Vintage Cars

Changes in Society

The period began with soldiers coming home from overseas and was followed by the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment, insuring women the right to vote. The Roaring Twenties had arrived with flappers and bathtub gin, and great changes in society. The economy strengthened, buying on credit started, and consumerism increased with the automobile at the top of the list. Expanding newspapers, movies and radio burst like the corks on bottles of champagne.

Not only was the car radio invented and drive-in restaurants opened by A&W root beer, but the first National Conference on Street and Highway Safety asked for standardized traffic laws throughout the country and the Secretary of the Treasury tried to have the Washington Monument relocated to make room for more parking lots. The modern car culture of the automobile and the highway was upon us.

Henry Ford

The Ford Motor Company is an example of what went on with the automobile companies that formed before World War One. In 1908, Henry Ford made the first Model T, and then in 1913 created a moving assembly line for mass producing automobiles which changed manufacturing and helped bring about the Industrial Revolution. His Model T was the best selling car in the world, but other automobile manufacturers began surpassing Ford, producing cars with more features and in a variety of colors and styles.

• Ford purchased the Lincoln Motor Company in 1925, therefore selling high-end cars too.
• He stopped production of the Model T and rolled out the new Model A in 1927.
• Closing the decade, he signed a deal to build an automobile factory in Russia.

Like the vintage car period in general, Ford expanded and improved on earlier ideas.

The Model A

Unlike the strictly functional Model T, the new Model A had:

• Shock absorbers
• Four-wheel hydraulic brakes
• A larger engine which made this light automobile fast and efficient
• A three-ratio gearbox

The Vintage Car Era

Not only could everyone now afford to purchase an automobile, everyone did. The vintage car era is known for:

• Widespread use of four-wheel breaks, electric lighting and starters, as well as balloon tires.
• Fast cars with large engines. Automobiles built for speed, simply for the fun of it.

In addition, more expensive cars were produced for the wealthy.

Luxury Vintage Cars

Some luxury vintage cars are:

Bentley- Designed by Walter Owen Bentley, they won several le Mans races in the 1920s

Bugatti- Only six Type 41 Royales were made by Ettore Bugatti

Cunningham- This automobile had a famous aluminum engine and body

Duesenberg- From Frederick Samuel Duesenberg came an American car owned by many Hollywood actors

Mercedes-Benz- Known for early supercharged engines

Packard- A longstanding American luxury car

Rolls-Royce Phantom 1- On exhibit in a castle museum overlooking Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland is a scarce Phantom 1 once owned by Greta Garbo.

Stutz Black Hawk- The Black Hawk was from the late 1920s, before the Stutz Bearcat of the 1930s.

The Antique Automobile Club of America and The Classic Car Club of America are two major organizations for automobile enthusiasts.

Protect Your Investment

If you are the proud owner of a vintage car, make sure you have it properly insured. It may take a bit of searching for the right antique car insurance company. The effort however, is worth it. You may find a few unexpected perks as well, such as having no deductible.