Many of those cars were elegant and beautifully styled, despite being small. I chuckled at the subtle humor in your delivery of the 0-60 (or less) times. My sainted mother adored her Hudson Jet and mourned it for decades after it succumbed to rust and had to be replaced. I still have the owner's manual, which is a hoot to read. Excellent video, as always!
A lot of classic styling, but I have to wonder about the people that had both the nerve and the patience to top some of these vehicles out. That's cool. I've always liked the Jet, having test drove one when I was in high school and I'm sure the owners manual is quite interesting.
Great video. Scary to think some of those 3 wheeled cars would go 60 mph! Just a suggestion to consider; maybe include a pic of the front seat & dash area in future videos. Some of the 50s cars had unique and/or beautiful dashes and steering wheels.
The Vauxhal Wyvern/Velox/Cresta and the Vanguard shown were large cars in England and should have been included in your medium size cars which had the Holden (Australia).
As I said in the video, many of these cars were not considered small in their country of origin. And I have a whole series of videos on size classes that looks at that much closer. Which is one of the reasons I used "smaller" instead of small. I didn't do medium for this period. When I started working on these videos, I was going to do a cut off of 180 inches between large and small, but that didn't work out either. And of course as we move forward, it will become even more convoluted.
Your pictures mix the Isetta and the British Trojan bubble car [ only difference externally being the headlamps] The Alfa Romeo's were incredibly stylish!
-Alfa Romeo was the better of the other 3-The 4 speed was smooth to shift-Plus the fastest on take off & even top end.-That special Red made the Alfa stand out all that much more-And that convertible top made the other 3 look like just ordinarily rag tops.-Even the engine had chrome where ever possible.-The price was not the lowest But You get what you pay for-I had one Alfa Romeo in my life time and the down payment was not bad and the monthly (36) payments were worked out to where it fitted into my budget just fine.I even drove that car for 8 years after my last payment & even after that i had it in my barn covered for several years after that. Even though i drive a new GTO today & really like that car to I would still (if both were brand new) I would still pick the Alfa Romeo hands down.I just love that Alfa and only wish i could afford another one. O the pain and more pain of not having a good old Alfa Romeo again. So long friends I guess i better end here of I will get myself even more depressed.😪.
Very interesting and informative video! Although I saw the mention of the Nash brand, unless I missed it, I don't think you mentioned or showed the Nash Metropolitan, an American car assembled in England and marketed from 1953 until 1961. My dad had one. I don't know if it was supposed to be a 2+2, but I remember being shoehorned along with my brother behind the front seats where my parents sat and being reprimanded by my dad for complaining that I was being squished! I was four or five years old, having been born in 1953, and I'll never forget how claustrophobic I felt being back there! It does look now as though it was a cute runabout though. Edit: I just read a comment below where you answered that you were "saving it for the late 50s video". I just found your TH-cam channel (08 April 2023) and it looks like I've got some catching up to do! Kudos!
Starting to get into 50s cars i really like the Henry J good looking small coupe. Thanks so much for making this video didn’t even know these cars existed your deserve way more views and likes
Now any car that does zero to 60 in over 8 seconds is considered slow. I own two 9 second SUVs and they are very enjoyable to drive in and out of city !
My first car in '63 was a '50 Chevy Fleetyline 2 dr. Stovebolt 6 with 3 on-the-tree. It would've been considered a monster compared to these hapless vehicels.
Take it from someone who was there at the time, all of the American made "Early 1950 small cars" mentioned here were considered a joke by most people at the time. The only reason most of them were sold is the "big three" auto manufacturers had not yet caught up with the post WWII demand for new cars. Once they did, the only people who were interested in buying one of these "small cars" were the kind of people who wore suspenders and a belt, at the same time, or in other words, "geeks".
@@PRH123; and just when was that time? I can only remember back the the early 1950's, and they certainly weren't popular then. They sold a few cars, but nowhere near that the "Big three" were selling.
@@oldgysgt 1930’s to 1950’s: “Nash is best remembered for responding to public demand by building smaller, more economical and affordable cars. Nash Motors was successful in marketing cars to America's middle class. Innovations by Nash included the 1938 introduction of an automobile heating and ventilation system that is still in use today, unibody construction in 1941, seat belts in 1950, a US-built compact car in 1950, and an early muscle car in 1957.”
@@PRH123; where are you getting your silly quotation? In 1950 Nash had 0.9% of the car market, (not 9%, but 0.9%), less than 1% of market share. In that year they sold roughly 172,000 cars, and the "Big three" sold around 19,000,000 cars. That hardly made Nash "popular".
