5 Classic Cars From 1920s

5 Classic Cars From The Great Gatsby’s Roaring 1920s

While the costumes have taken all the glory in Baz Luhrmann’s remake of The Great Gatsby in 3D, we couldn’t help but notice the gorgeous vintage cars of the 1920s used throughout the movie as well.

The 1920s in fact, was the decade when motor cars became mainstream with better and safer engines that finally saw horse carts being weeded out of the US. Here’s a list of the top five classic car models from the era that redefined cars as we know it.


1924 Chrysler Model B-70

Founded in 1925 by Walter Chrysler, Chrysler quickly rose to become one of the most premier car companies in the world. Working at a railroad for $350, Walter visited the Chicago Automobile Show and was smitten by a $5000 Locomobile. With some ingenuity, Walter bought the Locomobile and studied it thoroughly for three months before driving it for the first time. In time, Walter launched the B-70, one of the most powerful and successful  cars of the 20s. The B-70 could do 70 to 75 miles an hour and accelerated from five to 25 miles in seven seconds. Apart from this, it featured hydraulic brakes and unheard of features like aluminium piston, air cleaner and hydraulic shock absorders. Suffice to say that the B-70 was one of the best-selling cars of the Roaring Twenties.

1924 Oakland 6-54A

Advertised as the “True Blue Oakland Six”, the 1924 Oakland 6-54A was the first car to use an efficient colouring mechanism that allowed paint to dry faster and gave it a better finish. While it was never a very popular car, the 6-54A nevertheless reigned in 1924 because of its superior engine and new style. More importantly, it was reliable.

1925 Renault 6 CV NN

The Renault 6 CV NN was the company’s first attempt at getting rid of the luxury tag that it had come to be known for in France. But this did not seem enough to convince the French and so in 1926, the small car  ran for 203 straight hours. The next year, it became the first car to cross the Sahara desert and sales skyrocketed. The car’s record in US is a bit patchy but there is little doubt that the Renault 6 CV NN is one of the most premier cars to grace the 1920s.

1927 Ford Model A

After being in production for 18 long years, Ford’s trademark Model T was replaced with a new model called Model A that came in a wide variety of sizes such as coupe, convertible cabriolet, town car, station wagon, taxicab and truck. The car pushed an impressive 50 to 60 miles an hour and its success came as a major relief to founder Henry Ford.

1928 Nash Advanced Six Coupe

 After resigning as president of GM in 1916, Charles W Nash founded his own motor company and saw sales skyrocket with the 1928 Nash Advanced Six Coupe car. So strong were sales in 1928 that Nash would have to wait until 1949 before its sales record for the former were broken. Nash cars offered superior luxury at affordable classes and successfully managed to woo the middle class despite competing with big names like Chrysler and Buick.

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