January 23, 1950. The final payment on the new factory went through that very night, the first teams were hired, and plans were drawn for what would become their car. After five long years of planning, gearing up, and a lot of dedication from three shifts of workers, the first cars were finished.
March 9, 1955. The first day Storm Automotive became known as a car company. Taking a chance in a busy market, the first car released was the Storm Prince Deluxe, a small car with a bit of attitude. Despite having a 1000cc inline-four powerplant, this small, somewhat-sporty two-door coupe managed to sell well enough to pay for not just itself, but the years of hard work and dedication that went into constructing it.
(Undoubtedly, some of you from the Challenges part of the forum may⌠recognize this car. It was my entry into the PCTC1, just renamed to fit it in the lineup.)
With the 55.7 horsepower engine it had, the car would eventually reach a touch over 94 miles per hour, more than fast enough to get you arrested and your car impounded on any highway in the United States. Inside, the two seats were leather, the steering wheel was leather wrapped, as was the shift ball for the four speed gearbox. A premium AM radio settled comfortably in the otherwise rather plain dashboard, located just below the heat and fan controls.
Now, youâd think the Americans, lovers of huge cars that looked like airplanes, and of engines that could shake the Earth, would never have fallen in love with the tiny, low-powered Prince. But some people did, and they loved it for differing reasons. Sure, the 19 seconds from 0 to 60 could be a little agonizing, but it was so easy to park. It may only seat two, but it had a very usable trunk. It was a car that was fun to drive quickly, though no one could ever call it fast. And in a time where gas was cheap and plentiful, it still kept people happy, just carefully sipping fuel through dual eco carburettors.
Sure, there were always the maniacs who yanked the engines out of 'em and put something else in their place, but even those people learned to appreciate what happens when you put a big V8 in a little car.
The only major problem that came from the Prince was knowledge. It was apparent that the factory would need to expand if we were to become a serious car company. We barely kept up with demand, in some cases having to resort to placing people on the waiting list to get their car. In the end, we learned that our factory, big though it seemed, was just a little too small.
But we had money in the bank now, and fixing our âlittleâ problem would be just a matter of figuring out how to spend it.