Cars: Past, Present and Future

I’m off on a hike that will ultimately take me to a vintage car show.  I was explaining my viewpoint on the history of automotive design and engineering to my daughter just now, which I summarize as follows:

From the perspective of aesthetic design, the 1930s was the high-water mark (see 1935 Duesenberg pictured here). Before that, cars were too primitive.  Later, the 1940s brought along too much steel and tiny windows (whose idea was that?) , and the 50s brought along too much chrome, fins, and other gaudy stuff that “doesn’t hold up.”  Most cars from then on really showed very little flair (except, of course, for the Europeans).

There are, however, a few things to like about today’s cars:  safety, reliability, fuel economy, and the convenience of modern gadgetry.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about cars today is that people are starting to wonder if they really need one.  I believe that micro-rentals, car-sharing, better public transportation, ride-sharing, e-scooters, etc. will soon be making a real incursion into car ownership. That, obviously, is all good, if you care about the health of our environment.  In addition, we have the prospect of electric vehicles charged with renewable (primarily wind) energy.

Having said all this, the 30s really nailed the aesthetics, IMO.  Here’s a British “Rugby Car” from that era: