7 Wonderful Old Jalopies

The origin of the word “jalopy” is somewhat of a mystery. Some have speculated that it comes from the city of Jalapa, Mexico (officially known as Xalapa-Enríquez), the same place we get the word “jalapeño”. In the 1920s this area was known for its used car and car parts industry. Another theory is the word is a corruption of the French term “chaloupe”, a type of boat. Still another story goes that we get the word from Italian, a reference to the old carts used to peddle apple jelly. And let’s not forget the term “shlappe” which some say is the root, a Yiddish word for an old horse cart. It seems the only thing we do know about the word “jalopy” is that we don’t really know where it comes from!

From the time of the first cars to the 1940s the shapes and styles changed dramatically. Open top cars with motors no bigger than what we’d use for a scooter motor today were being replaced with sleek, 4-cylinder coupes big enough to seat 4 and withstand all types of weather.

This meant that a car cobbled together with old parts was quite noticeable on the road or parked. The history of car making was on full display in these old jalopies, which were used a lot during the Great Depression.

One thing about these old cars is that many of them were completely open on top. No doubt when more spacious models were released that could be driven in rain or snow the older fashion for cabriolet and ragtops was swiftly abandoned.

In the 1930s there was a booming trade in anything used and cars were no exception. Older cars were made useable by hook or by crook with any parts that could be scrabbled together.

The car below shows why some of the old automobiles were called ragtops! It’s in tatters.

So many of these old cars had the front panels of the engine covers replaced, usually with a metal painted a different color.

The crank start can be seen in the photo below from 1939. The electric starter was a truly great invention, making brute force and patience two things you didn’t need to have before going somewhere in your vehicle.

In the 1950s and 1960s some folks used these beat up cars for racing, until modern standards deemed the cars unsafe. The implementation of car safety standards in the 1960s meant that many of the older models would no longer pass in terms of safety.

Beginning the early 1970s emissions standards would also impact which of the old cars could be legally driven on the road as well.

Older cars had to meet modern minimums for safety and emissions, excluding them from the cheap fixer uppers they had once been. If you have to fix the car and invest a lot of money, why not do a new paint job and the whole shebang? For these reasons the era of the old jalopy is largely in the past, replaced with the classic cars we know and love.