First is the 1950 Nash Rambler ... ready for introductions as the Big Three joined the compact car fray. Nash Rambler and Henry J beat them by a full decade.

Jack Tanner's first encounter with a Henry J coupe left a sour taste in his mouth ... To make matters worse, he said, "Dad's car was Plain Jane, a heater and a radio and that's it.

While models like the Henry J and the Willys Aero were compact ... the norm and established itself as the first successful example of a compact car in America.