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Precarious Bridgeheads Part 3

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“Mac” Halley’s Alfa 2.9 chassis 412014, when owned by Frank Cantanzariti in the early 1950s. Alfas and Bugattis comprised a good part of the foreign cars in the U.S. before the war. Jerry Lehrer photo.

By Dr. Howard Moon

This is Part 3 of an unpublished manuscript by Dr. Howard Moon. Links to previous articles appear at the end.

Americans were unaware of the full variety of European cars. There were no enthusiast’s magazines – this was a post war phenomenon – and the few interested in foreign cars subscribed to the British weeklies Autocar or Motor. Aside from the two hot spots, New York City and Los Angeles, cars from Europe were never seen on the road, in dealerships or garages.

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Dr. Moon’s Precarious Bridgeheads: Only the Rich Need Apply

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Stunning Mercedes Benz SS Tourer at MOMA in the fall of 1951, one of eight cars featured in the exhibition. Photo by Jerry Lehrer

The below article was part of an unfinished manuscript about the foreign car invasion, written by the late Howard Moon. This is part one of a series. Our apologies for the photos, which are of pre war cars taken in an early post war environment. Editor


By Dr. Howard Moon

Imported cars in the 1930s saw the last years of the carriage trade yielding to the beginnings of the sports car movement and the revival of road racing in America. That world largely was for a privileged minority, unapologetically Eurocentric and elitist. Cosmopolitan magnates from Detroit like Edsel Ford would make an annual pilgrimage to New York to catch the latest developments in luxury coachwork design. The last coachwork Salon at the Commodore Hotel occurred in November 1931 with 50 cars, half the complement of the 1930 show.

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