Everybody has a favorite, whether it’s one the earliest horseless carriages, a muscle car of the 70s or anything in between.
“What’s not to love? Novelty, nostalgia and history combine for a fascinating look into the story of the past and a glimpse toward the future.” — Alex Perdikis
In no particular order, here’s a look at some of the classic cars that changed history.
Preston Tucker’s 1948 Dream
The story of Preston Tucker and his 1948 Tucker Torpedo is as American as it gets. The Tucker was a true marvel at a time when most 1940s models were slightly updated versions of pre-war vehicles. The Tucker ’48 was built with safety features no one offered before, such as padded dash, reinforced passer cell and a third headlight that turned with the wheels.
The car went into production after a successful fundraising and public relations tour but the company only produced 51 cars before running out of money. Production was shut down when Tucker and other company execs were accused of fraud in what became a national scandal.
With only 51 Tucker ’48 models ever produced, the rare history-making Tucker ’48s left are now worth millions.
To the Future and Back with the Delorean
The “Back to the Future” films made the Delorean seem cool. A product from the mind of John Delorean, a former Pontiac exec, who wanted to make a futuristic sports car consumers could use for many years without trading it in on a new year’s model. Delorean opened a manufacturing plant in Dunmurry, Ireland and set to work.
Trouble soon began. Designers found the prototype’s stainless steel panels and gull wing doors were costly to manufacture. In addition, the DMC-12 became a nightmare to produce and suspension and electrical problems became common occurrences. Production of the Delorean stopped when a series of scandals rocked the company and Delorean himself.
The Cadillac for Presidents and Music Legends
What do President Eisenhower and Elvis Presley have in common? They both owned a Cadillac Eldorado. The first Eldorado made its appearance in 1953. By decade’s end, the updated design cost more than a Rolls-Royce and was thought of as one of the most elegant cars to grace the earth.
In the mid-1960s when luxury and economy swept the world, the two-door coupe became all the rage. The car was also innovative. It was only the second General Motors produced car with front-wheel drive.
Henry Ford’s Model T
Why is the Model T such an endearing piece of Americana? It wasn’t the first horseless carriage, after all. But it was the catalyst for the way cars are produced around the world today.
Before the Model T, cars were expensive and difficult to produce. The average working family in America couldn’t afford to buy one. Henry Ford had a long history of innovative ideas before the Model T came into production. But he realized that something had to change or cars would never become more than a novelty for the rich.
Ford came up with the factory production line where a car was built by passing through a linear set of manual operations. At the end of the line was a finished product. The production line meant cars were produced at a much faster rate and with far less expense. Mass production and sales of the Model T is where America’s love affair with the road began.
Alex Perdikis, Koons of Silver Spring general manager and owner, lives in Chevy Chase with his wife and daughters.