A friend of mine had a datsun wagon. It was actually a very good car, no matter what was done to it, it just kept running, very good engine. It was good handling and fun to drive, and did amazingly well off-road. Economical too.
@@thehopelesscarguy That's cheating lol. Excellent video and like you acknowledged, some of the cars featured were not necessarily seen as small on their domestic market. I appreciate your research that goes into these videos.
The design of all Nashes of that era featured skirted FRONT fenders--What were they thinking?--The turning circle must have been enormous!
Many of those cars were elegant and beautifully styled, despite being small. I chuckled at the subtle humor in your delivery of the 0-60 (or less) times. My sainted mother adored her Hudson Jet and mourned it for decades after it succumbed to rust and had to be replaced. I still have the owner's manual, which is a hoot to read. Excellent video, as always!
A lot of classic styling, but I have to wonder about the people that had both the nerve and the patience to top some of these vehicles out.
That's cool. I've always liked the Jet, having test drove one when I was in high school and I'm sure the owners manual is quite interesting.
Great video. Scary to think some of those 3 wheeled cars would go 60 mph!
Just a suggestion to consider; maybe include a pic of the front seat & dash area in future videos. Some of the 50s cars had unique and/or beautiful dashes and steering wheels.
The Vauxhal Wyvern/Velox/Cresta and the Vanguard shown were large cars in England and should have been included in your medium size cars which had the Holden (Australia).
As I said in the video, many of these cars were not considered small in their country of origin. And I have a whole series of videos on size classes that looks at that much closer. Which is one of the reasons I used "smaller" instead of small. I didn't do medium for this period. When I started working on these videos, I was going to do a cut off of 180 inches between large and small, but that didn't work out either. And of course as we move forward, it will become even more convoluted.
Your pictures mix the Isetta and the British Trojan bubble car [ only difference externally being the headlamps] The Alfa Romeo's were incredibly stylish!
Finding pictures I could use of the original were difficult, so as time ran out I had to settle.
We also got the Heinkel bubble car in Britain which was almost identical to the Isetta and Trojan .
-Alfa Romeo was the better of the other 3-The 4 speed was smooth to shift-Plus the fastest on take off & even top end.-That special Red made the Alfa stand out all that much more-And that convertible top made the other 3 look like just ordinarily rag tops.-Even the engine had chrome where ever possible.-The price was not the lowest But You get what you pay for-I had one Alfa Romeo in my life time and the down payment was not bad and the monthly (36) payments were worked out to where it fitted into my budget just fine.I even drove that car for 8 years after my last payment & even after that i had it in my barn covered for several years after that. Even though i drive a new GTO today & really like that car to I would still (if both were brand new) I would still pick the Alfa Romeo hands down.I just love that Alfa and only wish i could afford another one. O the pain and more pain of not having a good old Alfa Romeo again. So long friends I guess i better end here of I will get myself even more depressed.😪.
An amazing, scholarly compilation! :) Jack
Many thanks!
I really enjoyed this video! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for watching.
Very interesting and informative video!
Although I saw the mention of the Nash brand, unless I missed it, I don't think you mentioned or showed the Nash Metropolitan, an American car assembled in England and marketed from 1953 until 1961. My dad had one. I don't know if it was supposed to be a 2+2, but I remember being shoehorned along with my brother behind the front seats where my parents sat and being reprimanded by my dad for complaining that I was being squished! I was four or five years old, having been born in 1953, and I'll never forget how claustrophobic I felt being back there!
It does look now as though it was a cute runabout though.
Edit: I just read a comment below where you answered that you were "saving it for the late 50s video".
I just found your TH-cam channel (08 April 2023) and it looks like I've got some catching up to do! Kudos!
I'm afraid the video in question is still about a week out.
Excellent as always, Sir. Keep them coming. 👍👍👍
Thank you.
Starting to get into 50s cars i really like the Henry J good looking small coupe. Thanks so much for making this video didn’t even know these cars existed your deserve way more views and likes
Thanks. The Henry J was very popular among hot rodders, which make them a bit hard to find now.
GREAT video, as always, Hope! Did I blink and miss the Nash/Hudson/Austin Metropolitan?
You didn't miss it. As it ran from 54 into the 1960s I was saving it for the late 50s video.
@@thehopelesscarguy You're the best!
@@bobtepedino5661 You're too kind.
