Daily Podcast: Motorcars of the Classic Era

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago

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.

Robert Farago
Robert Farago

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  • Glenn126 Glenn126 on Sep 27, 2007

    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.

  • Hank Hank on Sep 28, 2007

    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)

  • HawaiiJim HawaiiJim on Sep 28, 2007

    NickR: A 1949 Ford (Sea-Mist Green as I recall) was my parents' first car. I agree, it was nicely designed.

  • BlueBrat BlueBrat on Sep 28, 2007

    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.

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