In the early 1950s, America transitioned from a wartime to a consumer economy. The G.I. Bill made homeownership affordable for veterans and resulted in a baby boom, with 4 million babies born each year during that decade. Suburbs sprouted up everywhere with millions commuting to work. Some 54 million cars were produced and sold by American manufacturers during the 1950s.
“America’s love affair with the automobile” was made official when Groucho Marx declared it in a 1961 TV documentary titled Merrily We Roll Along, sponsored by DuPont (then a 23% shareholder of General Motors). Groucho told the story of cars in America, ending his tale while driving a convertible down the highway. “Wherever we are headed now, it will be in something like this,” he proclaimed. Sixty years later, he’s still right.