Ford A

Gangster Car

The unregulated growth and oversaturation of the United States market led to the Great Depression, beginning with the October 1929 stock market crash. This economic crisis fueled a rise in banditry, with bank robberies becoming particularly notorious. These crimes were made more effective by gangstersåÕ use of automobiles. As one analyst observed in the 1920s: åÒCars and good roads have dramatically increased certain types of crime. We now see a new kind of automobile bandit who relies entirely on a caråÑwhether robbing banks, breaking into homes, or mugging pedestrians.åÓ The criminalsåÕ success was further enhanced by Thompson submachine guns, which boasted rapid-fire capability and earned the nickname åÒTommy gun.åÓ Notably, these weapons cost around 200 dollarsåÑabout half the price of a Ford Model A automobile.