When I was a little boy, there were still cars with running boards. In the photo, that’s the wood-colored board between the front and back fenders and below the door. The man across the street from us had a car with running boards, although he soon replaced it with a newer model that didn’t have them. And of course a lot of the cars I saw on TV had running boards–some with riders standing on them. That’s how I knew what they were for.
Today some SUVs have running boards, but their purpose is to help you climb into the car. The original running boards were for extra passengers.
If your imagination is up to the challenge, you can give yourself quite a good case of the horrors by imagining yourself perched on a running board and clinging to the car door for dear life as it barrels down the Garden State Parkway at 70 mph. That will also help you to understand why no one does this anymore.
I don’t remember anyone actually riding on Mr. Rankin’s running board, so the custom had probably already gone out of use. But if they ever needed to transport eight cops in a four-seater squad car, that was went the running boards came into their own–on small-screen TV, in glorious black and white.
Oh, yes, I remember them well. Everybody had a car with running boards when I was a kid. I even saw someone riding on one occasionally, and for short distance.
The running boards on parked cars were great for sitting on and eating lunches or ice cream cones.
So many people now who’ve never seen running boards…
This reminded me of the Keystone Cops movies, so I watched some on YouTube but no sound??? (that’s a joke, son).
I always felt cheated that by the time I came along, running boards had pretty much run their course. My parents used to extol the joys of sitting on running boards to me, all the time. There was a lot of good in the good old days.
And I was born too late for rumble seats.
Another thing I would have liked to experience.