Guest Post – When Making A Car Was Illegal – GPCox
I remember when I first wrote this – it took many readers by surprise! Hope you all enjoy it!
This is the latest Guest Post from gpcox all about the vehicles in service during World War II and a little about what the American Family had to sacrifice back home.
When Making a Car Was Illegal
After Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt ordered all car manufacturers to cease the production of private automobiles and convert the factories to produce military
Utility Truck
vehicles, weaponry, airplane engines, parts, etc. But, this would not put an end to man’s love affair with the automobile. A car manual became priceless to a private owner and a truck manual was an absolute necessity for a farmer or businessman. With the rationing of gasoline in the U.S., the “National Victory Speed” was 35 mph and driving clubs were encouraged. (Our modern day car-pools).
Automobiles were produced in massive quantities before the Great Depression and this brought the price down considerably. Then, the stock market crashed…
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Posted on April 22, 2018, in Home Front, Uncategorized, WWII and tagged 1940's, Automobiles, Cars, History, Home Front, Vintage, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 62 Comments.
Pacific Paratrooper 
I have read your post. This is really great and nice. Thanks for sharing with us.
vehicles-background-replacement
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Wow, would you make a fortune on used cars if making new ones was illegal again, eh?!!
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That was awesome, GP! Thank you! These little nuances of history are so easy to get lost, I’m so thankful you’re preserving them so we won’t forget. 🙂
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Glad you found something of interest. I try to include a variety.
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As “56 PackardMan”, I certainly appreciate your references to Packard! 🙂
Here’s my post on the Packard Merlin engines https://56packardman.com/2017/03/28/gear-head-tuesday-packard-and-the-merlin-engine/
and here’s my post on the V-12s Packard built for the PT boats:
https://56packardman.com/2015/12/08/gear-head-tuesday-packard-v-12-powered-pt-boats/
Seldom remembered today is the fact that an important part of Packard’s business was its marine and aviation engine business.
Packard even built a diesel aviation business.
Packard landed a contract to build the J-47 jet engine. The cash flow from that project would have largely funded the planned, but alas unbuilt, all-new ’57 Packards (and Studebakers). Ike had appointed former GM Chairman Charles Wilson as Secretary of Defense. Wilson knew that Packard was making a determined effort to recover the “luxury car crown” it had handed to Cadillac when it began emphasizing cars in the Buick-Oldsmobile-Chrysler price class. Wilson yanked Packard’s J-47 contract. That action really started the dominos falling for Packard …
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Before I get into reading your links, didn’t Pakard make a tank engine as well as those for boats?
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Wow, you really know how to bring history to life gp, this post is a perfect example mate.
Your site is a veritable archive of Military history.
Cheers.
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Hopefully this site will last long after me and maybe reach a Millennial or two. These men and women deserve to be remembered.
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You started it mate and set the standards for recalling and recording Military history, job well done.
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I thank you very much, my friend. From you that means a great deal!
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Our wartime car was a Plymouth Coupe. It had no self-starter and had to be cranked or push-started, But it went and went and went …
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That’s back in the days when something was built to last. Today we have planned obsolescence.
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I would love the speed limit to be 35 mph…
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You do know that you’re one of the few – right? haha When I ride on I-95 doing 75, people pass me like I’m standing still!!
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On a clear road I do like to go fast but there are so many distracted drivers these days that should not be going fast.
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Agreed.
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About sacrifice – did you catch this posting?: They were the “other” Band of Brothers.
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I quick caught it, thank you. I have the book and saw the show, so I’m quick familiar with their story.
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I’m always amazed at how fast some things disappeared. And were only replicated with great difficulty later. I guess there were more important things on our mind.
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I’m not so sure about that. This world has changed, in many ways better or at least easier, but as far as raising people with character – this world leaves a lot to be desired IMO.
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I always the that removing the Draft was a terrible mistake. Wish they’s had that up here.
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We really are abusing our current volunteers. We’ve stretched them out to monumental responsibilities and deploy them far too often. If the government insists on continuing these PC wars, the draft will have to be implemented again! IMO
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Great guest post, GP! It’s interesting to learn how making car was illegal, I had no idea and no wonder everyone had to share cars and they became so important. Car manuals barely exist these days as it’s so difficult to fix a car oneself with all the electronics etc … they must have been a life-line when so much was dependant on sorting by oneself. Fascinating post!
