1940 - 1950 Ford Coupe

 

   In 1941, Ford developed this new kind of car, the Coupe. Due to the unpredictability surrounding WWII, the production for the vehicle was stopped and later resumed in 1946. The car was a new idea in itself. It was constantly being developed and changed as designers experimented with different parts, such as the front fenders, tires, hoods, etc. Due to the constant changing the car never really reached a final stage.
     As the car changed across the decade of it's production, so did it's purpose. The earlier models were made to as a mid range priced car that would suit people to just get around in style. It later changed to a sports car. The designers at this point, which would be 1945, started to modify the engine rather than focusing only on the aesthetics of the ride. 
     The car beautifully expresses the thoughts of the people at Ford when WWII era came around. The Ford Coupe's production  came to a halt. It later resumed when Ford decided it would be OK. This car isn't the best expression of the decades and people thoughts of the time. Henry Ford was quoted saying that he didn't care about the war and did not want to profit from it. As for other industrial companies that did sign military contracts, they ended up benefiting greatly. The itself progressed as competition to other cars companies that did sign on and profited. 
     This piece is just a car, so it doesn't show if Americans struggled or flourished in the decade. It doesn't reflect the economy either. 
      
     

1930 - 1940 Ford Convertible

   

  During this time period, Ford had a BIG boom in the cars it was making. it made a total of 37 cars according to Wikipedia. But, today, I'm only taking a gander at one in particular, the 1937 Ford Convertible. 

     Made first in 1937, the Ford convertible had newer models that were made in 1938 and 1939. At this time, the recession of 1937 greatly impacted it's body and shape. Originally designed to have a more flat body and stronger engine with more horsepower, the car soon developed into a rounder body car. This was definitely different from preceding car designs that had small flat hoods. The car also had a much wider body frame like it's trucks. The ideas and innovations put into the car were definitely original and Ford seemed to be trying something new with it's new line of cars. 

     Car's by this time were an old thing and many peopled owned a ride to get around in. But what Ford is known for is to create cars for a purpose. The Model T was the first of it's cars and made cheap for the common man and it's trucks were used in farming and agriculture. But, surprisingly, this car helps to a much lesser importance in terms of purpose. The idea for the car was fresh, but besides that, there is nothing more. I believe this may have been so because this car served as an experiment in the market. 

     The new design tells the viewer that America was moving foreword in consumer products and automotive, trying and experimenting many different things. The wider body was made for it's V8 engine that gave a high horsepower of 60 to 80. It's wide body made it popular for hot-rodding, which is the practice of replacing the engine of a car with a more powerful one. 

    The car doesn't illustrate the recession of that time period due to the Great Depression. It lacks in telling us this due to it only being a car rather than a figure of a statistic. It doesn't illustrate the problems it may have, such as safety.