Booming Auto Industry

Post-war America began an era of optimism and growth of the middle class. The baby boom created a surge in home construction and a departure from the city to the suburbs.

Economic prosperity paved the way for the interstate highway system and demand for new cars. Car ownership in the 1950s grew from 25 million to 70 million registrations and one in six workers were said to have been tied to the auto industry.

The car culture created new business segments such as malls, drive-in theatres, fast food restaurants and car related sports, like drag racing, and stock car racing emerged.

Snap-on was well positioned to take advantage of this cultural shift; the dealer network continued to expand as a result of the fast developing auto repair industry and industrial sales accelerated as factories returned back to pre-war production.