How different was the world before today?
The open road has always promised freedom — but the version of that freedom available in 1965 looked almost nothing like the GPS-guided, podcast-soundtracked, lane-assist-assisted journey you'd take today. Buckle up. Or don't, because in 1965, that was still optional.
There was a time in America when hitting 100,000 miles on your odometer wasn't an achievement — it was basically a eulogy. Engines burned out, transmissions failed, and rust claimed the rest. The story of how that changed is one of the most underappreciated engineering transformations of the last half-century.
In the 1950s, a shiny new American car cost roughly what a decent used smartphone runs today. Decades later, the average new vehicle sticker price has blown past $48,000 — and the reasons why say a lot about who we've become as drivers, consumers, and a society.