What car would you buy in 1941?

"JR1" (type35bugatti) 10/07/2015 at 13:59 • Filed to: What Would You Buy When, WWYBW

1

85

The car has to be new.

For me I would buy a 1941 Lincoln Continental.

not for canada - australian in disguise > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:09

3

‘41 Packard.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:10

1

CROSLEY SO DAMN HARD.

duurtlang > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:11

5

Citroën Traction Avant, obviously. Produced between 1934-1941 and 1945-1957, so it counts. And yes, I know it’s FWD.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:12

0

*in 1941* = AHA, ‘42 DESOTO COUNTS

Actually, the choice might be something else, but those headlights deserved mention. The Series 90 V16 Caddy ended in ‘40, otherwise it might be on the list.

CalzoneGolem > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:12

1

Dodge 1/2 ton

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > duurtlang 10/07/2015 at 14:13

1

First car with a monocoque chassis I think too. I would have one if I had a small collection.

Takuro Spirit > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:14

1

‘Burban

(still a car, right?)

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:14

0

Hard to choose. I love so many pre war cars and post war cars, it’s different around this time.

X37.9XXS > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:19

0

Easiest question I have been asked today

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Takuro Spirit 10/07/2015 at 14:19

0

Dude you have to go for the woody one! Got wood?

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:21

2

Chrysler Town & Country

Would prefer not to have wood doors, but that grille is amazing.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:21

2

If you waited until the end of the year, you could get one of these for free if you knew the right people.

AutoSavant > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:22

0

1941 Cadillac series 62.

wiffleballtony > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:22

0

I’d be doing my patriotic duty and giving my tires to the war effort.

Your boy, BJR > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:24

1

ITS SO WEIRD LOOKING!

EL_ULY > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:26

1

big Caddy sedan or GTFAC

TheHondaBro > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:29

1

Toyota AA because first Toyota car.

KnowsAboutCars > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:30

0

Delahaye 135M perhaps.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > EL_ULY 10/07/2015 at 14:31

0

Only has a V8 though - no more V16s on the table in ‘41. :’(

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:31

4

1941 Graham Hollywood Supercharged.

ly2v8-Brian > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:31

0

41 Buick coupe or Chevrolet 1/2 ton.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:31

0

Mercedes 770k cabriolet.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > TheHondaBro 10/07/2015 at 14:34

1

Astoundingly similar to the Airflow, that.

EL_ULY > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 10/07/2015 at 14:36

0

well, not with that attitude lol :]

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2015 at 14:38

1

Those Olds are killer.

punkgoose17 > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:39

1

The 1941 Lincoln Continental is probably the best choice, but I am going to go with the 1941 Nash Ambassador 6 four-door sedan with “cruising-gear” and “Weather Eye.”

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:41

0

I’ve gotta be the weird one.

1941 Mercury Eight Station Wagon

(for the record it’s not my favorite era and I was hoping the nice utilitarian willys wagons were built old enough, but they are “too new” for this game)

KnowsAboutCars > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 10/07/2015 at 14:41

0

The Airflow actually had a large influence on the AA’s design.

AMC/Renauledge > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:44

0

Any ‘41 Packard Clipper, One-Sixty, or One-Eighty

Jonee > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:47

2

A supercharged Graham Hollywood.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:51

0

I wouldn’t touch that Lincoln. Apparently the V12 in it was exceptionally unreliable.

And since I’m in Canada, I wouldn’t have been able to get a Citroen Traction Avant.

I think I would go with a nice Buick Special... maybe even the wagon version:

And I say that because back then, McLaughlin-Buick had already had a 30+ year track record in Canada.

So the service/support would be good. Plus with that inline 8, it would have been a nice/smooth car to drive.

And I believe the quality of GM cars from that time was better than Ford... and maybe even better than Chrysler.

It also looks like it had more availability than other solid cars like the Plymouth.

MultiplaOrgasms > JR1 10/07/2015 at 14:52

2

Tatra is love, Tatra is life.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > CalzoneGolem 10/07/2015 at 14:54

0

Why not get a Fargo instead?

CalzoneGolem > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 10/07/2015 at 14:57

1

Because I am not a prostitute.

