Cars You Don't See Everyday
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This is a “Just After The War” 1946 Ford. Ford kept the style of the 1941 until 1949 and then introduced the car I remember as a kid. This 1946 Ford was in “car show” shape but was just sitting in a parking lot at the beach in San Francisco. It’s a real classic.
© Fred Winograd copyright 2010
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This car was photographed in April 2001 while walking to work. I believe it is a 1972 or 73 based on the lights and the bumper. This car was in very good condition.
In 1970 larger tail lights integrated the reverse lights and larger wrap-around turn signals in contrast to the earlier “bullet” style lights. VW models of this era have earned the slang nickname fat chicks[9]. Larger and wider taillights in 1972 increased side visibility. For the USA model only, NHTSA mandated 1973 modifications included larger energy-absorbing bumpers. Also, there was the provision of a package shelf in lieu of the modest rear seat.
© Fred Winograd copyright 2010
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During my senior year at Lincoln High School in Jersey City, my good friend Danny Coleman got his father’s car to drive around town. In fact, as I remember, his father gave him the car but there were some issues.
In New Jersey in 1958, the state ran the vehicle inspection centers you had to take the car through whenever the car title changed hands. That was a good thing except when the brakes did not function too well. The routine was to drive the car into the lane and first they checked all the lights and the tires and front-end alignment. Then came headlight alignment and then the brakes were tested. In preparation for the brake test, Danny was continually pumping the brakes until the inspector asked us to get out of the car. The inspector took his time getting in to the car and that was not a good thing. The process included getting the car up to about twenty miles an hour and then hitting the brakes on a big metal plate that measured side-to-side sway etc. When he did that, the car actually ran off of the plate missing it entirely. We failed inspection and were warned not to drive the car but to get it fixed right away. Somehow, I am not sure if Danny did have it fixed but I bet he wishes he had that car now, over fifty years later.
I found this information about the 1949-1951 Fords.
The Ford Comeback
As civilian auto production resumed in 1946, Ford found itself in third place behind Chrysler and was fading fast. Young Henry Ford brought in a team of outsiders who immediately embarked on a crash program to create Ford’s first new postwar car. That car was the ’49 Ford, and it was a huge advance over the previous model.
That style was continued through the 1951 model pictured here.
Have a look at a 1951 TV advertisement.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya1IRCw9agc]
© Fred Winograd copyright 2010
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According to the logo on the front of this car, it is related to Argentina. Either it came from South America or the owner did. They did not make many of these two door sedans and this one is in great shape. I think it’s a 1971.
A coupé variant of this model was introduced in 1969 with a ‘C’ designated after the model number. Where the saloon would just have ‘280E’ written on the boot lid, the coupé would have ‘280CE’. The exclusivity of the coupé was reflected by a longer boot hood, and the 250C was fitted with a 2.8 litre 6-cylinder engine, whereas the saloon was fitted with the 2.5. It is considered by some to be one of the finest classics of the 60’s and 70’s, although this is not reflected in the prices of these cars which is generally less than its more popular contemporaries the Mercedes SL R107/C107 roadster and coupe (1971–1989), and a fraction of price commanded by the Pagoda models[7] (1963–1971). While a ‘hard-top’ unlike the fully convertible SL, the pillarless design allowed all the windows could be wound completely away for “summer motoring”. Only 67,048 coupés were made from 1969 to 1976 against 1.852,008 saloons. Of these 24,669 were “280C”, “280CE” (top of the range) and 42,379 “250C” and “250CE”.
[edit]
More Information on the Mercedes, click here
© Fred Winograd copyright 2010
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It’s timeless, at least within decades. I think this car is a 1968-71 but I really can not tell. The interesting thing is that it really does not matter that much as the engineering for this car took about thirteen years to evolve.
I found this information about Citroen DS21s.
The Citroën DS21 Pallas
An Automotive Anomaly
Late in 1956, CU tested one of the first front-wheel-drive Citroën DS sedans to come over from France. We remarked at the time: “To say that a car is new and different is only to say that it is interesting, not necessarily that it is good. … The Citroën DSl9 is essentially a connoisseur’s item.” Thirteen years later, some 27,000 Citroëns having since crossed the Atlantic, we tested a 1969 DS21 Pallas sedan. (The 1970 Citroëns won’t come on the U.S. market until spring.) It’s not new (it differs only subtly from the 1956 car), but it’s still interesting – as much an automotive anomaly as ever. Its major advantage – very comfortable seats, a very good ride, good handling in normal driving and good fuel economy – come at a fairly high price, at least in the model tested. And to judge by our test car, problems of repair and upkeep may constitute a major headache for Citroën owners.
