Google Maurice & Charles Stanton and the Stanton Special built in New Zealand. The car was/is powered by a DeHaviland 4 cylinder mounted upside down and backwards. Unbelievable backyard engineering. I beleive the car still exists. Mick
@Acres Hello, Nice photo capture of a cool, Buick convertible. In the early 50s, my wife’s family move out West from OKC and bought a house in an inland city called Pacoima. Home of So Cal’s 50s rock and roll artist, Ritchie Valens. Even though they were originally from OKC. They lived, worked, went to school there, but, their dad went where the jobs were and So Cal was calling. During those fifties, women just drove what they were given. Others bought for themselves as the times moved on and independence was coming along. No longer were they the recipient of a “family sedan” as the car for her and the kids. The selection was varied and open. Jnaki My wife’s family was in a small house and the family cars were a Chevy coupe for the dad’s work vehicle and a Chevy sedan for the wife + three kids. Despite a nice Chevy sedan, that was not the choice for the family, but it was the dad’s choice for the family. So much for independence. But, it came to a point that some, step out ahead of the trend and get what they wanted in the way of cars. Daily transportation to wheel the kids to school, shopping and grocery store runs was now evident. So, my wife’s mom stepped out and bought her own 47 Buick convertible for her daily trips. The long drive to the Los Angeles County beaches was a much better and “cooler” in more ways than one. 1951 Pacoima, CA Note: While the job market was hiring and the contract jobs were good, once finished, the family moved back to OKC to be near other family and owned businesses. So, by 1955, all Pacoima area/times + cars were sold and a new 1955 Chevy two door sedan was the primary sedan for the whole family. OKC Winter But, by 1956, the family made its last cross country road trip and settled in a small house near Knotts Berry Farm, in So Cal. Note 2: For us, my brother and I were infatuated with the lore of the photograph in Life Magazine. The Life Magazine started the whole beach scenario of surfing and lifestyle. If a tiny girl could go surfing in Los Angeles, then why couldn’t we do the same. We lived near a long beach and there is surf just south of the actual city of Long Beach. Amazed is what both my brother and I were at the time. The Buick convertible was front and center. The "REAL" Gidget, Kathy Kohner-Zuckerman of So Cal. She is well known in So Cal, but for those that saw the Gidget movie, it was Sandra Dee playing her part of growing up in Malibu. In the TV series, the role was played by Sally Field. The aspect of surfing was there, but also, so were hot rods and the local Lion's Dragstrip that we could walk to and see some real power. So, despite the attractive aspect of surfing, my brother went surfing with his older teenage friends a couple of times, he opted for a 51 Oldsmobile sedan as his first hot rod cruiser. Huge planks for surfboards never stopped the desire to be in the water. And as we found out several years later in 1960-61, not as light as one would think. YRMV
The Jalopy Journal