RallyWrench > JR1 10/07/2015 at 15:00

1

Not many new 1941 cars to choose from anywhere but the US. Of those, I could choose an Alfa 8C or similar, but I’ll keep it simple and have a ‘41 Ford pickup.

RallyWrench > duurtlang 10/07/2015 at 15:02

0

Good choice. That one doesn’t appear to be sitting on standard suspension or wheels.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > CalzoneGolem 10/07/2015 at 15:07

3

Moves-Like-Senna > JR1 10/07/2015 at 15:15

1

Get it?

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > JR1 10/07/2015 at 15:26

0

Cadillac 60 Special

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > JR1 10/07/2015 at 15:27

0

Well, by 1941 most of the great French and American cars were gone or being downsized (minus the Lincoln), and Rolls/Bentley was in limbo. I’d therefor take an Alfa Romeo 6C 2500.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > JR1 10/07/2015 at 15:27

0

On second thought... let’s get real. Most of us wouldn’t have bought more expensive Buicks, Cadilacs, Lincolns and other premium cars.

Given that we were coming out of the worst economic downturn in history, assuming any of us could afford a car, most of us would have bought something cheap and common... either a Ford, Chevy, Plymouth or a Dodge.

GM at the time had around 45% of the market and Ford and Chrysler each had around 20% of the market. And most of that market share came from selling cheaper stuff.

Found this picture here:

http://jesda.com/2011/04/08/his…

JR1 > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2015 at 15:39

0

Olds made some beautiful cars in the early 40s

JR1 > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 10/07/2015 at 15:39

0

Looks like it borrowed liberally from the Cord 810

JR1 > Jonee 10/07/2015 at 15:40

0

Hello Cord 810

JR1 > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 10/07/2015 at 15:41

0

I never realized even at Ford’s height they didn’t have the market share that GM did.

JR1 > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 10/07/2015 at 15:42

0

Buick is for the man that could maybe afford a Cadillac but didn’t want to shout from the tops of buildings how wealthy he was.

JR1 > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 10/07/2015 at 15:43

0

All excellant choices

JR1 > AMC/Renauledge 10/07/2015 at 15:43

1

The Clipper is a beautifully designed automobile.

JR1 > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/07/2015 at 15:44

0

Holy shit that nose it bigger that Nixon’s!

JR1 > not for canada - australian in disguise 10/07/2015 at 15:44

1

You are the second person to mention this. Great choice the 41 is beautiful

JR1 > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 10/07/2015 at 15:45

1

I prefer the 41 Mercury to the 41 Ford. Slightly different but better body style.

JR1 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 10/07/2015 at 15:45

0

Is it safe to say this was the first car with square hidden headlights? I think so!

JR1 > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 10/07/2015 at 15:46

0

For whatever the reason that Alfa just looks ahead of the time.

JR1 > punkgoose17 10/07/2015 at 15:47

1

First time I have ever encountered this car. Very cool.

JR1 > X37.9XXS 10/07/2015 at 15:47

1

BMW was building some stunning cars in the early 40s

JR1 > V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches 10/07/2015 at 15:48

0

This is was still in production in 41? I am shocked.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > JR1 10/07/2015 at 15:48

1

It is. Technically the one I posted here is a 1942.

punkgoose17 > JR1 10/07/2015 at 15:49

1

Thanks. It was tough to find a picture of. Most pictures were the fastback version or the smaller version.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > JR1 10/07/2015 at 15:50

0

Sort of. Technically this is a one off, but the 770 chassis was in production until ‘43

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > JR1 10/07/2015 at 15:51

0

One of the first, surely. Doesn’t look bad with the lights up, either:

Best part - this and the Nash punkgoose posted were both in the stylish-but-affordable bracket: the DeSoto being kind of an upscale/alternate Plymouth and the Nash as a competitor. A lot of the rest are more in the hopeless dream car segment, as one of the comments points out, but there were plenty of good affordable choices that were pure class.

JR1 > V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches 10/07/2015 at 15:52

1

I had no idea it was in production that long. If I would have known that I wouldn’t have picked the 41 Lincoln.

punkgoose17 > JR1 10/07/2015 at 15:52

0

It is the same cab as the Cord 810/812. Graham bought the dies for the body of the Cord 810/812 after Auburn Cord went out of business.