© Fred Winograd copyright 2010
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Walking in The Castro District near our home, I spotted this gem. I believe it is a 1947 Chevrolet which was made right after WWII. This car looks to be in pretty good shape and given the age of the picture (November, 2003), it is probably restored or has gone to dust.
I found this bit of information on a website that seems to fit this car’s appearance. So, until corrected, this car will be known as a 1947 Chevrolet Stylemaster. If you know better, please post a comment.
BUSINESS COUPE
5-passenger, 2-Door,
5-window coupe with luggage compartment
in rear deck
© Fred Winograd copyright 2010
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I was listening to Car Talk on NPR a few weeks ago and actually answered the Puzzler they have on many of their shows. The question, to make a long story short, was what US brand name car had the same body style from the ’50s through the ’70s? The answer was Checker. So, I have no real knowledge of the year of this particular car I photographed near Tucson Arizona. It was sometime from 1958-1975 or so. Any ideas are welcomed. Please leave a comment if you know.
I found this information about Checker.
ace it: From the late 1950s to the early 1980s, American automobiles hardly changed at all. Sure, designs gradually evolved toward sleeker, lower cars; safety equipment came around; a few economy cars shook things up here and there; convertibles disappeared for a little while. But by and large, the slab-sided, carbureted, rear-wheel-drive, perimeter-framed coupes, sedans and station wagons remained just as big, just as chiseled, just as Neanderthal in their design for those three or four decades. The rest of the world called them Yank Tanks and we Americans never once thought of that as an insult.
Checker might as well have taken that phrase as its slogan and worn it proudly. The company took that lack of change during this period seriously, almost to the level of religious zeal. When the hottest trend in automobile design was glitzy chrome and sky-high fins, Checker didn’t change. When square headlamps replaced round ones, Checker didn’t change. When high horsepower and then lower emissions had the automobile industry in a frenzy, Checker hardly changed. But when the automobile industry began a wholesale change toward unibody, front-wheel-drive, fuel-injected econoboxes, Checker looked at its options and shut down the assembly line.
© Fred Winograd copyright 2010
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This car was unique. It was built in two places in the world, the chassis was built in Michigan while the body was built in Italy at the Pininfarina plant. Here is a quote from Wikipedia.
The body of the Allanté was designed and built in Italy by Pininfarina (of Ferrari fame)[1]. The completed bodies were shipped 3,300 miles from Italy in specially-equipped Boeing 747s, 56 at a time[1], to Cadillac’s Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly plant. The bodies were then mated to the chassis[1]. This led to a few interesting nicknames, such as “The Flying Italian Cadillac” and “The world’s longest assembly line.”
Also, I found another article with a conflicting story.
Interestingly, the Allante chassis was put together in Detroit, Michigan and then flown to Italy where the body was then mounted to the chassis! After this was completed the cars were put back on planes and shipped back to Michigan to be completed. Of course, being a luxury automobile made the Allante expensive, but the price tag rose because of the long assembly to about $54,000 the first year. This was the most expensive Cadillac ever. Because the Allante had to make two trips just to be put together there were only 21,000 units ever built.
More Information, from a Allante club click here
Either way, this seems like a lot of trouble to build a car.
© Fred Winograd copyright 2010
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Correction, one of my readers notified me that this is a 1941 Chevrolet, not a 1942 as was originally posted. Thanks go out to “Guru” for pointing this out. Here is a link to a similar 1942, Two things caught my eye, the grills on the two cars and the way the front fender is carried through the door on the ’42.
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Thank you Peter, you guessed the “Mystery Car”. This car is beautiful. I wish I knew who the driver was. I’d love to photograph this car at less than 65 MPH.
In 1942 the Chevrolet Master DeLuxe and Special DeLuxe models were almost identical to the 1941 versions. Chevy introduced a new two-door fastback called the Fleetline Aerosedan, their best-seller that year with 61,855 produced. With World War II underway, production numbers of 1942 Chevrolets saw a sharp decline of approximately 75%. On February 1st, the government ceased production of all American cars.
© Fred Winograd copyright 2010
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1958-1959, what years they were for the U.S. auto industry. Really, we should say what years these were for the chromium suppliers. This 1958 Dodge was really decked out with fine lines and big bumpers that gave it that ” Swept Wind look”.
I got this picture one fine afternoon as we were driving south on RT 280 near Palo Alto California.
Have a look at this 1958 T.V. advertisement for the 1858 Dodge.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJK5bUV0bY8&feature=related]
Custom Royal
The flagship model was the Custom Royal. It came with the 350 in³ (5.7 L) Super Red Ram hemi-head V8 with a standard two-barrel carburetor, but the optional four-barrel carb delivered 300 hp (224 kW). One unique feature of the Custom Royal was its bumper-mounted exhaust.
© Fred Winograd copyright 2010
