Americans are known for their love affair with cars. According to Wikipedia, the United States has the largest passenger vehicle market on the planet. In 2009 the Bureau of Transportation statistics calculated there were 254,212,610 registered passenger vehicles in the United States -- and this was at a time when the total population of the country was estimated at 305,529,237 (many of whom were not even able to drive for one reason or another).
It is probably no wonder then that one of the life events most Americans recall is their first car -- whether it was the first car they remember that their family owned or that all-important symbol of freedom and young adulthood, the first car they could truly call their very own.
My father's first car was the 1948 Ford "Prefect" pictured above. As the caption indicates, the car cost him $1,626 cash. It was also the car in which my mother learned to drive.
If you have never heard of a Ford Prefect it might be because it was actually produced by the British division of Ford Motor Company. It was introduced in 1938 and was produced initially through 1941. In 1945 it was reintroduced and finally ended production in 1961. It apparently became very popular as the body for hot rods -- especially in England. You can read more about the Prefect here at Wikipedia.
So what are the first car memories that are part of your family genealogy??
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Photograph from the personal collection of the author.
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Copyright 2013, John D. Tew
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What a cool photo! I bet your dad was so proud of his first car.
ReplyDeleteI do remember the first car I bought on my own. I was still single and it was a 1982 Honda Accord Hatchback. That car lasted well into married life with my husband.