In May 1941, Woody Guthrie recorded Columbia River Ballads, Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane" was released to theaters, and the first war bonds were issued to help fund increased production of military equipment for a nation yet to become involved in World War II.
At Detroit's Packard Motor Car Company, craftsmen were turning out luxury automobiles on the assembly line, while corporate executives were considering how they might shift production to build machines needed to fight in Europe or the Pacific.
People with money tried to ignore the scent of a world war and turned instead to the finer things in life: good food, good times and good cars.
43rd Annual Concours d'Elegance
What: Car show with vehicles ranging from wooden wheeled horseless carriages to exotic street rods. Food, drink, entertainment and plenty of shade are available on site.
When: Gates open at 8:30 a.m., Sunday, July, 19 at 2043 College Way in Forest Grove.
Tickets: Advance tickets are $17 adult, $15 seniors and $5 for children 13-18. At the gate, tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, and $7 for children ages 13-18. Free for children ages 12 and younger.
What to see: In addition to traditional cars, the annual show has three special classes this year: The Classic Car Club of America's Grand Classics section, a special display for the 60th anniversary of the Ford Thunderbird, and a display of modern supercars.
Details: forestgrove concours.org
And at the time, there were few finer vehicles than John Imlay's 1941 Packard Touring Sedan.
The lines of its fenders flow like water over a rocky stream, the large chrome grill announces to the world that this is a car that makes a statement. The sheer size of it says whoever is inside its spacious interior is a person of financial substance.
It is, in simplest terms, an American classic from an era in transition.
About 50 of these luxury cars are expected to be the centerpiece of the annual Concourse d'Elegance at Pacific University in Forest Grove July 19.
The cars – Packards, Pierce-Arrows, Cadillacs and others -- will be a show within a show, explains John Mitchell, president of the Oregon Region's Classic Car Club of America.
Mitchell says that there are only three or four Grand Classic events held by the national club around the country every year, and almost none of them are as open to the public as the one scheduled for Forest Grove.
"We really wanted to raise the profile of the club and its cars, and being part of the Concours is a great way to do that," he says.
Including the classics is part of the ever-changing nature of the show, says Allen Stephens, who heads the Concours for the Rotary Club of Forest Grove.
"We try to keep in tune with the evolving interests of enthusiasts," he says. This year the Concours will honor 60 years of the Ford Thunderbird and will include a separate class for pavement-eating modern supercars. All together, more than 300 cars will be on display during the show.
The classics will be grouped together at the west end of the show grounds, so visitors can see them side by side.
Mitchell says the classic club's cars aren't judged one against another, but are graded according to a set of standards that award points for condition and originality and awards are made based on the scores obtained.
"So it is possible that there may be three or four cars given the same award based on the points they receive," he says. The club's results will be turned over to the Concours judges, who also will award prizes on behalf of the larger event.
For Imlay, it will be the first time he'll enter his Packard in competition.
"I've always loved these cars, ever since I was a kid," says the Beaverton owner. "As a youngster I'd go by the local garage and there would usually be a couple of them parked there for service."
He purchased his car about a year ago from an owner in New England, where the Packard has spent most of its life.
He opens the hood to reveal a cavernous engine bay that houses a straight, eight cylinder, 165 horsepower engine. On the firewall is a metal manufacturer's plate that documents the car's initial delivery in May 1941 to the Franklin Motor Co. in Providence, RI.
New cost was about $2,800, which is roughly twice the average annual salary for 1941. The value today has more than kept up with inflation.
"The car stayed in the same family for 53 years," he says. "These things were built to last."
It was sold in 1994 with only 38,000 miles on the odometer. The second owner invested in a restoration and then sold it to a third buyer in 2001, having added 20,000 miles to the reading. Imlay purchased it last year, with about 71,000 miles showing.
"I try to get it out about once a week," he says, "but I don't do dirt roads and I try not to drive it in the rain. It just takes so long to clean it up."
At nearly 5,000 pounds and roughly 18 feet long, the Packard takes up a large space in his two-car garage, which it shares with an electric BMW that looks almost small enough to be carried in the sedan's trunk.
The interior reflects the luxury one would expect in such a machine. The carpets are a rich, thick wool and the upholstery is of the finest material of its day. The rear seat sits well back, allowing plenty of room to stretch out and get comfortable.
It is the type of rear accommodations that made Hollywood directors of that era infamous.
"It's not flawless," he says, but acknowledges that the imperfections are things that only a judge would probably notice. "I'll be entering it in the 'touring' division for cars that are still driven rather than simply taken to shows."
Although the emphasis was on fine living, the Packard also sported some state of the art innovation. The vertical slats of the chrome grill swivel to open and close as the engine warms up. Inside, the red clutch pedal indicates the car was equipped with an automatic clutch, which would engage on its own as the driver selected another gear.
"The pedal actually moves up and down by itself as it engages and releases," he says. "It was the beginning of today's automatic transmissions."
On the road, Imlay says, the Packard is in a class by itself.
"Anyone who has ever driven one of these knows there is simply nothing else like it," he says.
Imlay says he'd like to believe his 1941 is the beginning of a modest collection of Packards, "but that's going to require a larger garage and a lot of convincing with my wife."
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