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Once again the fear of expensive
gasoline has the automotive industry second guessing
our future with a variety of small cars, alternative
fuel vehicles and hybrids.
| EARLY ATTEMPTS
(WWII - 1957) |
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World War II set off a
fuel shortage that produced the Austin Bantam
and Crosley, but soon America returned to
normal and most makes grew in size and weight.
There were exceptions like the Henry J and
Metropolitan, but it was not until about
1960 that Detroit launched an assault on
the European invasion.
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| AMERICAN BANTAM
(1938-1941) |
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| CROSLEY (1939-1952) |
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| HENRY J (1951-1954) |
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| METROPOLITAN
(1954-1961) |
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| WILLYS AERO
(1952-1954 / BERMUDA (1955) |
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| THE COUNTER
ATTACK (1958-1973) |
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Initially Volkswagen and
the Renault Dauphine began to show up on
our shores in the 1950s, but now the Japanese
were showing signs of producing cars for
America, too. The "Big Three"
counter attack began with the Corvair, Valiant,
Falcon and Lark. That was followed by a
variety of additional makes and models some
sporty and even luxurious. Notice how the
models grew in size with time.
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| AMC RAMBLER
AMERICAN (1958-1965) |
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| AMC GREMLIN
(1970-1973) |
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| BUICK SPECIAL
& SKYLARK (1961-1962) |
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| CHEVROLET CORVAIR
(1960-1969) |
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| FORD FALCON
(1960-1970) |
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| FORD PINTO (1971-1973) |
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| MERCURY COMET
(1960-1963 & 1971-1973) |
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| OLDSMOBILE F-85
(1961-1962) |
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PLYMOUTH VALIANT
(1960-1962)
(Dodge's comparable car during this period
was the Lancer) |
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| PONTIAC TEMPEST
(1961-1963) |
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| STUDEBAKER LARK
(1959-1963) |
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THE OIL PANIC (1974-1979) |
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It was the oil embargo
in the Fall of 1973 that set in motion a
panic at Detroit. All makes and models needed
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