By the 1941 model year, most of the evolution had taken place. Fenders were still distinct, though largely blended to the main body. Moreover, car designs were no longer awkward, as they were earlier in the transition period. An important factor was advances in technology -- sheet metal stamping, curved glass formation, especially -- that allowed stylists' speculative sketches to become implemented in production.
Today's post presents grille designs of the major 1941 model year automobile brands. Until the late 1930s, grilles had vertical formats that coincided with the radiators paced behind them. But by 1941, nearly all grilles had horizontal formats, a matter of fashion, nearly as much as technology.
This is a classic grille design that influenced Cadillac styling for many years. Part-architectural (the rectangular grille elements) and part Egyptian (those wings above the Cadillac crest), the overall composition is excellent. Well, those round things (horn covers?) below the headlights would have looked better if they had been smaller.
Next down the General Motors hierarchy are Buicks. Plenty of bold grille bars. Note the frame shape -- Chevrolet's (see below) is similar. And even Plymouth's has a hint of this.
Headlights are closer to the centerline. Plenty of grill bars, many at right-angles to the others. A very busy frontal design replaced by something even more odd for 1942.
An awkward photo, but included because it shows the red paint in the central details (most other Internet images show grilles where the paint has been worn away). Pontiac's Silver Streaks on the hood are echoed below the headlights. The overall effect is more coherent than Oldsmobile's.
GM's entry-level brand's front mimics Buick's, as noted above. Like Pontiac, there is red detailing in the central, vertical bar. And there's more in pinstripe mode on the horizontal bars.
Chrysler's grille is simple, though this photo does not show that, in plan view, the bars curve forward to meet at the lower extension of the hood prow.
This grille set the DeSoto vertical-bars grille theme that was continued through the 1955 model year.
A rather contrived frontal design. Two segments divided by a painted central element. Upward frame curves that blend with the headlight assemblies.
Very rounded frame aside from the painted central element that blends into the hood design. Horizontal chromed prow strips as on DeSoto.
Another example of hood-prow blending. This makes more sense when view at an angle -- not head-on as seen here.
Central prow plus side openings. Similar to the Chrysler Corporation brands shown above. However, this composition is relatively simple while the framing relates to surrounding body sculpting. Basically, a nice solution.
Three openings here. Unlike many of the designs pictured above, there's no solid central element. Instead, the central part is a vertical opening with a hole for a starter crank. I suppose the shapes of the flanking openings are rounded to reflect the rounded shape of the main car body.
Another vertical central grille opening with flank openings. But the composition is better than Ford's. Plus, the top of the vertical framing carries on Packard traditional grille frame theme, an important marketing consideration.
Similar in sprit to the Chrysler grille. Hudson's body dates from 1936, but was heavily facelifted to keep it fairly up-to-date.
Hupmobiles shared the same body and grille, though the upper zone lacked the chrome seen here. This grille was applied to the1936-37 Cord body design, not in line with cars seen here that have recent body designs.
Lots of grille bars along with a bold, chrome bow strip. Very architectural, but pleasant.
Yet another two-element grille. Long before BMW grilles became famous. Simple, something Raymond Loewy usually favored.
Smaller than most '41 American cars. Simple grille design with no central separation.
2 comments:
The 1941 Dodge shows the beginning of integrating headlights and grille which really hit about two decades later, and the Studebaker has the accent color area between chrome lines that Detroit went nuts with in the mid-50s. The way inboard healights with a trim or ridge connecting their centerpoints on the 1941 Olds was repeated in a GM concept car about 15 years later but fortunately never showed up on a production model.
Just an interesting entry regarding the 1941 models. Though well before my time and probably just a bit outside the parameters of where my eye's perceptiveness for style lies, Oldsmobile (with the closely insert headlights), Packard (with the central upright grille and complementing "auxillary side grilles") and Lincoln (with the curvy waterfall shape) always seem to be easiest for someone born decades later to identify (by virtue of having my nose in car history books and only car history books). I think I'd recognize the Graham quite easily if it was a more common car. I'm not sure if it is having seen more examples of these cars (like the Lincoln), or just because of the distinctiveness of styling (the Olds' close-set "eyes" and the Packard's sharp trademark grille look that contrasts with the flow the others faced.
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