When you saw a ‘57 Chevy coming down the street, even a block away, you knew it was not a ’56 Ford Crown Victory. Can you remember when cars were easily identifiable at first sight? Proprietary attributes such as front grills, rear tail fins, hood ornaments and chrome trim made them easily recognizable from a considerable distance. The make of the car and the year it was manufactured was unmistakable even to those who knew little about cars otherwise.
When I was a youngster there were several pre-WWII autos still on the road, too. Looking back I’m amazed by the fact that some Ford cars had V-8 engines in them before 1940. Those engines were known as flathead V-8s, because the intake and exhaust valves were in the block. Later, in the ‘50s, the valves were located in the engine head, but were referred to as “overhead” valves. Somewhere, back in the good old days, I’m told that Lincoln cars were equipped with V-12 engines and overdrive. For a full-sized car, I’m thinking that those old Lincolns had to be the fastest vehicles on the highway. Do you remember the song, “Hot Rod Lincoln?” If you’re less than 40 years old, you have probably never heard the term “overdrive” either.
The interior of those pre-WWII types sported gadgets that the present generation has likely never seen. Starter pedals were located on the floor next to the accelerator. Actually, they were just a steel rod protruding through the floorboard with a rubber boot around it. One had to push the rod with the right foot to engage the starter. The headlight dimmer switch was also located on the floor, but on the driver’s side of the clutch and brake pedals. This configuration continued for many more years. As technology progressed, the starter switch was improved to a push button on the dashboard. In those older vehicles the ignition switch had to be turned on with a key before the starter was engaged either by the foot switch or the push button. The key was not used to start the engine, only to shut it off.
Fender skirts, seat covers and steering wheel “spinners” were popular with my age group. Those skirts gave a lower to the ground appearance to the rear end of the car. Seat covers protected the original upholstery from stains and wear and tear. If you had good taste in color and design they really looked better than the upholstery in most cases.
Spinners were more popular before power steering was added as a luxury item. Basically, they were just large knobs on a spindle, which clamped around the rim of the steering wheel. The large end of the knob would spin freely making steering the car much easier and faster than with the hand-over-hand method. Some had a pretty fancy design with colored pictures under a clear plastic cap. Many of those pictures became the topic of some colorful conversations, too. However, spinners were soon outlawed, because of them breaking free of the steering wheel while the car was in a turn causing accidents. There were also broken wrists, arms and fingers from being struck by the spinners when they were released to allow the wheel to return to its original position.
Spinners also found their way onto the steering wheels of farm tractors. Tractors of that era did not have power steering and the spinners made the sharp turnarounds at the end of the rows almost effortless.
Today, I cannot tell the make or year model of an automobile by looking at it even when I’m standing beside it. I could read the manufacture’s emblem on the car; however, I would have no idea in which year it was made. I can’t remember when cars began to lose their distinctive appearances. It must have been a slow process, but it seemed to hit me suddenly when I was asked what kind of a car my neighbor drove. I realized I had no idea although I’d seen the car 50 times. Then a startling reality set in. Looking around at the cars that I could see, I realized I could not name the make or model of a single one. I thought how in the world would I identify a car to the police other than by its color? “Well, officer, it was small, box-shaped and blue, but I have no idea of its make or model. It looked like all of the other cars in town.” That’s what my police report would probably sound like today.
Jerry Ginther served two years in the U.S. Army, and later attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. He has a degree in Christian Ministry and is the author of Acquiring the Benefits of Biblical Wisdom, available in e-book format on Amazon.com. He and his wife reside in Texas.