The 1930s were a decade of economic hardship and deprivation for most Americans. Millions of people were out of work and unable to afford the bare necessities of life, such as food, clothing, or shelter. Wealthy people, such as President Herbert Hoover were blissfully unaware of the real hardships faced by real people. For many Americans, Hoovervilles were the shanty towns that provided them limited shelter; Hoover blankets were the newspapers that they used for blankets; Hoover hogs were the few wild rabbits that were caught for food; Hoover shoes were shoe with large holes in the sole; and the Hoover car was the broken-down automobile pulled by a mule.
While the sales of automobiles fell dramatically during the 1930s, and many automakers did not survive the depression, wealthy people continued to buy luxury automobiles. Shown below are some of the luxury cars from this era which are on display in the LeMay—America’s Car Museum.
Harold LeMay, a Tacoma businessman, loved cars and managed to collect more than 3,000 automobiles, trucks, and motorcycles over forty years of collecting. A number of the vehicles from his collection form the nucleus of the LeMay—America’s Car Museum. This collection of more than 300 cars, motorcycles, and trucks is displayed in a four-level building in Tacoma, Washington. Shown below are the luxury cars of the 1930s which are displayed in this museum.