1920's Cars Are Coming Of Age

The braking system of the cars improved as cars became more powerful and traffic increased. Early cars had mechanical brakes only on the rear wheels requiring a great deal of force from the driver to stop the car. In the cars of the 1920's, cars first had mechanical brakes on all four wheels.

Safety glass that did not shatter when broken was introduced in these vintage cars and helped prevent serious injury from even minor accidents.

At the start of the decade cars were very basic but still a vast improvement over horse and buggy. Most of the early cars were open tourers) but it didn't take long before they were enclosed and fitted with heaters to improve passenger comfort. By the end of the 1920's however, cars had advanced enough in terms of style, speed and beauty with high levels of comfort and safety. By 1923, closed sedans became more common than open cars making these 1920's cars more comfortable.

The influence of the old English horse-drawn coach livery, were obvious as color and design of the new cars borrowed from horse-drawn coaches. Color and design were prime selling point. Features like heaters, balloon tires, and improved suspensions including better shock absorbers made the life of motorists better, even with many roads still unpaved.

The wealthy purchased expensive ($15,000-$50,000) European cars like Mercedes (Daimler) and Hispano-Suiza which they imported into America. But America had its luxury cars too like the Cadillac and Packard that were favored by the big name movie stars.

By the late 1920s, the automobile had firmly established itself as the newest and most popular method of road transport. The 1920's cars ushered a new automotive age.