Vintage Caravan Magazine Issue 40 | Page 29

Special Feature The Countess (for 1953) Kingscott Bowen Heath Looking Back: Post-War European Caravan Exports WORDS JOHN GUNNELL The men and women of the American military made tremendous sacrifices during World War II, as did their counterparts who worked in Homefront factories. But Americans in the Continental United States did not have to deal with their country being bombed or their national economy being in tatters. There were parts supply problems in 1946 through 1948 and there were union actions that affected industry, but by 1949 American business was humming along on its way to a record year in 1950. It was a different story in war-torn countries such as England and Germany. Businesses in those nations Businesses in Germany and England were anxious to sell their products in the United States so they could bring American dollars home to boost their economies. were anxious to sell their products in the United States so they could bring American dollars home to boost their economies. English auto maker Austin Motors designed the A90 Atlantic Convertible, a car that was specifically targeted at United States buyers. On January 8, 1948, in Rotterdam, Holland, brothers Ben and Wijnand Pon loaded two of the cars they had been selling onto a ship called the Westerdam. Nine days later, the vessel pulled into New York Harbor vintagetrailermagazine | 27