pre war ....cars.....and the term or slang

[Jack Bennett]

Isn’t this the same sort of question your kid may ask you just before they take a seat on the water slide…….”Hey Dad, where does all this water come from, and why is the slide so wet”?

Days of hard earned vacation used,  thousands of travel miles and a years worth of grocery money spent to get here, and the semantics of the “water” takes precedence over “why” you are here.

What a waste of valuable, and apparently very scarce, brain cells.

World war II is a pretty commonly used marker so far as old stuff buffs go. World War I, the Spanish American war, the Bay of Pigs and Vietnam are also good, but not commonly used wars when marking a time period a marker to call memory to a car.

I try to stay away from wet blanket arguments by calling my old machines, which vary in vintage from 1923 to 1951, as being “old”. 
Jack

 

[Tom Boehm]

I use the term "prewar car" a lot but I agree it is vague. To me it means American cars built in 1942 or before. There is a definite difference in styling and mechanical design before and after the war. I think the arbitrary dividing line of pre war and post war is used because WWII is a big historical event that everyone knows about. A much more accurate and meaningful cutoff term would be pre 1949 or post 1949. The 1946, 1947, and 1948 model years used the same styling and mechanical designs as the immediate pre war years. It was 1949 and after that fat fenders gave way to smooth sides. Automatic transmissions and overhead valve V8 engines became very popular after 1949. I am suggesting 1949 as a more accurate dividing line between prewar and postwar trends in the American auto industry but there are exceptions to that even, namely the 1948 Cadillac. 

[JV Puleo]

Like all these terms it's just a convenient dividing line. All of these terms are arbitrary and should not be taken as definitive regarding any specific car. I fall into the "pre-war" category although, for my purposes, I'm not much interested in anything after the mid to late 20s. I can admire the later 30s cars but have no desire to own one. As an example of how arbitrary these terms can be, when I had my first old car, a 1927 Cadillac, it was an official CCA "Classic". The CCA defined "classics" as beginning in 1925 so my friend, who owned a fantastic 1922 Silver Ghost RR Permanent Salamanca wasn't eligible. This was idiotic beyond words but clubs are private organizations and can set their own rules, even silly ones. Even now that 1903 Mercedes 60HP discussed on this site isn't a "classic" by their definition even though it is one of the most significant cars ever built.

Edited February 18 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[Terry Bond]

I first encountered the term "Pre-War" in the UK back in the early 70's.  We were living in Scotland (courtesy of the USN) and were very active with a local antique car club there.  The term was clearly intended to differentiate those cars made before WWI(.  That was a pretty clear dividing line as the auto industry virtually shut-down during the war-time years.  When the war ended and automobile production resumed, those cars were designated as "Post War."  Of course the term "Veteran" always referred to those cars that were Brighton eligible, while "Edwardian" referred to those cars manufactured during the reign of King Edward VIII from 1901 to 1910.  Edward was recognized as one of Britain's pioneer motorists and was the first British monarch to use an automobile.   Later, the "Edwardian" period was extended to the start of WW1.  "Vintage" and "Post Vintage" are a bit more nebulous.

 

Although it's all pretty clear to lots of us "old-timers" when we mention "Pre" or "Post" war, we often need to explain which war we are referring to. 

 

It's kind of like trying to figure out what a "classic car" is for most people. I think a quick search of past threads on the topic would overload your computer!

Terry

 

[demco32]

On 2/17/2024 at 12:42 PM, Jim Mead said:

Prewar Car dot com is a European based outfit. 

In Europe pre war simply means before the second world war.

After this war, most cars are completely different in appearance than those from before the war.

there are car clubs that are special and only for pre war cars.

this way they are people with the same interest in the club with all due respect for people who prefer the post war cars.

 

 

[mrspeedyt]

I try keep it simple.

there are new cars,

used cars,

and 'old cars'

and then 'really old cars'

 

I certainly understand what  pre-war is.

but it certainly can be confusing.

when you throw in the hot rodders

and the fat fendered street rods

which are 1948 and earlier.

[60FlatTop]

I don't think much about the period my cars were built. I don't name them either. But the variety could be endless.

 

I have The White Car. The Convertible. The Riviera. The Silverado. The Avalanche. The Cadillac.

 

I will be equally creative on the next one. The wife and the kids know that.

[nsbrassnut]

For Artic Buick

 

Here on the East coast of Canada we have been using the term PreWar, meaning pre-42 for a couple decades.  Our Maritime PreWar Registry association was named after it back in 2001.

 

And we do also include other vintage motor transport from the same period. Our focus is "factory", sometimes with period accessories.

 

I think the term is more common in the hobby than some may realize. Although now and then I like to confuse people when I point out one of my cars that is pre-WW1.😉

[Jack Bennett]

“War Is the mother of invention”, and this is more poignantly true when alluding to the innovation and evolution of mechanical devices.

The term “pre-war”, regardless of which war is used as a chronological reference point, becomes perfectly evident when the year, or even a photograph of the car in question is revealed.

World War I began in 1914 and ended in 1918. World War II spanned the years 1939 to 1945. 
It takes only a second of time , and a single factor, to determine the “war” in question  when discussing a 1913 model car, as differentiated between a 1938 model car, and that single factor is the date affixed to its manufacture and/or a photograph of the car.

Beyond this though is a quick check of the history behind the evolution of a machine which may explain why it was made in a certain way, and why it is considered a unique, remarkable and/or collectible item.

Clubs, such as AACA, depends on the unique nature, character and appearance of cars to stay viable in the automotive world of mechanical mentality.  But, the historical appeal to some goes beyond “just” cars, and can more clearly define the part our old machines played in the reason wars are used as a means of carbon dating the subjects of our affection.

In my case I spread my attentions between several different machines, and like to attach a historical relevance to each of them.

One of my foster kids isn’t a car at all, and is “post” WWII, but its reason for existence is also a treasure trove of historical information related to the changing face of war.

The machine is called a Model M-53A, Cushman, Civilian-Airborne Motor Scooter, and it was made in 1947.

These little motor scooters, equipped with a four horsepower gasoline engine, was made to supplant heavier military vehicles being used for administrative and logistics tasks.
Inclusion of a motor scooter, especially one which could be cheaply, and quickly, manufactured, equipped with a endless choice of weapons, built to haul a wide assortment of materials such as ammunition, messages, rations and mail, and transport people and their gear, ferry parts for aircraft and vehicles over terrain not passable to four wheel vehicles, and be air dropped by the hundreds, was a welcome addition to the military transportation inventory.

Manufacture of the Model 53, Cushman Airborne motor scooter, continued from the years 1944 thru 1946, but was discontinued when no longer needed for the war effort.

But the little machine “which could” had gained a popularity which refused to die as a consequence of the war ending. And, the replica motor scooters was rebadged as M-53A and kept the name “airborne” with the addition of the label “civilian” to differentiate this version from the strictly military version.

My machine did see military service at McChord Field, here in Western Washington, during some time period in 1947 and 1948 ferrying air crews to and from their planes on the flight line…….and thus the two seats.

Jack

Edited February 20 by Jack Bennett (see edit history)