Seattle 1958 pics

I bought a copy of March 1959 Custom Cars and it just so happened that a Seattle SeaFair custom car show was featured. I didn't grow up around Seattle but for the short time I have lived here SeaFair history has all been about hydro races and blue angels. I have new respect! Some of the local car clubs mentioned with cars featured include "Grinders" and "Accelerators" anyone know if they still exist?

lets see if I can get photobucket to work here....

 

Thanks for posting these! My favorite thing of all of my little pages are the show coverages. You can actually see what was going on with a large percentage of the population; instead of just what the editors thought was a good enough car to make it into the mag.

Thanks again,
Mike

 

Great pics! Thanx. I love these old pics.

 

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for posting these! My favorite thing of all of my little pages are the show coverages. You can actually see what was going on with a large percentage of the population; instead of just what the editors thought was a good enough car to make it into the mag.

Thanks again,
Mike

[/ QUOTE ]

aren't these old mags are great? I am just getting in to them myself. The tech in this one was pretty good too. It had a thing on working with plastic for making taillights... all about using new materials and new concepts. "Use of plastic in this manner is only months old..." the article said. Some of the cars featured were getting kind of wacky with the fiberglass and plastic grills but it is cool to see how people were just going for it and building.

 

Yeah man, the Northwest has always been into cars. In the late 50-early 60's there was a club in west seattle called the "Carols" I believe. I guess they had some pretty cool stuff....
And There isnt anything wrong with Hydros and Blue angels! N.W. tradition. -J.

 

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah man, the Northwest has always been into cars. In the late 50-early 60's there was a club in west seattle called the "Carols" I believe. I guess they had some pretty cool stuff....
And There isnt anything wrong with Hydros and Blue angels! N.W. tradition. -J.

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Don't get me wrong hydros and blue angels are awesome but I like cars. My problem is I grew up in socal and was naive in thinking it was the center of the universe for anything custom. My friends who live down there still tell me I need to move back if I ever want to get in to the industry. F them! hehe

We need oldbeet on this thread with some local history? did he live here then? k-member? lil help?

 

I lived in Portland in 58. This guy worked at the print shop by my house, drove the Merc to work every day. And I had to look at it!!!!!Circa 1958...........OLDBEET

 

Old beet, That car is still around out here in Calif. It looks more like the Nick Matranga, Barris Merc now though.

 

Growin up in Seattle,this brings back one of those funny memories. a 57 ford [camel pack high] tryin to get on a ferry boat without trashing pipes and bumper. they made it with some help from the deck hands. that and watchin the boat races on the black and white philco. thanks for postin the pics....waterboy.... ..

 

Dirk, I think Don did most of the work himself, as I watched it change for years, a little at a time.......OLDBEET

 

Although I grew up 3,000 miles away,I remember seeing a lot of cars from the Northwest featured in the magazines.One of my favorites was a T roadster pickup with a full hood but lower than hell flathead powered and painted a real nice blue with a red and white flame/scallop design on it.I believe it was owned by Bud Parham of Portland Oregon.It was on the cover of an early R&C.
Also one of the greatest stripers of all time(in my opinion)came out of the Portland areaonn Varner.Did really incredible striping and went on to build some REALLY kick ass roadsters.I think he's still around too.

 

Oh, no, i didnt think you were talking down about Hydros... I guess it did kinda sound like that.. sorry. I grew up with the 50's and 60's boats... any hotrod guy can appreciate a v-12 the size of some roadsters with 6" zoomies.... its a beautiful thing!

 

Old Beet, I bought the Don Telen 40 Merc in 1975 after it had sat in a Salt Lake City parking garage for many years.

At the time I had no idea whose car it was, so I did the car more in the manner of an early Barris Kustom.

After I learned it was Don's car I made a real effort to contacy him, but never could track him down.

After I finished the car it was featured in many magazines in the late 70's and early 80's.

This is how it looked when I owned it, these pictures taken at the first KKOA nationals in Wichita, Kansas in 1980.

 

That '40 Merc fucking RULES

 

One of the nicest Mercs, ever!!!!!!.........OLDBEET

 

lurker mick, that is an awesome car. I hope I can build something that good someday. what do you have now?

oldbeet, thanks for getting on this post you helped bring out some good stories.

I would like to do a free website all about northwest hot rod history. I bet there is a tons of good info to be dug up.

 

California is where scenesters live.
The NW is where quiet guys who build killer cars live.

 

That 41 Ford is pretty cool, too! Man, both those cars are right on!

Thanks for the pictures 41ChevyTruker, OLdBeet, and LurkerMick!