Great 1920’s Cars From The Gatsby Era

In a few days, The Great Gatsby movie, the latest blockbuster extravaganza from director Baz Luhrmann will be in theaters.  Anyone who loves the cars from the roaring 20’s will enjoy some live car candy in action.  Cars from this period are big bold and oozed sex appeal, which fit the filmmaker’s style and story.  If there ever was a heyday of car design this was it.

Cars with staring roles in the film are the 1929 Duesenberg and a 1929 Packard, according to TMZ.  In the book Jay Gatsby drives a yellow roadster, which in the past was assumed to be a Rolls-Royce.  However the movie unfolds, cars play a major role in the story.  To get you in the mood, here are a few beauties from the 1920’s. Bigger was better!  Immense front ends which went on forever,  giant curving fenders, whopping engines as big as a dog house roared down the road as the automotive world overflowed with offerings.  Cars had never before displayed such bright flashy colors.  The Duesenberg was a car to aspire to. This was the Jazz Age, everybody seemed to have money.  Prosperity flowed.  Prior to this era nobody knew the names of movie stars, now they were famous, wealthy and lived fabulous lives in Beverly Hills.  Hungry for fun and excitement, younger crowds busied themselves having a good time dancing to the new sounds of Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman.  Cubism and Modernism had taken hold in the art world.  Hemlines were higher and fashion became a necessary desire of the modern woman.  Automobiles were a fascination to everyone.

Ahh, those were the days… until in all came tumbling down on October 28, 1929.  The world of luxury automobiles would never recover to the pre-crash peak.  Fortunately there are enough of them still around for us to satiate our dreams or live on in the movies.