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Art is Where you Find It, A Drive Down Memory Lane

Picture 6Art can take many forms. The 1950s was the era of American manufacturing dominance. We won the war, gasoline was cheap, and America went for a ride.

The cars with rocket styled tail fins mirrored the space race,  and lots of chrome and heavy cast iron V 8s to drive to the corner grocery,

reflected the self confidence of the day.

Check out these photos

with the gorgeous backdrop of Vancouver Island.

Click on the STEPS at left to follow the re construction of this car. In process problems we show mateiral added at the start of the process and then conversion costs are added to finish. This is an excellent example of how conversion costs are most of the project. Can you see how activity based costing would be of some help in estimating the cost to do this?  Can you see that unless you could do it yourself there is no telling what this would cost in labor?

You might think the retractable hardtops that are lately the rage, but did you realize that Ford built these in the 1950s, see photo above.

All this hubris peaked with the muscle cars of the late 1960s and the subsequent energy embargo in the early 1970s. The Japanese were mastering small engine technology building pretty wonderful motorcycle engines. Indeed the 1500cc dohc four in the Honda Fit has its origins in the Honda 750 motorcycle engine. Mired in cast iron V 8s and unwilling to spend the money on new technology, Americans sawed two cylinders off the V 8s for an out of phase V 6 as honda introduced the CVCC engine, it complied with emission laws without an air pump. And so the die was cast. Servicemen returning from Viet Nam brought back high tech Japanese stereos and cameras, setting a belief system that high tech was Oriental. The American response was to ask for a limit on the import of small Japanese trucks. That passed and then the Americans got their worst nightmare, the Japanese simply came here and started building. And today Chrysler and GM are on borrowed time, bet on Ford.

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2 responses to “Art is Where you Find It, A Drive Down Memory Lane”

  1. Austin Kroll Avatar
    Austin Kroll

    The Glasstop Ford and the Merc Truck were especially cool. I would drive either as a daily driver. GM and Chrysler would indeed be on borrowed time, but like Airbus, they will live on into infinity via Government subsidy, tragically.
    What they (car makers) don’t get is that they do need efficiency, but also, they need to make the car such that a) it is not a piece of junk made of plastic, & b) it is actually attractive. While the FIT is economical, having driven one to Beeville and back, I can thoroughly say, that it is right up there with the Pontiac Aztek in looks, quality & performance.
    The EPA wackos MUST permit Diesel to come to the US. That goes for both light duty trucks and cars. If Audi/VW, BMW & Mercedes can do it, then so can Ford/Government Motors & Chrysler. We’re not talking about those rotten diesels they made from converting gasoline engines anymore in the 70s. What they are building is especially efficient and well worth it in the long run. Honda makes a diesel as well, but….the EPA won’t allow it. I believe politics are involved here.
    At the end of the day, Government wants to be seen as doing something and caring, but just how much they do and how much they care is up for reassessment. Typical good intentions. We all know where that goes.

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  2. uaRTERL Avatar
    uaRTERL

    AS Austin says, Ford makes a very economical diesel car in Britain but the weak dollar has kept Ford from bringing it here. The battle is on between the hybrid idea, two engines in one car plus a multi hundred pound battery, versus the new diesels. toyota honda in the one camp, VW in the latter.
    Meanwhile I am driving my 1995 suburban, lumbering its 5,000 pounds at about 16 mpg but doing so very nicely I must say, and it is paid for. This is what GM and Ford did well.
    I disagree about the FIT, it looks a lot better than the ugliest car GM ever built, I agree, the Aztek.

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