That's my Number One fear; and it's a bipartisan evil. Most of the people who hire lobbyists are those who stand to make money from it, and 90% of the money to be made isn't from direct government handouts, it's from funneling you and I into the market. -Dave
Looks like a good old wag the dog media frizzy . Wonder if the city dads got a little under the table or somebody's nephew ran a salvage yard ? Watch out history tends to repete its self if nobody pays attention. Yes i heard about some camaros and firebirds late 70s stuff get cashed for clunkered from a reliable sorce.
Reminds me of when Michael Moore got K-Mart to stop selling some ammunition because a kid got shot with some purchased at a K-Mart. Lame.
I really wonder how they decided that the 'jalopy'ness of the car was a factor when assigning blame in those deaths... like did the person in the accident get killed because a car's brakes failed, or the steering broke or the suspension dumped?.. If that many deaths were caused simply because the cars were in such poor repair then I could see some reaction like this... but I just can't imagine that mechanical failure caused that much destruction. Do any of you guys that were driving back in the fifties remember mechanical failures being a huge source of accidents?
was thinking the same, only one coupe shown, does the scrap heap suggest all the 'family' cars are menacing killers? Cheers, Drewfus
Oh the humanity. In the 22nd photo it looks like even Speedy Bill lent them a mobile crane to do their dastardly deeds. Rip jalopies.
I rode to high school in the late 60's in a 61 Chevy thinkin' who would ever wanna restore one of these?
I was too young to drive in the '50s but there were a lot of mechanical failures - blame it on old metallurgy combined with a lack of maintenance. Around 1955, my dad had a '41 Olds Hydromatic that was such a POS that when he traded it in for a late model Ford pick up for his business, he told the salesman to "Scrap it!"
Yeah, and I got laughed at back in the late 1970s for writing a column in one of Tex Smith's publications suggesting that muscle cars should be preserved... ...times have changed.
i hate it when people laugh at you for suggestions you take seriously, then years later they do it because there's money involved. you never see a dime and you never get any acknowledgment for your "insight". next time you laugh at someone, ask yourself "what does he/she know that i don't?"
unfortuately, i work for a dealership and was responsible for scrapping the cars during the "klunker" program. i made my negative feelings very well known, but to no avail. there weren't ANY collector destroyed, i would have bought them. but i did regret one 1994 crown vic... not a desirable design, but the car looked like it had been in storage since 1995. the car was perfect, but i wasn't going to pay $4500 to save it. the jalopy burn pile sucks, but different times, different minds!
Ohh my, never... I appreciated the slightly different take and additional information provided by Ryan... It provides an interesting shot of a point in our automotive history... cheers!
Welcome to Australia where the government & media are having a field day with the "Hoons "it is a three strike policy which ends with your car being crushed ,unfortunately like most government beatups anyone & everyone is being branded as more dangerous than terrorists,,i don't condone the braindead who do burnouts & streetrace past schools & through residential areas,but now they are trying to stop organised car events ,because "it encourages "Hoonish "behaviour" totally ignoring the fact that it gives a safe venue to let off a bit of steam!! We will see where it goes from here ,though I am not sure that sanity will prevail???
No that wasn't God. It was another guy much later. Maybe Google the name William Lambert and the year 1791.
It always gets me that they talk about the number of "Children" killed like their lives are just worth more than adults. They still do that today. Every time someone says to me "A child could have been killed!" I always answer in smartass tone "Yeah, or even an adult!"
For what it's worth: Got a copy of the mayor's remarks that he made on the occasion. Got it from the Richard J. Daley Library. Of course, this confirms what most of you suspected (or knew), that the new car dealers were behind this. So, it was nothing more than complete & total propaganda bullshit (duh!) Here is the mayor's official "program" for the evening, followed by the mayor's prepared remarks, his "Response to Mr. Regan": JALOPY BONFIRE NORTHERLY ISLAND - EAST OF BURNHAM PARK YACHT CLUB. CONTROL TOWER OF THE ISLAND AIR STRIP IS TO BE USED AS REVIEWING STAND FOR BONFIRE. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1948 - 9:00 PM The bonfire is scheduled to be touched off at 9:00 P.M. The Mayor is requested to be there on top of the Control Tower around 8:45, as Station WIND will make a recorded interview with Mayor and Bill Regan, President of the Chicago Automobile Trades Association, which will be broadcast later in the evening. Just before the bonfire is lighted, Mr. Regan, with a few appropriate remarks, will hand to the Mayor, the certificates of title to the jalopies which are being burned. The Mayor will be expected to tear these in half to be tossed onto the flames, and to make a brief response to Mr. Regan. Script for the WIND interview - which need not be followed exactly - is attached. N O T E S: (Response to Mr. Regan) The destruction of these cars - old, unsafe automobiles - means the elimination of 60 definite hazards to human life. It is old jalopies like these which caused loss of life and injuries in traffic accidents. Chicago is determined to rid its streets of such a menace. I want to thank you Mr. Regan and all of your associates in the Chicago Automobile Trades Association for the splendid cooperation your organization has contributed to Chicago's campaign for greater safety and the saving of human lives by lessening of traffic accidents. This is a real contribution to the safety of our community and the protection of the lives of the people of Chicago. Wow! Would love to know the size of the check written to the Mayor's re-election campaign by the Chicago Automobile Trades Association. Nothing new here, just a snapshot of American local politics in action. Does speak volumes, though, about the low cultural view of "jalopy" and "hotrod", that they could be targeted in such a flagrant way.
The Jalopy Journal
