We "baby boomers screwed it up" , huh ? Well..maybe if Detroit was building something decent & affordable in the 70's it would've been different. I got out of college in 1976...a recession year...and my first car was a Ford Pinto..it was all we could afford. My twin brother got one too. They were cheap & reliable..but not a great ride. Buddy of mine got a Vega. Great "Detroit Iron". After a few thousand miles as soon as I could put some nickels together I bought a Toyota Celica GT...the difference was like night & day. My bro bought a Mazda RX-7. So you can blame us "baby-boomers" all you want...as far as I'm concerned...the blame can be placed squarely on Detroit..they lost their way ...and their market share to German & Japanese mfg who could turn out sporty little cars that could attract the younger buying public still smarting from the oil embargos & trying to find a decent job in the post Vietnam economy. By then Detroit had become a huge en***lement program that happened to make a few cars on the side.
Ha ha, not me. After the 73 gas shortage I could finally afford the black-on-black 67 GTO I always wanted. My neighbors were buying diesel Rabbits and thought I was nuts. In retrospect I should have also bought some of the other big-block cars my neighbors were desperate to unload. For years new model cars first appeared on trains at the local SP depot. It was a chance to see them even before they hit the showrooms. The men in my small town congregated to watch cars being unloaded and driven to local dealerships. I'm now president of a non-profit group restoring that depot, and after it's done we plan to reenact the delivery of the new model cars during our annual downtown car show.
Not me either. Big Block Camaro and a 65 Chevy p/u with a 250 six/3 speed for work. Good on you SlamIam for restoring a depot. That's really cool.
fast forward to 1979 I was in high school working at a chevy dealer and it was a big deal when they rolled out the 1980 chevy citation to be the first car of the 80's we had 10 of them hidden in the back lot and brought them all out front all at once
3-4 years old in '60-'61 sitting on the porch steps warm Sunday mornings, watching all the cars pulling up to the big old church across the street. Lots of beautiful late '50s finmobiles lining the streets.
The fall of '56, Lockport New York, me and my buddy Buzz Whitmore were riding our bikes down the Transit street hill by the old Ford dealership. Sitting in the window was a white '56 Ford hard top. I loved it !! We turned around and went inside to look. The salesman let me sit in the car, and then said would you guys like to see the new '57 Fords. Would we? Ha The building was on the ridge of the hill and had a day light ba*****t garage looking out on the back street. There were two '57 Fords, one station wagon and one hardtop. Fast forward to Long Island in 1964, went with a friend to pick up his new Ford Fairlaine, same deal, hey guys want to see the new Mustang? Silly question. Six months later I had to have one, it was a real kids dream, bucket seats and and floor box already in it...... Fun days... Da Flash
Nice memories I remember me & my Buddy taking all are stuff to go down to FL. to live in late 58, rented the Biggist U-Haul trailer to put the 2 Motorcycles 2 Complete Tool Boxes and I towed it with my 50 Merc ( the one in my avatar ) I had the overdrive at the time his 50 Chevy could not pull it we got stopped in GA. for using my Spotlight which at the Time was against the Law to use them got off with a Warning & he wanted to know why I had no Door Handles on my Car ( outside ) I told him it was a Custom from NY yep them were the Days!
I remember the dealerships in my town used to rent those big searchlights. You knew the new cars were on display when you saw those searchlights in the night sky. We'd all pile in the car and go down to see what they looked like. I remember being disappointed in the '56 Ford because it wasn't that much different from the '55. My mom ended up buying one though and I learned to like it! Still have a soft spot for '56 Fords.
I remember Dad shopping for cars in the early 60's along University Ave in St. Paul. Dealers row back then. I remember sometimes getting promotional models given to me, which were just toys to me back then and were treated as such. In my minds eye I remember how University Ave looked at night with all the neon signs and other lighting from thse dealerships.
I remember going with my dad to pick up his new 64 1/2 mustang, White, 260 v8 ,and auto trans. We were on a 2 lane road with gravel shoulders and I remember telling him not to drive on the rocks (so not to chip the paint). He misunderstood me and put it in the gravel, getting a little sideways. I thought that was preaty cool (I was 8 years old) but never told him what I really said. Also remember seeing other people with their new mustang waving at us when we p***ed.
In 1960 as a 15yr. old, I went to work for the small town Iowa Chevrolet dealer sweeping floors, washing cars and cleaning parts for my uncle who was a technician. I worked after school and Saturdays. I still remember the new models coming in covered on the transport. We would unload them in the alley. They would quickly be put into the dealers garage at home and in the garages of several elderly women in town who no longer had cars. We would work late into the night Thurs. night putting the rubber floor covering or carpeting in the cars, putting wheel covers on and polishing/cleaning. What a great feeling to put the best Impala into the one car showroom and then the lesser models in the side storage room. The showroom windows were always covered with paper till early Fri. morning. Coffee, donuts, balloons.......and yes.....promotional models for the children of good customers. America at it's finest.
I was born in 54 and remember the new cars coming in was a big deal. Covered up on trains, hidden at Dealerships. Now you can't tell one from another. I can tell one vehicle from another and what year they are, up until around 72, then the changes were in the trim or door handles. 50s and 60s were the good old days for some things.
I was born in 59 and I remember we would all rush down to the local car dealership to see the new models unveiled. It was a happening in my small town. Great memories!
What ever yr the 57 corvette came out ,56,or 57, a dealers son brought one by the house,"said lets go for a ride. I don't remember if it was a 270,or 283 but it was fast and ,a 4 speed.
Cool stories. Closest I can come to was when I saw the new 1970 Camaro, and in 1963 or 1964 when I got a peek at a U-2 at Elmendorf AFB.
Cool story. All I can ever do is daydream about the way it must have been. You're lucky to have experienced it.
The Jalopy Journal
