“A car is not a luxury, but a vehicle” - author and meaning

The phrase “A car is not a luxury, but a means of transportation” was heard by everyone. Many often pronounce it themselves, but not everyone understands the meaning. And the origin is completely known only to attentive lovers of classical literature and admirers of Soviet cinema.

The birth of a catch phrase

“A car is not a luxury, but a means of transportation” - a quote from the novel “Golden Calf” by Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov. She became known not only to the readership, but also to movie buffs after the film adaptation of the work in 1968.

The phrase is repeated three times in the film. The first to say: “A car is not a luxury, but a means of transportation” was the organizer of a rally in one of the villages on the Novozaitsevsky tract. The words were part of a slogan that literally poured from the mouth of the organizer during a meeting of Adam Kozlevich’s car with Ostap Bender and his associates. Their "Wildebeest" was mistakenly mistaken for the leader of the Moscow-Kharkov-Moscow rally. A beardless man, who ran out from the crowd of spectators, shouted out words about how important it is to establish production of the Soviet automobile industry, and at the end he shouted after the departing Antelope: “A car is not a luxury, but a means of transportation!”

Ostap Bender repeated these words during a speech in response to the residents of the city of Udoev, and then again when he saw the real participants in the race led by its leader.

“Yes,” he said. - Now I myself see that a car is not a luxury, but a means of transportation. Aren't you envious, Balaganov? I’m envious! ”

Where do the legs grow from?

“A car is not a luxury, but a means of transportation.” The meaning of this phrase can be understood if we turn to the life principles of the great Henry Ford.

He was born and raised in a poor family, but this did not stop Ford from creating his own auto empire. It all started when little Henry saw a locomobile for the first time in his life. "Cart with a motor" haunted the boy. From that moment on, Ford was only trying to create a mechanism capable of driving vehicles.

Since childhood, dreaming of constructing cars, Ford felt that it was necessary to learn everything in practice. Therefore, he did not graduate from school and from the age of 15 began to work in a mechanical workshop. After that, young Henry changed many more jobs, set up experiments and studied the device of various techniques.

Ford's father was a farmer, so the young man really wanted to invent a car that could drag a plow or cart to facilitate the work of man. However, it was impossible to build such a steam “iron horse” (steam transport at that time was "in use"), since the weight and size of such equipment would be too large for small-scale agricultural work.

Henry soon learned about gas engines and began designing his first car - a quadricycle. He sold his car for $ 200, and invested money in creating a new one.

To attract investors, Ford created two high-speed cars to participate in the race. His fast car rightfully won the race. The plan worked, and a week after winning the competition, Ford Motor was created.

Ford set himself the task of creating an inexpensive, reliable and lightweight car. He wanted to make a mass product available to almost everyone.

Of course, Henry Ford was not the one who said: "A car is not a luxury, but a means of transportation." Nevertheless, this could be the slogan of his company.

Value

What does a catch phrase mean? Interpretation of the expression is necessary depending on who pronounces it.

The phrase from the lips of the participants of the strike on the occasion of rising prices for cars means that the cost of low-cost cars should not be huge.

If the car manufacturer pronounces it, then he means that he focuses not on decor or additional options, but on the basic set of functions necessary for the operation of the car.

So luxury or not?

Many people have the opportunity to purchase a car today. Almost everyone can afford a used car. Nevertheless, for some it is a vital necessity, but for others it’s a way to show their status.

The first are people who buy a car to solve the following or similar problems:

• work on a car;
• trips to work, a summer residence, etc .;
• ease of movement of the family (with a child, elderly parents, etc.).

For these people, cars are truly a means of transportation, not luxury.

And sometimes the one who said: “A car is not a luxury, but a means of transportation,” complains that car maintenance today is not cheap. Gas prices are high, spare parts are very expensive, and insurance and car maintenance also cost a pretty penny.

Those who want to emphasize their position in society usually buy business-class cars. Most likely, the machine is designed to solve the same problems that are listed above, but it costs much more.

To luxury cars include models produced in a single edition. To purchase them, you need to “sweat”: order a couple of months before purchase, discuss all the details, sign a contract and leave a deposit. A hand-built car with a powerful engine and an exclusive design - isn't that a luxury?

Car growth

The number of cars on the roads is growing steadily every day, which means that the car is becoming an ordinary part of our life, the same as, for example, the phone. Is this good or bad? Probably everyone has something to answer this question. But we still give some pros and cons.

Minuses

The negative aspects of increasing the number of cars are as follows:

• Decrease in the quality of roads (no one is in a hurry to repair them, of course, you already know).
• The increase in traffic accidents - from minor to terrible fatal accidents.
• Environmental degradation due to a large amount of exhaust emissions.
• Reduced traffic capacity (in large cities, motorists have to spend a significant amount of time in traffic jams).
• The growth of fraud associated with the sale of cars (thieves, dealers, car drivers from abroad do not sleep and are in a hurry to grab their tidbit).
• Numerous construction projects (huge interchanges, ground and underground passages, tunnels) serve the benefit of automobiles; all of them change the appearance of settlements, and not always for the better.

pros

What are the positive aspects of increasing the number of cars?

• A gigantic industrial industry operates to produce, sell and service automobiles, which means that numerous jobs are being created.
• Increases the comfort of people's lives. It is much more convenient to drive your own car than to depend on public transport, stomping in the morning to a halt in the cold or heat, in the rain or snow.
• Well, another plus, maybe dubious, but still. It consists in the fact that a large number of cars produced leads to a similar increase in transport in the secondary market (where used cars flock from owners who decided to change the "iron horse"). Prices for the secondary are low, so people with average earnings can afford to use a used car.

It is difficult to argue with the ambiguity of the phrase "A car is not a luxury, but a means of transportation." Who is the author of the expression, you now know. Ilf and Petrov probably did not suspect that it would become winged. But in vain.