• December 5, 2015

December 5: Shop Talks #3 “THE POST WAR AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE-1946 TO 1972”

December 5: Shop Talks #3 “THE POST WAR AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE-1946 TO 1972”

December 5: Shop Talks #3 “THE POST WAR AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE-1946 TO 1972” Automobile Driving Museum
Join Historian Jim Crabtree in the restoration shop at the ADM for part three of his lecture series on the American Automobile.

Join Historian Jim Crabtree in the restoration shop at the ADM for part three of his lecture series on the American Automobile.

Join us for our 3rd of 5 lectures highlighting the American Automobile Evolution. Click here to register.

“THE KALEIDOSCOPE OF AMERICAN AUTOMOTIVE EVOLUTION”

PHIL SKINNER, EDITOR OF KELLEY BLUE BOOK/OLD CARS

MODERATED BY TOM FEHN, ADM DIRECTOR OF PRESERVATION

SHOP TALKS FROM 1:00 PM TO 2:30 PM IN THE RESTORATION SHOP ADJACENT TO THE ADM

600 LAIRPORT STREET EL SEGUNDO, CA 90245

SUGGESTED DONATION $10 PER ADULT $8 PER SENIOR $5 PER CHILD 10-17

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

THE POST WAR AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE-1946 TO 1972

CHAPTER 3 “REVIVAL AND RECOVERY”

On December 5th automotive historian Jim Crabtree is returning to the Automobile Driving Museum to present the third in his series of ‘Shop Talks’ on how the automobile developed from a wacky experiment into an essential appliance. This time he is going to be covering the years from the end of World War II to the date when the first baby boomers came of age in 1964.

During these years of the fabulous fifties, the auto industry enjoyed their best years of prosperity that included both important improvements such as the V-8 engine and automatic transmissions but also plenty of flash such as jet exhaust ports and the iconic tail fins! (no car should be without these) Gee-gnaws such as push button shifting, record players and the all important vacuum ashtray also made their appearance in the 1950s. Strangely during this time of unprecedented prosperity all the independent manufactures also died off and Jim will discuss why. The seeds of the collapse of the big three manufactures in the 1980s were sown during time but neither labor or management was able to recognize the dangers of their actions to avoid the later problems.

The post war years also began the largest public works project in the history of the world and the one that would change America more than any other, the Interstate Highway System. While scoffed at today it was designed and built with more forethought and intentions than most people know about.

During these years foreign cars tried to establish a foothold on our shores and a reliable market share in the United States, but only Volkswagen was able to do so. Jim will explain why.

Do join us on December 5th for part 3 of the series which has been lauded by both auto novices and experts alike as being able to expose them to information that they have never before considered.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016

THE MODERN AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE-1973 TO TODAY

CHAPTER 4 “TECHNOLOGY TRIUMPHS”

On January 9th automotive historian Jim Crabtree is returning to the Automobile Driving Museum to present the final show in his series of ‘Shop Talks’ on how the automobile developed from a wacky experiment into an essential appliance. In this part Jim will start with the baby boomers shaping the auto market to their younger tastes beginning with the 1964 Mustang and muscle cars, then transitioning through the big three’s fall from grace and basically handing the market place over to the Japanese imports.

These were difficult years for the Detroit automakers. Quality collapsed while costs spiraled, mostly due to unworkable labor-management relationships. Neither side could seem to break themselves of the habit doing things the way they always had.

The Arab oil embargo of 1973, demands of environmentalists and a desire to make cars safer lead to having Washington DC having a bigger part into how cars were being designed than the automotive engineers did. All this resulted in Detroit’s infamous ‘Malaise Era’ of the 1980s. Eventually some excitement returned in the 1990s but the die had been cast, American cars would never be the world’s best again. The story of how ‘trucks became cars’ during these turbulent years is another tale not often related in discussions of auto history.

Finally Jim will review where we have arrived at today – a world where cars are no longer the status symbols of the 30s & 50s and have become mere transportation appliances. Appliances that are being looked at as a mechanism to save the world through using alternative power.

In the end Jim will challenge the attendees to learn from history by applying their new understandings to make predictions of what the future might be for both current automobiles and the hobby of collecting old automobiles.

Be sure to come down to The Automobile Driving Museum on January 9th to hear this final presentation automotive history.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2016

COLLECTOR CAR VALUATION

CHAPTER 5 “MARKET OR MAYHEM”

Our final Shop Talk on February 6th will feature the author/editor of Kelly Blue Book’s Old Car Guide Phil Skinner talking about how values and prices happen in automobile markets both new & used cars and most important to visitors to an Automobile Museum how they are set in the old car marketplace.