Mabel Normand

America has long had a love affair with the automobile. Cars are the ultimate expression of form, function, fashion—and speed.

But most of all the car represents freedom.

Try and remember when you were a teenager yearning for your driver’s license so you could hop into daddy’s car and go, go, go. It didn’t matter where, you just wanted to burn rubber and escape into the far horizon.

The brilliant, exhilirating and touching American Grafitti, 1973, is the ultimate expression of American car culture. Almost every single scene takes place in a car.

Los Angeles was the first America city built to accomodate the automobile. And the movie stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, most born dirt-poor, expressed delight in their sudden prosperity and fame by purchasing and posing with their dream machines.

Above, Brigitte Bardot color coordinates her pants and signature ballet flats with a sexy sports car. Très chic.

[Read more…] about Hollywood: I Drive Therefore I am