This 1941 Chrysler Town Sedan was found rusting away in a back yard near Blanco, Texas. Chrysler Corp. products were great sellers prior to the war as evidenced by the fact the Chrysler Corp. owned a whopping 24 percent market share, five percentage points more than Ford Motor Company. In 1941, Chrysler models could be purchased for the first time with a semi-automatic transmission that delivered a Lo-Hi shift. (Photo by Jim Prueter)

J.D. Adams & Company was founded in 1885 by Joseph D Adams who invented the first leaning-wheel pull grader and was based in Indianapolis. The leaning wheel, combined with an angled blade, increased the grader’s ability to excavate and move material in a specific direction. The grader could be pulled using a team of horses or by a motorized machine. This well-preserved example of an early 20th Century Adams grader was found in Hosmer, S.D.  (Photo by Jim Meachen)

Charles Skaggs found what looks like the remains of a circa 1936 Chevrolet work truck near Lee's Ferry, Ariz. Chevrolet advertising opined that it had made three major improvements for 1936: increased power, reduced operating costs to a "record low," and "modernized its truck design and construction in every important part and feature."

The Ford Model A was produced from October 1927 through 1931, replacing the aging Model T, which was sold for18 years. Prices for the Model A ranged from $385 to $1,400. Nearly five million were made in that short span of time. This Model A — in restorable condition — watches life go by on the side of a highway. (Photo by Ralph Gable)

This 1961 Ford Galaxie Sunliner was discovered in Missouri woods. Ford gave the car a cleaner look for 1961 with tailfins nearly gone and with the addition of two giant circular taillights. A new 6.4-liter "Thunderbird" V8 was added to the lineup, making a claimed 401 horsepower, mated to a 3-speed Cruise-O-Matic transmission. (Photos by Jim Meachen)

This late 1940s passenger bus was found in retirement on old Route 66 in Galena, Kan. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

Like its competitors, Dodge came out with an all-new pickup truck design for the 1948 model year, which remained basically unchanged through 1953. This example of a Dodge pickup from the 1948-1950 model years — based on the grille design — was found in Utah.  (Photo by Jim Prueter)

This 1946 Chevrolet sits in a salvage yard, perhaps waiting for a new owner. The '46 Chevrolet was basically a carryover from the 1942 model after production of new cars ceased during the World War II years. All 1946 models relied on a 6-cylinder, 90 horsepower engine carried over from the pre-war years. (Photo by Ralph Gable)

There were critics who joked about Studebaker's post-World War II styling adventures, but the cars have stood the test of time from their rounded slopping rear end with wrap-around window on the two-door models to their "spinner" grilles. This 1950 four-door, that featured suicide doors, watches as life goes by on a North Carolina highway. (Photo by Ralph Gable)

This post-WWII Jeep found in eastern North Carolina has become a trash depository, its useful life long gone. The Army Jeep was transformed for civilian use after the war in 1945 and was particularly popular with servicemen who had driven the military variety. (Photo by Jim Meachen)