“The 1940s were very profitable years for the Little Five.”
ould Nash-Kelvinator have done better if World War II never happened? Conventional histories have usually said the American Independent automakers were helped by that conflict, not hurt. That’s because the Independents were awarded lucrative contracts for war materiel that gave them decent profits while enabling them to vastly improve their tools, machinery, and production facilities. That certainly was the case with Willys-Overland, winner
