1940s

In 1941, over three million automobiles were manufactured for sale in the US. Between 1942-45, that number dropped dramatically as American industrial capacity was entirely repurposed for the war effort. European manufacturers similarly shifted to making military vehicles and weaponry, and occupied territories went to great lengths to hide their technologies from the Germans. The latter half of the decade saw US servicemen returning home with a taste for small British roadsters from MG, Austin, and others, and a nascent Japanese motor industry convinced Allied General Headquarters to allow the production of motorcycles and scooters.