I know they still show up on certain trucks & SUVs. I’m asking about regular passenger cars.
*Question inspired by looking at old photos of Essex/Terraplanes.
Probably certain Excaliburs or other low-production neoclassics.
https://www.google.com/search?q=excalibur+car&client=firefox-a&hs=vGa&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=iVl8UZ2KJark4APfqYHYCg&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=910
I was completely unaware of Excaliburs!
:o
How about regular production cars?
The line seems to fall somewhere around 1940-1941 for the average American automobile. They are largely vestigial at that point, as can be seen on this 1941 Mercury. I don’t see any on the mass-market 1942 model cars.
It appears that luxury cars held on to them a bit longer, as they were on bigger chassis that didn’t get updated as often and were often put together by coachbuilders. I’m speaking of cars like the Continental, Packard 180, Buick Limited and Cadillac Fleetwood 75. Running boards on those cars may have hung on until 1945.
ETA: Then there’s the Volkswagen Beetle which was built in Mexico up until 2003.
Bless You!
I was afraid I was the only person alive who realized that the ribbed rubber mat on the bug was a residual running board!