All Our Yesterdays

In this blog I thought I would again visit the past and try and get an insight into how the cars and car industry of yesterday promoted their goods and extolled the virtues of their products.  This was in an age when the basic rules of marketing were as haphazard and exotic as some of the cars they were trying to sell. 

It all stems, of course, from the gift of some ancient Autocar magazines I recently received which illuminated the car world of yesterday. They showed not only how things have changed technologically but also how differently we thought about motoring back in the day.

It seems apt, then, to have another look into these ageing mags to find some more precious gems to delight, confound and appal and believe me there is plenty to keep us busy.

Before we begin, it’s appropriate to remember that much of what we will encounter was considered perfectly normal no matter how amusing and horrifying we may find it. Mass motoring was still a good way off and in relation to the earliest of these publications, there is the not so small matter of World War Two separating us from the ideas and attitudes they espouse. Not to mention that things like social mores, rules of the road and the associated legal restrictions were still quite nascent compared to the oppressive sledgehammer of today's big brother state.

On this last point there was an interesting letter in a 1934 Autocar about a Blackpool man who’s defence to a reckless driving fine was that he had covered over one million miles without incident. This implies that, to him at least, quantity was equally important as quality when it came to driving skills. Didn’t prevent a penalty of £1 plus costs though.

The final point to consider before we continue is that, despite the range of topics described in these tomes, cars were still a relatively exotic phenomenon. This is illustrated in a useful infographic that a 1938 magazine provided:

I’m not sure what the position was in Northern Ireland and perhaps we’d better not go there. More interesting, is that today that ratio is both very different and could indeed be the reverse for classic car owners. For example, in my household the car to people ratio is in fact 3:2

Now that I’m in my fifties with over thirty years of driving experience I do consider myself something of a veteran but in 1938 you needed a mere ten years on the road to be considered such. Theoretically, you could be in your mid to late twenties and still be able to join the Company of Veteran Motorists. I equally wonder what was the 1938 equivalent of a souped up Vauxhall Corsa?

We all know that things have changed for women in society since the thirties and WW2 did a lot to liberate women from the household and into workplace. Interesting to find that, Autocar in 1934 was refreshingly liberated in their approach and included a column called ‘tête-à-tête written by one Elsie Wisdom. Her role was to represent the motoring interests of the womenfolk of the thirties. This didn’t, stop her from poking fun at one mechanically naive female.

Elsie whilst at the hair salon recounts overhearing a conversation in which a lady who after finding a greasy pool under her car complained to her mechanic he was overfilling her car with oil and charging accordingly. Soon after the subject was relieved to find this had rectified itself. Unfortunately, this was due to an under lubricated engine caused by an an oil leak and inevitably led to catastrophic failure.  Her reaction, Elsie noted, was being ‘amazed and indignant that if the car had just obligingly run out of oil, as it would out of petrol; then she would have refilled it and all would have been well’.

I will finish by finding some comfort in the fact that even with the distressing turmoil that played out a few short years later some venerable motoring institutions survived and are still with us today.

I think most would agree that if you need some staple sundry for your car that a branch of Halfords will usually be a good place to go and more than likely help you out.  In the thirties, Halfords were not quite so sure of themselves. 

Have a look at this advertisement.  All looks well until you see their get out clause: ‘or can get it’ (in a smaller typeset).  To be fair, given the diffuse nature of the motor industry at the time, it’s unsurprising really. I just wonder how long it would take them to get ‘it’ (whatever ‘it’ may be and good luck if you live in N. Ireland).

  

That’s it for this time around but I think it’s highly likely we’ll feature some of this material again. Whilst we may find some mirth, these magazines do offer some fascinating social history viewed through the lens of the motoring culture of the time.  For car fans like us that is as interesting as a more traditional history book and there’s equally as much to learn.

I’ll get my reading glasses on and find some other gems for you in a future blog! In the interim toodle pip…