1949 Packard Custom Eight Touring Sedan

When automobile production resumed after World War II, Packard, like most other automakers, simply brought back the cars it was making before. In Packard’s case, this was the Packard Clipper that was introduced in 1941. The Clipper hadn’t been in production long enough before the war to allow a relatively low-volume luxury marque like Packard to come up with all-new models in the late 1940s like other automakers. In 1948, Packard restyled the 1941-1942 Packard Clipper, eliminating the separate fenders and the narrow tapered hood & grille, with the Packard Eight and Super Eight on a 120-inch wheelbase and the Custom Eight on a 127-inch wheelbase.

1949 saw little change, aside from the mid-year introduction of Packard’s Ultramatic automatic transmission, Packard’s first automatic transmission and the only one developed by an independent automaker without outside assistance. Packard production would hit a peak of 116,000 cars for 1949, making it one of Packard’s best years ever.

1946 Hudson Cab Pickup

Hudson introduced 1/2-ton and 3/4-ton Cab Pickups in 1939. After World War II, only the 3/4-ton Cab Pickup returned in 1946 on a 128-inch wheelbase based on the Hudson Super Six, powered by a 102-horsepower 212-cubic-inch inline 6-cylinder engine. Hudson discontinued Cab Pickup production after 1947, with the new “step-down” bodies of 1948, with only a single prototype for a 1948 pickup built. This 1946 Hudson Cab Pickup was photographed at the 2004 Unique Tin Car Show in Longview, Washington.

1963 Cadillac Hearse

Cadillac flamboyance had peaked in 1959, and the 1960s brought simpler grilles, lower fins and less chrome. Cadillac received a new C-body in 1961 that continued the trend, and all Cadillac models became powered by the same 325-horsepower 390-cubic-inch V8 engine, which was redesigned for 1963 to be lighter and stronger, while producing the same power. 1963 also brought a bulkier grille and new slab-sided outer body panels and side moldings. Standard equipment included the Hydra-Matic 4-speed automatic transmission, power steering, self-adjusting power brakes, heater, backup lights, and remote-controlled left side mirror. This 1963 Cadillac hearse at the 2004 Unique Tin Car Show in Longview, Washington, appears to be from the Superior Coach Company.

1948 Crosley CC Convertible

In 1939, Powell Crosley, Jr., known for radios and refrigerators, launched a tiny economy runabout to be sold through Crosley appliance dealers for $325 to $350. Only 10 feet long on an 80-inch wheelbase and weighing under half a ton, it was powered by a 13.5-horsepower 2-cylinder boxer engine and could reach only 50 miles per hour, but could deliver fuel economy of at least 50 miles per gallon. By World War 2, Crosley was making convertible sedans, wood-bodied station wagons, convertibles, covered wagons with full canvas tops, and commercial models, selling almost 5,000 of the 1941-1942 models. Following the war, Crosley resumed production in June 1946 with the Crosley CC, powered by a 26.5-horsepower 44-cubic-inch overhead-cam four-cylinder “CoBra” engine with a block made of brazed copper and sheet steel that Corsley had developed for a U.S. Navy project during the war. Still on the 80-inch wheelbase, the CC was 28 inches longer than the prewar models. Initially available as a two-door, four-seat sedan, convertible was introduced by the end of the year, followed by a station wagon in 1948 and a delivery sedan in 1948. The Crosley CC was the first mass-produced slab-sided car in America, and it was powered by the first mass-produced overhead-cam engine. Crosley production peaked at almost 29,000 cars in 1948, with the station wagon being by far the most popular body style; Crosley actually led U.S. automakers in steel-bodied station wagons in 1948. The Crosley CC looked pretty much the same from 1946 to 1948. A switch to sealed-beam headlights in early 1948 moved the parking lights from within the headlight to their own small bubble-like housing, and a bolt on bar grille was added later in the year, and was also available separately to upgrade earlier cars. For 1949 the Crosley CC would be replaced with the improved Crosley CD, but the market had largely moved on, and Crosley gave up on the automobile business in July 1952. This Crosley CC Convertible at the 2004 Unique Tin Car Show in Longview, Washington, is probably a 1947 or early 1948 model.