The "Advance Design" Chevrolet pickup trucks entered the scene in June 1947, and exterior styling remained virtually the same through 1953. The first major change was with the grille treatment in 1954. This post-World War II Chevy pickup was found with a dusting of snow in late-winter Nevada. (Photo by Jim Prueter)

This 1993 Chrysler LeBaron convertible was found abandoned in eastern North Carolina, its useful life probably at an end. The1993 LeBaron got a slight restyle with the hidden headlamps of the 1987-92 models, deleted in favor of less aerodynamic headlamps. The convertible was 184.8 inches in length with a 100.5-inch wheelbase, equating to a large compact car in today's sizes. Two turbocharged versions of Chrysler's 4-cylinder engine — a 2.2-liter and a 2.5-liter — were available along with a 3.0-liter Mitsubishi V-6 making 141 horsepower. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

Chevrolet made very few exterior changes to its panel van between 1947 and 1953 after completing reinventing the van — tagging it Advance-Design — following the end of World War II. Starting in 1951, trucks and vans got door vent windows, which would make this Chevy, photographed by Jim Prueter, a 1951-1953 model. Chevrolet pickups and vans is this era were number one in sales in the U.S.

Packard was completely redesigned for the 1951 model year and remained mostly the same, but with styling tweaks, through the 1954 model year. Packard dropped the number configurations for models is 1953 and went to Clipper (base), Cavalier (mid-level) and Patrician (top). A 1953 Clipper, left, and a 1953 Cavalier, right, watch traffic go by on an eastern North Carolina highway. Packard sold 90,252 cars in 1953, which turned out to be its best-selling year before the brand was terminated in1958 after merging with Studebaker. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

It was not until 1948 that Cadillac came out with an all-new post-war design including the first use of tailfins. The 1947 convertible captured here as an abandoned car carried on with the pre-war design. Cadillac sold only 61,926 cars in 1948, but still led luxury brands Packard and Lincoln in sales. This abandoned Caddy was found in a Texas salvage yard. (Photo by Peter Hubbard)

Chrysler came in several models for 1946-48 including the Windsor and New Yorker powered by a 250 cubic inch inline 6 making 114 horsepower mated to a 4-speed manual transmission. Chrysler sold 83,310, 119,260 and 130,110 respectively from 1946 through 1948. The post-war Chrysler was a full-sized car measuring 208.25 inches in length with a wheelbase of 121.5 inches. This circa 1946 to 1948 Chrysler was found in Nevada. (Photo by Jim Prueter)

The Farmall tractor was part of the brand architecture of International Harvester (IH), first introduced in 1923. During the 1940s it was the most popular tractor brand in the U.S. Production ended on Feb. 1, 1974, with the 5 millionth tractor coming off the assembly line in Rock Island, Ill. This early model tractor was retired and parked off a highway near LaGrange, N.C.  (Photo by Jim Meachen)

One of the most famous abandoned cars in the U.S. sits along Old Route 66 in the Painted Desert area of Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. The rusted hulk of a 1932 Studebaker depicts the remains of transportation along the old east-west highway in the 30s and 40s. The Studebaker, reportedly donated by Frank and Rhonda Dobell of Holbrook, Ariz., is probably the most photographed abandoned car in the country. (Photo by Ted Biederman)

There's not much left of the front end of this 1940 era car, but we think it's a Buick. Buick was the fourth best-selling car in the country in 1940 with 278,748 units sold. This cannibalized car was found in an Arizona salvage yard. (Photo by Becky Antioco)

A 1950s Renault Dauphine and a Volkswagen Beetle reside side-by-side as they watch passing traffic on old Route 66 in Carterville, Mo. The rear-engine Dauphine was built from 1956 through 1967 with more than 2 million sold. (Photo by Jim Meachen)