THE AUTOMOBILE FEUD

Every village had citizens who accumulated a selection of material possessions as a mark of status. The advent of the automobile in the twentieth century allowed some villagers to display their financial position every time they drove their new horseless carriage to church.

The make and model of automobile was a status symbol for some families, especially if it was a little classier than a Model "T. Everybody knew a Ford touring car cost less than five hundred dollars but a Hudson DB (Dodge), a McLaughlin Buick or a Hupmobile cost nearly double.

The first car was a huge investment for the family; some vehicles of the era cost more than the family dwelling. The money for the purchase came from savings. The finance companies didn't come into the picture until the early '20s, and banks were not permitted to loan individuals funds for any kind of purchase. Going into debt to buy a car would never be considered and before the nest egg could be used for anything besides farming equipment or funeral expenses, the whole adult family would have to give considerable thought to the expenditure.

Once the family decided to purchase the car, it would take hours, days and weeks of discussion to debate the merits of one automobile over another. Everyone knew the reputation of a Ford, tin-lizzie; it was sturdy, easy to operate and could be used for several purposes. The Overland was a sporty touring car and most young men felt proud to call for the girlfriend if they drove a yellow wheeled, maroon Grey-Dort. Mother kind of thought a closed car like a McLaughlin five passenger coupe would be nice, especially on wet Sundays.

You could always tell if the price of beef had been good or the apple crop was exceptional, a new family car would appear at church the first nice spring Sunday. No need to buy the car in the fall, there wouldn't be any roads for it to travel on until the mud holes dried in the spring.

Clarence Steer, the owner of the local general store never bragged about his financial standing in the village but he was not backward in showing the villagers he could afford the largest house in the community; an extended trip was within his means and his automobile was a car that only the financially affluent could afford.

Clarence was driving a Buick five passenger coupe and so was Ed. Bond; Bill Longfield and several farmers owned a McLaughlin Buick touring car and my father traded his Overland 90 for a 1921 McLaughlin light six four door sedan. Like most villages of the period, some people drove Model "T" Fords, coupes, runabouts, touring cars and a four door sedan. Farmers preferred a Dodge touring, Hupmobile, Chev or the locally manufactured Crow.

The Hudson brougham caught the eye of the local grocer and a sleek, four door vehicle with special bumpers; a trunk as part of the body and oversized tires. The citizens gathered to admire this beautiful vehicle of exceptional design and engineering. They oohed and ahed about this fine car and everyone knew it was expensive by its appearance.

The local lumber mill president could not be outdone by a local merchant, a McLaughlin Buick touring car was no match for the Hudson brougham. Something had to take place; it was only a matter of days before the driveway in front of the Longfield garage had a new Hudson brougham in all its beauty, complete with flower vases and special upholstery, proudly gracing the area. The feud was on and it would last for nearly two decades.

As the years passed, fancier Hudsons replaced the broughams, a Chrysler Imperial competed with a special low slung Hudson and an Airflow enjoyed top billing for a year before the arrival of a blue Oldsmobile sedan.

By the late 1930's many new cars had arrived in the village. For a few years in the late '20s, Roy Grigg saturated the village with Essex Supper-sixes, the Strathroy Ford dealer, Frank Langdon and the Chev dealer George Snelgrove competed with the new Model "A" and the Chev six. Automobiles with names like Durant, Paige, Maxwell, Jewett and Oakland were frequently seen on the village streets. During the '30s, the status automobile had lost much of its market, most people endeavoured to keep the family chariot working and in the late '30s, a few standard vehicles found their way to the village.

Some of the other players in the automobile status game lost interest when more cars appeared in the village. Ed. Bond had a series of Chrysler cars '52s to a 75. My father's McLaughlin was replaced with a robin egg blue Essex and the two owners of Model "T" four door sedans could be seen driving around the village in their four door Model "A's".

The automobile feud was always friendly; villagers enjoyed the game until they became one of the "new car' families. Situations of this nature always added flavor to village living and interesting conversation.

The ultimate in automotive development arrived in the village in 1929. A Chrysler '70 that would climb the river bridge hill at Kenilworth in high gear.
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