The Swing Shift Shuffle is a radio program of swing, big band, jazz, boogie woogie and other popular music from the 1930's and 40's that airs every Wednesday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (US Central Time) on WEVL 89.9 FM in Memphis, Tennessee, with a live webcast at wevl.org. In addition to the radio show, this blog is dedicated to all aspects of the Swing Era, including art, automobiles, cartoons, comics, history, movies, music, news, science, technology, and anything else that happened during that time. It also includes announcements about events in the Memphis/Mid-South area related to the Swing Era, such as classic movies, concerts, dances, lectures, etc. If you see something that fits the description, send it to me at tim@wevl.org. If you would like more information about the radio show, just go to the Radio Show FAQ page.

Monday, December 14, 2015

1939 American Bantam Speedster


A week or so ago, the Hemmings blog featured one of my favorite little cars as the Find of the Day (in other words, a good deal for sale in the pages of Hemmings Motor News): a 1939 American Bantam Speedster.  Bantams were successors to the American Austin, which was basically a British Austin built in Pennsylvania for sale in the U.S.  American Austin went into receivership, but was resurrected with new designs as the Bantam.  Dwarfed by other American cars of the day, these efficient and fun little cars never really caught on.  Bantam's lasting claim to fame was that its design for a lightweight, general purpose vehicle for the U.S. Army was the basis for what became known as the "jeep." 

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