These five cars changed the course of the American automobile industry. Let’s lean in for a closer look.
In an earlier feature here at Mac’s Motor City Garage, Five Cars That Built the Motor City, we focused on five automobiles that helped to shape the early years of the Detroit auto industry. Here are five more cars that had a lasting influence on the decades to follow.
Vastly overlooked and underrated today, the 1950 Nash Rambler established the post-World War II small car category and spawned a wave of competitors: Henry J, Aero Willys, and Hudson Jet. The Rambler sustained American Motors all through the 1950s, then helped to lay the groundwork for the Motor City’s compact car movement of 1960. Nash president George Mason, careful to position the Rambler as a small car, but not a cheap car, initially offered the 1950 model only as a well-equipped convertible.
Walter P. Chrysler had barely gotten his fledgling Chrysler Corporation off the ground when, in 1928, he boldly attacked the low-priced market then dominated by Ford and Chevrolet. The first Chrysler-Plymouth, as the car was initially branded, was the Model Q, a mildly upgraded version of the old Maxwell. Less than a year later, the 1929 Plymouth Model U followed, with a modernized engine and four-wheel hydraulic brakes. Chrysler’s aggressive product strategy paid off: Plymouth leaped straight up the sales charts to claim third in sales in 1932, trailing only Chevrolet and Ford.
In 1948, Hudson introduced the Step-Down line, beating Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler to the market with an all-new postwar design. Solidly crafted and over-engineered, the Hudson employed advanced Monobilt unitized construction to produce superior ride and handling and a low, sleek profile. GM was was so impressed that it used the Hudson as a competitive benchmark in developing the 1949 Cadillac.
By 1927, Henry Ford’s once-revolutionary Model T was woefully obsolete, and after years of foot-dragging, he suddenly shut down production for six months to develop an entirely new car. The Model A, launched in December of 1927, was not terribly advanced for 1928, but it was highly advanced for a Ford product, with a conventional transmission, four-wheel mechanical brakes, and a four-cylinder flathead engine that developed 40 hp, nearly twice what the Model T could muster. The Model A sold reasonably well, with nearly five million units produced between 1927 and 1931.
The 1955 Chevrolet was a groundbreaker for General Motors on several fronts, but its most celebrated feature today was the engine, now forever known as the small-block V8. Manufactured using an innovative upside-down, green-sand casting process and a low-cost valvetrain setup created by Pontiac engineer Clayton Leach, the Chevy V8 was light, powerful, durable, and cheap to produce. More than 100 million units have been manufactured, and by a mile, the small-block is American car community’s most popular V8.
Lois Lane drove a Nash convertible, like the 1st picture, in the original Superman TV series in the mid-50’s, among other cars. While Clark Kent generally drove a Buick, he was seen driving a Nash-Healey, and the police cars were Nash’s as well, however, I can find no reason why they used Nash’s, as Kellogg’s sponsored the show.
Thanks tor the recolection. I forgot Lois Lane drove a Rambler and a nice memory came rushing back.
As a 1949 Cadillac fan I think the Coupe de Ville of that year (its first year) to be well qualified to make your list. The trend setting “hardtop convertible” styling along with being powered by what was the precurser to the Chevy small-block engine make it a candidate.
And how did Cadillac benchmark the 1948 Hudson in developing its ’49? The body, with the first tailfins, was almost a complete carryover from the ’48 Cadillac (except for Coupe de Ville) and the engine had been in development for years before the Hudson showed up.
The 55 Chevy V8 was innovative and ahead of it time but GM used the same piston design as the early Cadillac and Olds. They were known for cracking and the skirt coming loose. The 56s seemed to be better and the 283 had none of these problems.
The Archives in Pennsylvania State University on the Corporations of General Motors of Canada Limited the first incorporated in 1918, Then General Motors Corporation 1918 after Chevrolet Stocks Outstanding that had ownership of most shares in GM Holding Company were purchased from Canada R. S. McLaughlin to allow the Corporation in the USA to merge with Chevrolet and incorporate in 1918. This history is from 1918 to 1973 and has R. S. as Vice-President of the Corporation.
This was Canada R. S. McLaughlin who had a father start a Carriage Company in 1876 and in 1900 was a million a year company. Was able to convince W Durant to build Buick Motors for his Cars in Canada for 15 years. W Durant had exchanged 500,000 shares of Buick stock for 500,000 shares of McLaughlin stock. with no holding company in 1907 . Then the agreement to have Dr. E Campbell an old friend of R S McLaughlin and W Durants Son in Law. Name the General Motors Holding Company in 1908.