, after Continental had been folded back into Lincoln, in fact.
GM had:
Chevrolet. Pontiac. Oldsmobile. Buick. Cadillac.
Chrysler had:
Plymouth. Dodge. DeSoto. Chrysler. Imperial.
American Motors had:
Metropolitan. Rambler. Nash. Hudson.
Studebaker-Packard had:
Studebaker. Clipper (It’s own marque for 1956 only). Packard.
Duesenburg. Proof passionate engineering and beauty can and do coincide.
(and by Dueseburg I mean the originals, not that comic book thing that keeps floating around the ‘net)
NickR: A 1949 Ford (Sea-Mist Green as I recall) was my parents’ first car. I agree, it was nicely designed.
You hit it right about cross-shopping domestic pricetags to imports. I did this when purchasing a utilitarian ‘ute, a purchase not for pleasure but for necessity (why else would you buy one of those). So not just the initial pricetag but the price of repairs and parts went into consideration, and in that case, the domestics are simply way more affordable than imports.
So the first hoon response is, well if you buy a domestic your repairing it daily, hahahaha. Well no I don’t believe so. While the build quality and refinement isn’t up to par compared to most imports, the domestics do have a good reliability history as long as you do your research and find out which ones. Most of the repairs I was concerned about were from what others do to the vehicle, not me. If you live or commute to a city you’ll know what I mean.