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Practical Everyday Transportation

The demands and shortages of World War II meant that transportation in the 1940s had to concentrate on practicality without frills or luxuries—vans and pickups were vital to move food and supplies to where they were needed, and off-road vehicles were required to carry troops over rough terrain. After the war, simple, sturdy vehicles were in demand as the world’s economies began to recover.



Ford F1, 1948

 

OriginUSA
Engine3,703 cc, V8
Top speed70 mph (112 km/h)

Attractive, well proportioned, and adequately powerful in V8 form, the 1948 truck was styled by Bob Gregorie along the lines of the 1939 Ford range and has always been popular.



Humber Super Snipe staff car, 1938

 

OriginUK
Engine4,086 cc, straight-six
Top speed78 mph (126 km/h)

This Humber was the perfect vehicle for transporting British officers during World War II. Despite being large and lumbering, it was rapid and very strong.



Citroën 11 Large, 1935

 

OriginFrance
Engine1,911 cc, straight-four
Top speed65 mph (105 km/h)

The longest of the innovative front-wheel-drive Citroëns was over 15 ft (4.5 m) long with a huge turning radius. Ideal for the larger family or as a taxi, it had three rows of seats.



International Harvester K-series pick-up, 1941

 

OriginUSA
Engine3,507 cc, straight-six
Top speed65 mph (105 km/h)

The pick-up truck became standard transportation in rural America by the 1940s. Agricultural machinery maker International Harvester started building light trucks in 1909.



Volkswagen Kübelwagen, 1940

 

OriginGermany
Engine985 cc, flat-four
Top speed50 mph (80 km/h)

Ferdinand Porsche’s Beetle-based military transport served in all fields of war, despite being only two-wheel drive. A remarkable 50,435 of these were built from 1940 to 1945.



Volkswagen Schwimmwagen Type 166, 1941

 

OriginGermany
Engine1,131 cc, flat-four
Top speed47 mph (76 km/h)

A highly effective amphibian of which 15,584 were built, the Schwimmwagen had a propeller for water propulsion. It was four-wheel drive in first gear only, with two limited-slip differentials.



Chevrolet Stylemaster Van, 1946

 

OriginUSA
Engine3,548 cc, straight-six
Top speed87 mph (140 km/h)

This capacious van was ideal for transporting loads in rural areas. A great value, the durable “Stovebolt Six” engine introduced in 1937 made it a best-seller.



Standard Vanguard, 1948

 

OriginUK
Engine2,088 cc, straight-four
Top speed77 mph (124 km/h)

Standard’s MD Sir John Black’s post-war dream was to build a car for worldwide export. In fact, however, sales were confined to British Commonwealth countries.



Land-Rover Series I, 1948

 

OriginUK
Engine1,595 cc, straight-four
Top speed55 mph (89 km/h)

Rover director Maurice Wilks conceived a 4×4 utility for farming families that could go anywhere on the fields, take children to school, and carry produce to market.



Land-Rover Series I Station Wagon, 1948

 

OriginUK
Engine1,595 cc, straight-four
Top speed55 mph (89 km/h)

Far more versatile than the Jeep that inspired it, the Land-Rover’s wider appeal led to demand for a more civilized vehicle-the 7-seater Station Wagon fulfilled that brief.



Willys MB “Jeep”, 1941

 

OriginUSA
Engine2,199 cc, straight-four
Top speed60 mph (97 km/h)

Willys, Ford, and Bantam competed for the U.S. Army contract to build a light, four-wheel-drive reconnaissance vehicle. Willys won with the MB, and Ford built it as the Ford GPW.



Willys Jeep Jeepster, 1948

 

OriginUSA
Engine2,199 cc, straight-four
Top speed60 mph (97 km/h)

Designed by Brooks Stevens, the Jeepster was an attempt to create a fun sports car from the basic wartime Jeep. It was rear-wheel drive only, and was heavily decorated with chrome.



Jowett Bradford, 1946

 

OriginUK
Engine1,005 cc, flat-two
Top speed53 mph (85 km/h)

Jowett’s horizontally opposed flat-twin engine dated back to 1910, but it readily pulled this spacious family wagon. It was typical functional transportation built in Yorkshire.



Hillman Minx Phase III estate, 1949

 

OriginUK
Engine1,185 cc, straight-four
Top speed59 mph (95 km/h)

Station wagons were practical workhorses, and Hillman was one of the first British marques to produce a station-wagon body adapted from a monocoque Commer van.

 

It is a quote. The Definitive Visual History Of The Automobile 2011