The Powell Sport Wagon — Petersen Automotive Museum

Noticed in retrospect, the Powell also mirrored a exclusive viewpoint on post-war automotive building. Built amongst the retreating shadow of Entire world War II and the dawn of the American put up-war overall economy, the pickup represented a blend of pre- and put up-war financial realities. In the usually means of its development, the home-grown automobile, built out of existing parts, spoke to an period of wartime rationing and products shortages, in which products like metals utilized in car development ended up scarce and citizens had been compelled to craft their individual goods in spot of those they would frequently find on shop cabinets.

In its layout, and the extremely actuality that their company experienced endeavored to sector a new vehicle to the public, however, the Powell brothers’ company reflected the optimistic frame of mind of the burgeoning mid-century American economy. Although Europe would go on to experience the economic devastation of Earth War II lengthy just after its summary, by the mid-1950s when the Powell Sport Wagon was introduced, the American economic system would practical experience a period of quick development, in which the Gross Countrywide Product (GNP) would increase to virtually 250% its pre-war sizing. A concurrent, and insatiable, shopper need for new vehicles would drive the generation of new, remarkable automobiles like the Chevrolet Corvette, which was, incidentally, highlighted on the very protect of the February 1956 concern of Motor Trend in which Woron would chronicle his views of the humble Activity Wagon.

With these two perspectives as context, Channing and Hayward Powell set out to build a unique and, as Woron would describe, considerably mythical car or truck that would sell for below the “magical just one-grand figure.” Regrettably for the business, like most companies who sought to generate these kinds of a vehicle from scratch, “costs mounted upward like a mushroom pushing its way through the cracking earth.” Even though the Powell brothers projected in Motor Development that increased generation numbers would lower the value of their Wagon, at a value of a mere $95 about their concentrate on, the Powell Sport Wagon was rather a noble try.

By Kristin Feay

Images by Bob D’Olivo and Walt Woron