Remember the commercial: “Baseball, hotdogs, apple pie and Chevrolet.” The commercial worked because it was a catchy slogan and because the automobile is uniquely American in regard to America’s love affair with the car. Ever since Henry Ford first made cars affordable for average Americans, those Americans have responded with joyful passion.

Of course, it’s not just Chevrolet. For the first six or seven decades after Ford developed his assembly line, that love affair was primarily with American-made automobiles, including:

• Chrysler
• Dodge
• Plymouth
• Jeep
• GMC
• Chevrolet
• Buick
• Oldsmobile *
• Pontiac *
• Ford
• Mercury *
• Lincoln

Those are the big names, from the Big 3 auto manufacturers: General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Chrysler Motors. Others, many, but not all, now defunct, included:

• AMC *
• Cord *
• Crawford *
• DeLorean *
• Excalibur *
• Hudson *
• Nash *
• Packard *
• Studebaker *
• Tucker *
• Willys (original builder of the Jeep) * 
• Many, many more *
• Defunct car manufacturer

The automobile was the first modern form of transportation that figuratively reduced the distance between two points. Where a trip from McHenry to Chicago in the 1800s, using a horse and wagon, could take quite a bit of time where the same trip with a car was reduced to an hour or two (a horse and carriage could travel 20 to 30 miles in an eight-hour day, according to the online site quora).

The ability to travel significant distances in a short amount of time opened up areas of the countryside to drivers that previously required significant investments in time.

Considering the transformation from the horse and buggy to the automobile, it’s not surprising that early cars looked as though buggies were fitted on top of automobile frames with wheels, engines and steering components. Overtime, however, with advancements to the car, the similarities slipped away. Before long, cars looked nothing like their horse-drawn predecessors.

With the changes in physical style came advancements in paints and chrome finishes. Eventually, plastics and rubber were more frequently used. But the point is that, particularly with paint, it was relatively easy to individualize an automobile. Several-hundred-thousand people might own the same general model of car but, with accessories and differing engine, transmission, wheels, tires and steering components, the ability to make a car more unique to the owner was possible. And paint advanced that premise dramatically.

Now, with car wraps, having a one-of-a-kind car is truly attainable. But, what really matters is that, you can jump in your car at any time and run to the store, drive from McHenry to Chicago, or take a trip across the country. It’s your choice. The only requirement is that you keep the car gassed up and well maintained.