JR1 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 10/07/2015 at 15:54

0

Really? I wouldn’t have imagined that level of innovation (headlights) would be available on a more affordable car. I never was quite sure where DeSoto fit in the lineup. Dodge, Plymouth, DeSoto, Chrysler would be my best guess.

JR1 > punkgoose17 10/07/2015 at 15:54

0

*the more you know.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > JR1 10/07/2015 at 15:55

1

It’s really not my era, but I found the coolest Merc I could.

Which was easy because they only had variants of the Eight

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > JR1 10/07/2015 at 15:55

0

The Nash of ‘41 is one of my favorites - while I like the improved fastback that premiered on the ‘42 a little better for the rear, they did away with the waterfall grill accents.

By ‘49, the fastback had gotten amazing and cray-cray.

AMC/Renauledge > not for canada - australian in disguise 10/07/2015 at 15:57

1

How can you not love the One Eighty?

JR1 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 10/07/2015 at 15:59

0

The 41 defiantly has the better grill.

As for the bathtub designs. I adore them

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > JR1 10/07/2015 at 16:04

1

It’s a schnoz that wows

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > JR1 10/07/2015 at 16:09

1

Dodge and Plymouth were kind of sharing the bottom tier in some respects - I don’t think Dodge was really the bottom except that being Chrysler’s truck line above all, they made some big economy models that were a bit more “trucky”. Not really any more than RAM is bottom tier at Chrysler now. Something *small* and somewhat shitty/economy would be a Plymouth. DeSoto was edging into the “affordable premium”/working man with a mostly-clean shirt range - perhaps not at the Buick level, more Oldsmobile. The same slot that Edsel tried to claim in the 50s right as it vanished. They advertised the ‘42 FANATICALLY.

The Airflow line, for example, didn’t have a Plymouth version that I can recall - just a Dodge truck (fullsize, halo line for coach orders), DeSoto, and Chrysler, with the DeSoto being a good bit smaller.

AMC/Renauledge > JR1 10/07/2015 at 16:16

1

Yup. Cord sold the tooling to Graham and Hupmobile after they went bust.

AMC/Renauledge > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 10/07/2015 at 16:17

0

The 1922 Lancia Lambda was the first monocoque.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > JR1 10/07/2015 at 17:41

1

Though I think you had to be affiliated with a certain political party to order one, if you get my gist.

Jonee > JR1 10/07/2015 at 17:50

1

Pretty much. The only way you could get one in ‘41.

JR1 > AMC/Renauledge 10/07/2015 at 18:10

1

I knew about Hupmobile but not Graham

JR1 > V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches 10/07/2015 at 18:11

1

Small price to pay if it meant driving a 770

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > JR1 10/07/2015 at 18:12

1

Lol true. I've heard that they are excellent parade cars, from people...

AMC/Renauledge > JR1 10/07/2015 at 18:26

0

Here’s the Graham Hollywood version. You could even have it supercharged from the factory.

It was from Graham-Paige’s bones that Henry J. Kaiser launched Kaiser-Frazer in 1946.

AMC/Renauledge > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 10/07/2015 at 18:27

1

And here's the Hupmobile Skylark version.

ranwhenparked > JR1 10/07/2015 at 19:19

0

Tough question. Although my job existed back then, modern financing schemes didn’t, but, then, taxes were lower, so more disposable income.

Realistically, probably a DeSoto Deluxe Sedan. Bulletproof flathead six, and Fluid Drive coupling. Plus, the styling was all new for ‘41 and I think actually looks better than the Chryslers.

JR1 > AMC/Renauledge 10/07/2015 at 19:21

1

I like it more. The lack of chrome on the nose makes the design look a lot cleaner in my opinion.

JR1 > ranwhenparked 10/07/2015 at 19:22

0

That is a great choice. A good blend of both luxury and practicality.

ranwhenparked > JR1 10/07/2015 at 19:26

1

I really love this era for car design - tasteful use of chrome, elegant shapes, and everything just has a feeling of strength and permanence to it.

pip bip - choose Corrour > JR1 10/08/2015 at 05:08

0

a Citroen.

LongbowMkII > not for canada - australian in disguise 10/08/2015 at 20:59

1

power windows and a/c in 1941?

suck it peasants!