Army TARDEC photo.Īutomobile manufacturing became the biggest industry in the country.

This plant became known as the Arsenal of Democracy. 15, 1940, the Army contracted with Chrysler to produce the Nation’s first government-owned, contractor-operated facility at the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant in Warren, MI. When the automobile factories retooled after the war, they had more capacity than they knew what to do with, and began to produce cars in earnest. Meanwhile, the post-war era had become pivotal for America’s car industry.Īmerican factories had undergone rapid technological change with major increases in mass production to sustain the war effort.

The American war veterans needed their own cars to move around in the vast and widely expanding America of the 1950s. And, all had returned to meld back into society and become a vibrant and integral part of America’s post-war culture. Some had become married, some purchased homes. They either returned to their former jobs or found new ones. Post-WWII Car Productionĭuring the decade following World War II, American servicemen who had fought in Europe had arrived back home to settle back and enjoy their normal lives once again. The vehicle hit the market toward the end of 1954 as a 1955 model with success beyond Ford’s wildest expectations.

In 1953, with Ford trying to respond swiftly to the Corvette’s release, the Thunderbird underwent rapid development, going from an initial concept to a first prototype within the space of a year. market in 1955 as a response by Ford to the Chevy Corvette, which had come out two years prior to capture the Sports car market. The Ford Thunderbird was introduced to the U.S.

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