When classics were born – a collection of assembly line pictures

“I created you inside of me.

I watched your body form, come together, and grow in size.

I smiled as you first made your way along the floor.

Treading slowly on all fours.

You were flawless and beautiful, unscathed yet by the world.

And now, my creation, now that you have grown.

The time for you has come to go out on your own.

I wish you could stay just a while longer.

but I know you won’t look back

and I know you won’t think of me.

As I watch you board the train, a whole exciting life ahead of you

I realize I’ll never see you again.

I will never get to tell you how beautiful you are both inside and out.

I hardly came to know you.

I whisper goodbye forever, even though you won’t hear me.

And thus falls a tear, at assembly line’s end.”

-Nick Barrett, A Tear At Assembly Line’s End

SLIDE SHOW – CLICK ON ANY OF THE PICTURES IN THE SLIDE SHOW BELOW TO EXPAND TO FULL SIZE. USE ARROWS UNDERNEATH PICTURES TO SCROLL BACKWARD OR FORWARD.

: Early 1970s Volkswagen Karmann Ghias, Beetles, and Porsche 914s being assembled in Osnabrück

: Here, 1953 Chevrolet Corvette fiberglass body shells can be seen on the assembly line.

: A 1950s Volkswagen Beetle assembly plant.

: Interior fitment of a 1956 Lincoln Mark II coupe on a Ford assembly line.

: Mercedes 300SL gullwing coupes on the assembly line sometime between 1955 and 1957.

: 1957 Mercedes 300SL gullwing coupes on the assembly line.

: 1957 Mercedes 300SL’s during final stages of the assembly process.

: A 1957 Ford Fairlane hardtop convertible on the assembly line.

: A 1958 Mercedes 300SL convertible body is lowered on to the spaceframe beneath it.

: A 1958 MERCEDES 190SL assembly line view

: 1958 Mercedes 300SL & 190SL assembly line

: This late 1950s Mercedes 190SL receives its 4-cylinder engine.

: 1959 Chevrolet Impala bodies receive paint on the assembly line.

: 1959 Chevrolet Impala bodies receive paint on the assembly line.

: 1959 Chevrolet Impalas on the assembly line.

: Here, the first bits of interior trim are fitted to this 1959 Chevrolet Impala.

: A 1959 Chevrolet Impala pre-assembled front clip is lowered on to the vehicle frame.

: Finished engines for 1959 Chevrolet Impalas are loaded onto hooks which carry them to where they will be installed on each vehicle.

: This MGB assembly line photo is of unknown vintage, but is most likely late 1960s or early 1970s.

: This MG assembly line photo is of unknown vintage, but is most likely late 1960s or early 1970s.

: Here, the vehicle powertrain is fitted to this 1960 Chevrolet Corvair sedan.

: VW Karmann Ghia assembly line – sometime in the 1950s or 1960s

: This MINI assembly line photo of unknown vintage was taken at the company’s Innocenti factory in Lambrate, Italy.

: A MINI assembly line, as captured in this photo of unknown vintage.

: Here, a 1965 Ford Mustang convertible is one of many rolling off this assembly line.

: Here, a 1965 Ford Mustang convertible is one of many rolling off this assembly line.

: Here, a 1965 Ford Mustang convertible is one of many rolling off this assembly line.

: A 1965 Ford Mustang fastback undergoing final inspection.

: 1966 Pontiac GTO on assembly line

: A Mercedes 600 short-wheelbase limousine on the assembly line in Germany during the late 1960s.

: Here, a 1967 Buick Electra undergoes final quality checks on the Flint, Michigan assembly line.

: Buicks on the Flint, Michigan assembly line on roller dynomometers.

: Front fenders are attached to a 1967 Buick Century on the Flint, Michigan assembly line.

: Here the new-for-’68 Mercedes “113 body” E-class sedans roll off the assembly line. In the background, a 280SL and a final-year ’68 Finback sedan are visible.

: Jeep CJ5 “Dispatcher” models prepared for post office duty roll off the assembly line in 1969.

: A 113-body Mercedes 230SL / 250SL rolls off the assembly line sometime between 1963 and 1967. This bodystyle adopted the one-piece wheel covers in 1968.

: Here, a 1969 unibody Pontiac Firebird and body-on-frame Chevrolet Impala roll down a General Motors assembly line in Detroit, Michigan.

: Engine installation on a 1969 Ford Mustang

: A Ferrari Dino and 365 GTB/4 Daytona are visible on the company’s assembly plant in Maranello, Italy in 1969.

: Here, fully assembled Jeep CJ5s come down one line, and Wagoneers in another. Late 1960s or early 1970s vintage.

: A 1970 Pontiac Grand Prix nears completion on the assembly line.

: 1970 Pontiac Grand Prix models receive final inspection.

: A 1971 Volvo 164 rolls down the assemblyl line in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

: Volvo assembly line in 1971 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

: A 1971 Cadillac Calais sedan base model with no vinyl roof rolls down the assembly line, followed by a Coupe de Ville.

: This 1973 Pontiac Catalina sedan commemorates the 16 millionth vehicle to be built with the Pontiac badge.

: A BMW 2800 sedan on the assembly line in Germany during the 1970s

: Low-volume Alfa Romeo Montreal coupes on the assembly line during 1973.

: A 1973 full-size Cadillac rolls down the assembly line in Detroit.

: A 1973 full-size Cadillac nears completion in the Detroit assembly plant.

: Fiat 500s being assembled in Sicily during the 1970s.

: These 1974 U.S. market Mercedes 240D models are prepared for shipping.

: An early production 1975 Volkswagen Rabbit during assembly in 1974.

: New 1975 Cadillacs are loaded into “Stak-Pak” rail cars for delivery.

: This photo from the NY Times of a 1975 Cadillac on the assembly line pointed out how Cadillac was turning out 54 cars an hour, running a double shift. According to the Times, “Cadillac’s economic success story runs counter to the recession that is gripping the auto industry and the country.”

: On January 27, 1976, the 123 mid-range passenger car model series was presented as the replacement for the 114/115 model series. Until the end of its production in November 1985, close to 2.7 million vehicles of the 123 series had left the factory.

: A 1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible on the assembly line in Detroit.

: The last full-size Eldorado convertible rolls off the assembly line in Detroit, 1976.

: 1977 Volkswagen Rabbits on the assembly line in Germany.

: 1977 Cadillac Sedan de Ville on the assembly line. Directly behind it is a ’77 Coupe de Ville.

: This 1978 picture shows a Ferraris 308 GTS rolling off the assembly line in Maranello. A 308 GT4 is on the left and a 512 Berlinetta Boxer is in the background

: Porsche 911 assembly line during the 1970s.

: Here, a 1978 Ferrari 308GTS is prepared for shipping to the United States.

: On this 1978 Cadillac assembly line, vinyl roofs have already been fitted to the vehicles. Because the red Eldorado was not fitted with one here, it likely was going to be sent to elsewhere for fitment of a Biarritz package.

: In this 1979 photo, a Mercedes 123-body wagon sees final assembly in Germany.

: Here, a Ferrari 512 BB and 400i near the end of the assembly line at the Maranello, Italy plant. The vintage is unknown, but is most likely late 1970s or early 1980s.