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I remember the old manuals and Dad working on our cars, but today’s versions look like ‘War and Peace’ with a sequel attached!!
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😀😃
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Great post on one of my favorite subjects. Packard in its heyday had the slogan, “Ask the man that owns one.” They were considered to be “America’s Rolls Royce.” My father in WWII, drove a GMC 2 1/2 ton 6×6–like the ones mentioned in the post. Many Studebaker US 6 model heavy trucks were sent to Russia. They were appreciated for their ruggedness and reliability.
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They were indeed cream of the crop – it would be great to have one today, in the world of ‘planned obsolescence.’ Judy’s grandfather had one, you two have something in common.
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Wow, you learn something new everyday. I did not know this.
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My father, Smitty, always said, “The day I stop learning, please close the lid.” I try to live up to that myself – always try to learn more.
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Lol, tell your dad that is an Awsome saying. I agree with the both of you. You are never to old to learn.
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My Dad is gone now, but I’m sure he heard. Thanks.
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Sorry to hear that, he sounds like a pretty cool guy. You are welcome 🙂
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He was the very best! I consider myself a very lucky person to have just known him!
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That’s love 😆
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Such sacrifices they went through during the war. This would never happen in todays society.
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Agreed, Terry! The Pres. would be strung up!!
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Wow! I did not realize this.
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I knew this article would still catch some readers by surprise! Thanks for reading it today, Anna.
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What a great post. I hadn’t connected all those dots–how American production filled the military’s needs. Thanks for this.
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Very welcome, Jacqui. I always look forward to your remarks. On your site, I’m always too far out of my league to comment much!! I’ll just never be a pro-writer. Oops, think I’ve told you that a time or two – haven’t I?
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A radical thought on Earth Day: maybe we should make producing cars illegal again!
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hahaha – could you just see the current generation putting up with THAT?!! They talk a good line with recycling and eating vegan, etc. but that’s as far as most of them will go.
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Of course not! So … just dream on, Pit!
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haha
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Great post! I commented on your site.
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It was posted on Judy’s site, but I’ll be going over there to read the comments soon.
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What an interesting post! I had never heard that making civilian cars was actually ‘illegal’ at one time. I know much was dedicated to the war effort, but this was a very intriguing new fact. It is stuff like this that makes your blog even more interesting.
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Thanks, DC. The whole time I wrote this article, I was trying to picture the current generation bearing up through this sort of situation!
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It would … be like, ummm, totally catastrophic! 😉
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Indeed!
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The Jeep was a wonderful vehicle going through rough terrain and the jeep surplus did not go to waste after the war. Filipinos made good use of them by converting them into passenger vehicles by lengthening the bodies and painting them with vivid colors making them famous as Filipino jeepneys.
I can’t imagine the “Privilege of Denial” today.
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Glad to hear those iconic vehicles weren’t wasted! I know what you man about the “Denial” either!! It actually makes me laugh to think about – if it wasn’t (in reality) quite sad.
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Fab post GP, I’d be lost without my car!
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Most people would be. Today’s generations don’t know how to “make do.”
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this is so surprising to me and explains so much as well –
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Could you just imagine Trump stopping car production? They’d hang him!
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I commented on the full post, too, but wanted to add here how much I enjoyed it. For one thing, it helps to explain why my dad and his friends were slow to get cars after they graduated from high school and started working. I’ve always known that being unable to afford a car was part of it, but now it occurs to me that a car might have been hard to come by.
I also mentioned how remarkable even the thought of denial would be today. I’ll spare you my rant about that, except to say that our society as a whole is extraordinarily privileged, and in many ways remains extraordinarily unaware of that truth. 🙂
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So true, so true, Linda. They are pampered and way out of touch. If a Great Depression hit today – they’d first blame it on the President and then be lost for what to do.
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“Making do” took some interesting forms during those days. When my father first got a job at John Deere in the Quad Cities, he hitch-hiked round trip to central Iowa every weekend while he was courting my mother. They didn’t marry until he could afford a car.
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They knew how to do it right. This is foreign to the “Gimme Generation”.
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Hi, GP. I left my comment (and a link) on the main site.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thank you. I’ll be over there soon to read it!
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