Fun Motor City Factoids
Detroit has a wonderful history and has undergone a recent renaissance. With General Motors, Chrysler and Ford Motors have a complex and important history, so at Service King Babcock in San Antonio, TX we’ve come up with some surprising facts about Motor City history.
1. Tequila-Fueled Vehicles: In 1953, Chrysler designed a jet engine car known as the Plymouth Belvedere. Over two decades, more than 70 turbine engine cars were built by a wide range of various companies. These jet engines ran on any flammable liquid including diesel, restaurant grease, alcohol, perfume, peanut oil, gasoline, and that’s right--even tequila!
2. From Automobiles to Bullets: Following the attacks on Pearl Harbor in World War II, automobile companies stopped production of civilian cars in order to support the war. Companies began producing military trucks, tanks, guns, airplane plane engines, and even shells in lieu of vehicles. The U.S. government also rationed gasoline, lowered speed limits, and limited car sales to ensure the military was supported.
3. Bonnie & Clyde Thank Henry Ford: Clyde Barrow, the infamous bank robber of the duo “Bonnie and Clyde,” wrote a letter to Henry Ford praising him for the great design of Ford vehicles. He wrote, “While I still have got a breath in my lungs I will tell you what a dandy car you make. I have driven Fords exclusively when I could get away with them. For sustained speed and freedom from trouble, the Ford has got ever other vehicle skinned and even if my business hasn’t been strictly legal it don’t hurt everything to tell you what a fine car you got in the V-8.”
4. 10,000 Line Up for $5 a Day: Ford Motor Company was critical to the development of America’s middle class in the early 1900s. In 1914, the company reduced the workday from 9 to 8 hours, allowing them to run 3 shifts on the assembly line per day. Ford also increased pay to $5 per day, double the pay for factory workers at the time. The increase in leisure time and the standard of living of employees made cars more affordable and accessible. The day after the new pay policy was announced, nearly 10,000 people lined up outside the employment office with the hopes of getting hired by Ford Motors. The day after the five-dollar day was announced. 10,000 people lined up to apply for a job.
5. Beginning of an Era: Car Payments: Ford Motor Company introduced car payment plans in 1923. Americans could now purchase a coupon book and make a payment of at least $5 per week. Once the total cost of the car was paid off, a local car dealer would deliver the vehicle. The least expensive car cost approximately $265 at the time. Today, the average American household has approximately $27,000 in car loans.
Service King Babcock in San Antonio, TX 78240
Sources: Wikipedia and Fox News
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