My Parents had an English Ford Car. They said it would Run 55 mph wide open. I never saw it or got to ride in it. I was born in 1968.
Noticed that a lot of the cars had rear-hinged "suicide" doors.
I wonder what would happen if these went on sale now as new cars!
People would be confused.
Sweet little cars!
Some are.
May I correct you, the Lloyd was produced by Borgward in Bremen, West Germany
Okay then.
I was surprised when you said first year production of the Henry J was 82K. The 4 year run was only 38K.
Numbers are from the Encyclopedia of American Cars.
Holy cow! That was great.
Thanks.
When the weight range for a model is very large, an explanation would be appreciated.
Typically it is simply a question of options. 8s vs 6s, wagons vs coupes, and so on.
Hansa Group used to be in Bremen. That is in Northwest Germany.
My mistake.
Now any car that does zero to 60 in over 8 seconds is considered slow.
I own two 9 second SUVs and they are very enjoyable to drive in and out of city !
Sure, but how many have an engine smaller than a riding lawn mower and get better than 60mpg?
My first car in '63 was a '50 Chevy Fleetyline 2 dr. Stovebolt 6 with 3 on-the-tree. It would've been considered a monster compared to these hapless vehicels.
I have a soft spot for early 50s Chevys. Not particularly large, but in this group, yes.
hmm, hardly hapless, some of the most produced cars in history are featured here...
Take it from someone who was there at the time, all of the American made "Early 1950 small cars" mentioned here were considered a joke by most people at the time. The only reason most of them were sold is the "big three" auto manufacturers had not yet caught up with the post WWII demand for new cars. Once they did, the only people who were interested in buying one of these "small cars" were the kind of people who wore suspenders and a belt, at the same time, or in other words, "geeks".
It is true they were not considered mainstream.
hmm, Nash was a popular brand in it's time.
@@PRH123; and just when was that time? I can only remember back the the early 1950's, and they certainly weren't popular then. They sold a few cars, but nowhere near that the "Big three" were selling.
@@oldgysgt 1930’s to 1950’s: “Nash is best remembered for responding to public demand by building smaller, more economical and affordable cars. Nash Motors was successful in marketing cars to America's middle class. Innovations by Nash included the 1938 introduction of an automobile heating and ventilation system that is still in use today, unibody construction in 1941, seat belts in 1950, a US-built compact car in 1950, and an early muscle car in 1957.”
@@PRH123; where are you getting your silly quotation? In 1950 Nash had 0.9% of the car market, (not 9%, but 0.9%), less than 1% of market share. In that year they sold roughly 172,000 cars, and the "Big three" sold around 19,000,000 cars. That hardly made Nash "popular".
My choice from the list is the Hudson "Jet."
For some reason that isn't terribly surprising.
@@thehopelesscarguy True. In fact, I own a 1953 Hudson Super Wasp sedan.
@@WAL_DC-6B Very cool..
Where's the Crosley and Nash Rambler?
Right at the beginning.
@@thehopelesscarguy I feel stupid! Why I missed this section, I have no idea. So I will now go repent and not write any comments for 24 hours.
@@Al-thecarhistorian No worries.
My first car was a Datsun wagon, I hated it.
Perhaps not a great first car.
A friend of mine had a datsun wagon. It was actually a very good car, no matter what was done to it, it just kept running, very good engine. It was good handling and fun to drive, and did amazingly well off-road. Economical too.
I so wish that America would go METRIC like the rest of the world
Where is the MGB? and Studebaker Lark? 😢
The MGB is in the sports cars and the Lark in the Late 50s.
@thehopelesscarguy ok thanks 😊
They like cartoon car's 😆
Almost.
Veloce is pronounced vay-LOW-chay 🙂
I don't say Alfa Romeo right half the time either.
@@thehopelesscarguy Lol. I love your channel. Keep up the great work!
@@winthropthurlow3020 Thanks.
Most all of the cars were cool, and/or interesting looking- but that Opel‼️ UGLY ‼️🤣
🚗🙂
Interesting is a good word.
The 50s produced many junk cars. Wonder why these clunkers are no longer made?
Many junk cars are still being made.
First lol
My wife says she saw it first, but only because she helped with the editing.
@@thehopelesscarguy That's cheating lol. Excellent video and like you acknowledged, some of the cars featured were not necessarily seen as small on their domestic market. I appreciate your research that goes into these videos.
@@shaunw9270 Thanks. It is, but I did say there were many version made by other manufacturers so only a bit.