Cars Roar Through the Twenties

Cars Roar Through the Twenties

Days of the old Model T were gone and replaced by larger, faster and snazzier cars. 

By 1927 people were on the look out for new and innovative car designs and people were buying cars on time. This practice started the purchasing of expensive items on credit as an ongoing middle-class habit in the American economy.

Used cars began piling up on car dealers lots as the industry began to stagnate.

Despite all the money changing hands, the industry was undergoing a setback. The market was getting saturated with too many cars while the technology innovations were slowing down. The post-World War II cars included changes like the self-starter, the enclosed, all steel body, high-compression engine, hydraulic brakes, syncromesh transmission, and low-pressure balloon tires.

Quite a few of the innovations we know today were first conceptualized in the 1920s.  These include electric cars, four wheel drive, front wheel drive and hybrid fuel.

Advertisements became less focused on the basics like horsepower and features and began to make an emotional appeal to car buyers. Women were target with enticements like designer colors, luxurious interiors and the angle that cars had become easier to drive and maintain. Many cars in the 1920s featured flowing, sensual curves and dual tone color schemes, making them an art form like the  Arts and Crafts movement.

To cover the expense of the influx of autos, the federal government implemented a gas tax to pay for new roads and repairs to existing roads.  Insurance companies cashed in on the new fad by relating to car owners that their expensive item needed to be protected from damage and theft. Car insurance rates were quite high during this time.

Wealthy Americans purchased imports like Mercedes and Hispano-Suiza for an unprecedented $15 to $50k and American luxury cars like Cadillac and Packard were driven by other wealthy Americans and celebrities. 

Sources:

http://www.1920-30.com/automobiles/