This paper describes elements of automobile culture, a topic that has hardly been studied at all in research on transport and urban culture. Based on Colombian cases, the paper shows how the practices, beliefs, values and emotions associated with automobiles have transcended the universe of cars, to the point that many of the cultural changes in cities were related to automobilities. The argument is developed through a discussion of the role of autonomy, the notion of the driver personality and the automobility system’s own socio-material hierarchies. The research is based on the review and analysis of press items and statistical bulletins from the period of 1950-1968 referring to the cases of Bogota and Barranquilla.