The crash of the United States economy back in 1929, also known as the “Wall Street Crash of 1929” or the “Great Crash,” sent stock prices collapsing in the New York Stock Exchange. This led the entire auto market to crash along with it. Delage, the French luxury automaker, was also negatively affected, and the company found itself in dire straits throughout the stock market’s long recovery.
In response, Delage released the 1939 Delage D8 120S Letourneur Et Marchand Aerosport Coupe. The automaker hoped to score a Hail Mary with this powerful vehicle and recover from its financial blow. The D8, with its new and curvy structure, ultimately boosted the company’s sales, which in turn allowed them to continue operating for at least two more decades.
Chrysler Airflow
Their Airflow model was one of the world's first full-size American production cars and used streamlining to decrease air resistance. This was completely different from the way most vehicles were built at the time, but Chrysler was hopeful that it would catch on. Eventually, the car turned out to be a commercial failure, but it did bring about a revolution in the car industry.
The car was originally launched in 1934 and died just 13 years later in 1947. Many vehicles took “inspiration” from the Airflow’s design, including the Volkswagen Beetle, the Peugeot 202, and even Toyota's AA car. All of these went on to become much more commercially successful than the car they were originally inspired by.
Ford Model 40 Special Speedster
The Ford Model 40 Special Speedster was a rare vehicle with only one unit ever produced. It was designed in 1934 by Edsel Bryant Ford, president of the Ford Motor Company and the only child of Henry Ford. Ford’s goal behind the Model 40 Special Speedster was to make it look as European as possible, and they succeeded quite spectacularly at it.
Since being built, the car has traveled far and wide before being sold in 2008 at a Texas auction to a car collector for the high price of $1.76 million. As high a price as this might sound, this car is a true relic of history. It was created at a time when vehicles were just in their infancy and captured the look and feel of the pre-World War II times quite amazingly.
1928 Isotta-Fraschini Tipo
Back in the late ‘30s, cars weren’t as fast as you might imagine. In fact, they were quite slow, especially when compared to today’s standards. The 1928 Isotta-Fraschini Tipo was a luxury vehicle and was produced for the sole purpose of breaking performance records for your average wealthy consumer. Its powerful engine allowed it to reach up to 93 miles per hour, which was a huge leap at the time.
The Tipo model ended up running for seven years straight, from 1924 to 1931. It was an expensive luxury car and had less than 1,000 units made throughout its lifetime. Less than a third of these models ended up being sold to United States citizens.
1950 GM Futurliner "Parade of Progress" Tour Bus
Back in the early to mid-20th century, General Motors was one of the world’s largest and most successful companies. One of its most artistic creations was this beautiful tour bus, created by Harley Earl, GM’s lead vehicle designer. It might look like a combination of a futuristic diner and a car from Back to the Future, but let’s agree that this bus is absolutely gorgeous.
The Futurliner was 33 feet long, 11 feet tall, and weighed over 12 tons. It was built to celebrate General Motors’ 'Parade of Progress,' a large, multi-faceted roadshow that began touring across America in 1936. This was a huge investment for the company but ended up paying off significantly. Only twelve Futurliners were ever built, and just nine of them remain today.