This was a short-lived fancy for some car brands that participated, lasting that one year only. (There were exceptions, dealt with below.)
Images in the Gallery are of cars listed for sale unless noted.
Probably the best-known example of 1942 wraparound grille bars is Chrysler. I find this scheme attractive and nicely integrated with frontal sheet metal sculpting.
Previous-year Chrysler grille designs were narrow, with thicker bars.
It was Nash that pioneered the wraparound fad in 1941.
Moreover, Nash continued the theme through the 1948 model year with styling similar to this 1942 example.
1942 Mercury chrome strips extended beyond the grille opening, but did not quite wrap around the fenders.
Lincoln's bars did wrap, but not on the fenders. Instead they wrapped around an odd-looking bulge placed above the bumper.
Packard Clipper grilles for 1941 (and perhaps to some extent for 1942 under Packard's 14th Series) looked like this.
But the true '42 (15th Series) design featured the wraparound extensions seen here. Postwar Packard Eight and Super grilles continued the theme through 1950, but not the Custom line.
I've always loved the '42 Chrysler and the '41 Nash. The '42 Nash styling isn't as appealing to me, though I would gladly own one. It's chunkier and less graceful. The Packard Clipper body is beautiful and the combo grill, with both upright and horizontal elements, works reasonably well. Certainly the most effective of the several marques that tried to combine the two, including the postwar bathtub Packards. As with the Nash, though, I prefer the '41 to the '42. The Lincoln -- well, over the course of several years, Ford managed to take one of the most graceful designs ever and completely bollix it.
ReplyDeleteThe 1937 DeSoto has some nicely wrapped fine grill bars but at the top along the prow instead of across the fenders. And echoed in the bumper. I wish I could post photos here but readers may be relieved.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.barrett-jackson.com/Events/Event/Details/1937-DESOTO-4-DOOR-SEDAN-137682