I visited the Eight Amcars Club today to see eight car brands that couldn't compete with the big three. These aren't just real American cars - they're also car models that were well received in Norway and that many people got to experience.
The US auto industry experienced turbulent times in the 1950s. Demand for new cars was high, and new models were developed rapidly. At the beginning of the decade, the three major car companies GM, Ford and Chrysler accounted for 70% of production. By the end, the share had risen to 94%. Several car manufacturers had financial problems and were acquired or merged with other manufacturers – and eventually went bankrupt. Legendary car brands such as DeSoto, Hudson, Nash, Packard, Studebaker, Kaiser, Frazer, Henry J and Willys have disappeared. For a long time it seemed as if the cars would disappear too.
The purpose of Eight Amcars Club is to take care of the cars of the American car brands that disappeared after the war. The club was founded in 1977 by Jack Tweets. Today, 430 cars have been taken care of and 120 of these are on display at the club's premises in Sørum. A great building with cars and an American diner was built with volunteer work (!) and almost 4000 volunteer hours.
It surprises me that many of the cars have Norwegian history. In my old photo album there is a picture of my great-grandmother and her adult children posing in front of a stately, black car in the yard by the small farm. For a long time I thought it was a Chevrolet, but when I looked closer, I saw that it was a Kaiser. The same car was also used in the first film with "The Olsen Gang". Benny's car was a Kaiser - and of course it is at the Eight Amcars Club with Basse's pram on the roof. Real cultural history!
The car in my photo album was probably driven by the husband of one of my great-grandmother's daughters. He also worked as a driver, and I remember him driving around the country for Bergene Chocolate Factory in an American van with a raised roof and a white-painted 50s grill. Probably a Ford F-series.
Cultural history is about how people lived and lived. Old houses, furniture, styles – and cars are part of this. The fact that the cars at Eight Amcars Club include so many Norwegian cars truly makes it a piece of cultural history. I have spoken to many young “Amcar”-saved people who believe that their ancestors drove around in Cadillacs and Lincolns. The truth is that it was almost impossible to buy a new private car before 1960, with the exception of taxi owners, doctors and veterinarians. There were a few loopholes in the regulations. Among other things, it was possible to buy cars that were older than 3 years. That is the reason why several of the cars are listed as “used imported” after only 3 years, which is actually the case for the Kaiser car in the picture.
Another model that was produced by Kaiser-Frazer var Henry J, named after Henry J Kaiser. This was a car that there were several of in Norway and that actually suited us well here with its compact dimensions. It was also a car model that I think seems ahead of its time considering that it was launched in 1951. The first cars were delivered without turn signals and a boot lid. In traffic, you therefore had to make arm movements to warn other road users. The cars in the pictures have both turn signals and a boot lid.
DeSoto has always been a car brand under Chrysler. The DeSoto Fireflite was a full-size car built on the same platform as similarly large Chrysler cars. The brand disappeared shortly after 1960.
After Studebaker merged with Packard in 1954, several models with the same origins as either Studebaker or Packard could be seen, like this Packard Hawk in the picture.
Rambler was an old car brand that was purchased by Nash in 2016. In the 1950s, "Rambler" was brought up as a model name, like this one Nash Rambler in the picture. Nash and Hudson merged in 1954 to form AMC. Under AMC, Rambler was used as a separate car brand throughout the 1960s.
I have always been fascinated by the Studebaker Champion – where it can be difficult to tell what is in front and what is behind. I heard the explanation today. It is said that the design is inspired by Douglas DC3If you look closely, you can see a resemblance between the rear part of the car roof and the nose section of the DC3.
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