Plenty Of Great Vintage Cars - California 1935

[keithb7]

It would appear that by 1935 people in North America were indeed consumed by the automobile. 

The industry had a firm grip on American culture. This is 20 years before 1955. The period I would

have more associated with the apex of American car culture. Its seems, the automotive boon lasted

many decades. What an epic period of industry, travel & fun adventurous times in your car.

 

I

[TodFitch]

I see more Fords and Chevrolets than Plymouths on the street despite going past a Dodge-Plymouth dealer. Seems like a lot more gas stations per mile than we have now too.

 

It wasn’t very long after WW1 that horses had pretty much been replaced by cars in the cities and probably in most towns. If that is your mark for the beginning of car culture then you could probably say it had started by 1920.

 

By the late 1930s there was a huge supply of 10, 15 and even 20 year old clunkers in the US that could be nursed along to move your family. I recall when we were reading Grapes of Wrath as an assignment back in high school that it was mentioned the movie version was not received/understood in Europe because the whole concept of the poor being able to get a car of any kind to travel to a new area was inconceivable while here it was just a normal fact of life.

[Dan Hiebert]

My step-grandfather was an auto mechanic in the 30's in Minnesota.  He learned that trade from working on U.S. Navy seaplanes on the coast of France during WW1.  Most of his work was to keep older heaps running so the labor force could get around.  He was a wiz at keeping virtually anything running up until just a few months before he died, and he died at 100 + 6 days.  He kind of dashed my prior notions about how neat it must have been to work on cars of that era, he said he hardly ever worked on new cars, just the "old" ones.  Thanks for posting that video, I enjoy that stuff.    

[Dan Hiebert]

Traffic control seems to consist of leaning on your horn...although I'd wager sound was added later.

Edited March 12, 2021 by Dan Hiebert