| Some of the Detroit Iron manufactured
| |
| | tubes to warm up. In the sixties, FM
|
| after WWII until about 1980 can be
| |
| | radio appeared, and at first offered ad
|
| considered Rolling Art. Several Companies
| |
| | and DJ free programming. That of course
|
| like Packard, Hudson and Studebaker
| |
| | didn't last long once the bandwidth
|
| ceased building cars for one reason or
| |
| | became entrenched. By the seventies there
|
| another during the early part of this
| |
| | were 8 track tape players which in fairly
|
| span, but they and the traditional big 3,
| |
| | short order gave way to cassettes.
|
| Ford, GM and Chrysler did turn out some
| |
| | 1959 marked the pinnacle of the auto as
|
| masterpieces.
| |
| | jet sporting gigantic rear fins, the
|
| As a kid just old enough to think about
| |
| | ultimate appearing on the 1959 Cadillac
|
| getting a drivers license, I would sit in
| |
| | with the 1959-60 Chrysler and DeSoto not
|
| my tree house and fantasize about the
| |
| | far behind. In another year the DeSoto
|
| latest crop of finned behemoths pictured
| |
| | would disappear from showrooms and go the
|
| in the car magazines of the time. After
| |
| | way of the Packard, Hudson and Nash. A
|
| careful consideration I would rank them
| |
| | sobriety of sorts gripped automakers
|
| according to style and features that I
| |
| | after the fin and chrome extravaganza
|
| could really relate to and desired to
| |
| | passed. Some really classy designs were
|
| possess. Always decisions. Should I have
| |
| | introduced in the early sixties like the
|
| twin rear antennas and dual spotlights or
| |
| | 1960 Pontiac, 1961 Buick, 1962 Cadillac
|
| would one of each do. Wire wheels were
| |
| | and classic 1964 Ford.
|
| really neat as were the two and three
| |
| | Chrysler Corporation would, from time to
|
| tone paint jobs. I ended up choosing the
| |
| | time, introduce industry leading
|
| most streamlined and elegant looking as
| |
| | stratagems. Their Hemi (hemispherical
|
| my favorites always deferring to clean
| |
| | head) Motor during the fifties was pure
|
| rather than clutter. I wasn't one for
| |
| | muscle and reliability as was their
|
| fuzzy dice hanging from the rear view
| |
| | Torqueflight transmission. They
|
| mirror, instead preferring power windows
| |
| | introduced the 'Forward Look' in the
|
| and air conditioning. Of course I always
| |
| | later fifties which lead styling trends
|
| opted for the biggest V8 option and
| |
| | for awhile. Then again in 1965 they
|
| always dual exhaust both for easy engine
| |
| | offered some really sturdy and classy
|
| breathing and the sound.
| |
| | cars that towards the end of that decade
|
| The late 1940's and early 50s saw the
| |
| | lead to the innovative fuselage cars.
|
| transition from stodgy, subdued and
| |
| | These were large sleek machines with an
|
| functional to a more sleek and powerful
| |
| | air frame sculptured look that I found
|
| motif which, year after year during the
| |
| | quite attractive. Unfortunately Chrysler
|
| 1950's, became a size, power and chrome
| |
| | quality control started slipping badly
|
| enhancement race.
| |
| | during this period and didn't recover for
|
| While some models went overboard with
| |
| | many years.
|
| various excesses making their designs
| |
| | By the late seventies things started
|
| overburdened or clumsy, others managed to
| |
| | going downhill in Detroit. Automakers,
|
| integrate fins, masses of chrome and
| |
| | paying little attention to quality
|
| color schemes that were a delight. All
| |
| | control and mechanical efficiencies found
|
| the manufacturers had their winners and
| |
| | themselves mandated by legislation to
|
| losers but American cars of the period
| |
| | clean up their act, literally. As a
|
| were all individually identifiable and
| |
| | result, all manner of schemes were
|
| definitely distinct and could roll down a
| |
| | employed to reduce engine emissions,
|
| super highway without a care.
| |
| | most, in the early days, a maze of vacuum
|
| The straight 6 and 8 motors of earlier
| |
| | lines and fuel injection designs that
|
| periods soon gave way in the more deluxe
| |
| | were cumbersome and mostly ill conceived,
|
| models to V8's, which couldn't pull
| |
| | leading to a myriad of problems and
|
| stumps like the old high torque low rpm
| |
| | customer dissatisfaction.
|
| straight eights, but could more lithely
| |
| | It wasn't long thereafter that the
|
| move a couple of tons of iron, glass and
| |
| | Japanese stepped in to fill the void and
|
| plastic down the road. By the mid 1950's
| |
| | things have never returned to the days of
|
| all American cars had settled on 12 volt
| |
| | American auto manufacturing preeminence.
|
| electrical systems, 14 or 15 inch wheels,
| |
| | Granted American cars eventually improved
|
| wrap around windshields, and with the V8
| |
| | dramatically but market share by then was
|
| motor now the entrenched favorite.
| |
| | fragmented. I personally lost interest in
|
| It was a time in American history when
| |
| | Detroit around the mid eighties although
|
| each new car year was greeted with
| |
| | some really nice cars have been produced
|
| excitement and anticipation as each model
| |
| | since. Now, I am afraid, because of the
|
| sought to capture the limelight with its
| |
| | fickle nature of Americans, demanding
|
| own distinct identity. Priorities were
| |
| | SUV's and consuming a hugely
|
| simple if not naive. Dazzle the customer
| |
| | disproportional amount of the worlds
|
| with great expanses of sheet metal and
| |
| | resources, the twin failings of
|
| chrome, brilliant colors and lots of
| |
| | overindulgence and lack of foresight in
|
| buttons to push. Although mundane items
| |
| | the face of world realignment, has pushed
|
| like seat belts were introduced as
| |
| | MoTown automakers to the brink of
|
| selling features from time to time, the
| |
| | insolvency.
|
| consumer wanted none of that as it didn't
| |
| | The 1950s through the seventies saw the
|
| add any value as a status symbol.
| |
| | apex and beginning of decline of the
|
| Slowly technological improvements did
| |
| | American auto as a distinct form of
|
| advance along with convenience and power
| |
| | rolling art. A combination of art deco
|
| options. Radial tires were a big plus
| |
| | and modern gave way to downsizing and
|
| adding smoothness, safety and longevity
| |
| | competition from abroad. Complacent
|
| replacing thumping, rapid tread wear and
| |
| | management also failed to embrace, in a
|
| numerous flats. Disc brakes were a
| |
| | timely fashion, new concepts of quality
|
| definite safety advantage replacing the
| |
| | control, preferring to market their
|
| inferior drum and shoe method that could
| |
| | vehicles through planned obsolescence.
|
| fade in emergency situations. Automatic
| |
| | No doubt, some of the greatest American
|
| transmissions became the option of choice
| |
| | masterpieces in rolling art were created
|
| and then ultimately became standard
| |
| | during the 1920s and 30s, however, the
|
| equipment. And of course, radios evolved.
| |
| | height of Auto Americana, where form and
|
| In the mid fifties, signal seek or
| |
| | function took on whole new dimensions of
|
| 'wonderbar' AM radios were introduced,
| |
| | vim and verve, the 1950s, seems to have
|
| followed soon thereafter by the
| |
| | marked the peak of empire as well as its
|
| transistor models which allowed for
| |
| | most distinctive product.
|
| 'instant on' instead of waiting for the
| |
| |
|
