Hot Rods Remember these or am I dating myself?????

I remember the endless trains of new cars rolling through Carlisle, PA in the late '60's...
There were urban legends...or facts...one was that when they went to 3 tiers of cars from two, one signal bridge or something did not match the specs for it used in the planning, and an entire trainload of cars had the upper set decapitated...
Another was that the cars were considered deluxe accommodations by hobos, especially since cars of that period were extremely easy to unlock and enter. The telltale that the railroad detectives looked for as the trains rolled by was a car with fogged windows.

 

Take note of the tractors pulling the transporters - The rule was Chevy or GMC for the GM products, Fords for Ford cars and Dodge trucks hauled the Chrysler products.

 

The Lincoln Mercury dealership in Huntsville Alabama had 2 large buildings that the cars were hid in until the day of release. As a child I recall the new 55 models and all the drama that went with the day. The next year the same thing with all the little gear heads in our grammer school. I thought all the 58 cars were ugly and fat when compared to the previous 3 years. But then too I was only 13 years old. Yes we are dating our selfs.

 

here are a couple more pics.....

 

In the 70's and early 80's we used to drop railroad spikes through the windows and sheet metal of the new cars being shipped by rail through my hometown...I guess that's why the rail cars that ship them now are almost completely covered???

 

Growing up in the 60's and seventies, we lived next door to a gm Cadillac dealership
Knew all the mechanics,salesmen etc.
bringing out the new models every year was a huge event , Lots of perks living next door
as usually my dad was blocked in or couldn't get up the street (dead end) for them unloading
trucks. 7-8-9 years old would go out for test drives with the mechanics
67- 70 Camaros, judge gto's ,cadillacs. to name a few
Great times back then !!!!!

 

Same thing in Chicago, all of the dealerships were on one street Western Ave. Big deal for us little kids back then.

 

I remember going with dad to look at the 55 Chevs and later the 59 Chevrolet, dad thought the trunk would be hard to load since the opening was so high. The most disappointed I was occurred when the new Mustang came out, I was in college, had seen what the Mustang looked like in a Mechanix Illustrated magazine (remember Uncle Tom MaCahill?) well, that was a teaser, it looked a little like the cover of the magazine but that was it, to me it looked like a cheap crappy car, my 63 Ford Fairlane was better, what a let down.

 

My Dad bought a new '54 Chevie---I could not believe the difference when the '55s came out. Neither could he--he bought a '55.

 

Back in the day (1957 for me) my cousin and his Dad owned a Plymouth agency in our rural town. I hung out at the garage picking up soda bottles etc. They used to coat the windows in the show room and cover the new models until the official release. It was always a big deal in town in as much as we only had a GM and Plymouth dealership in our small area.
My cousin was the proverbial "used car salesman" and would actually take used cars out into the country and go door to door selling cars and trucks to the farmers and their families. He put in awful hours and had a great work ethic. Never the one to set on his butt and wait for something to happen, he was quite successful.

 

I wouldn't mind that rig coming up my driveway...
Only question would be 88 or 98 Holiday Coupe!

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I'll take the K model lower right ... it's a 3 speed export special order ...

 

302GMC............how do you know that? Not doubting you...just curious what the telltale is.

Ray

 

I was in the new car business from 1973 to 2006. Even in the 70's , the new car showing in rural towns was still a huge event. I think when the manufacturers started bringing out new models at all different times of the year a lot of enthusiasm was lost forever and that signaled the start of the decline in later years. That week was our busiest and greatest sales time of the year. Now nobody knows or even cares about the new car showing.

 

Brand new 48 Pontiacs.

 

Back in the'50s ( vtwhead, I know I'm dating myself), the local Ford dealer would cover his showroom windows with rolls of white paper and had a countdown clock telling when the new Ford's would arrive. On that day there would be a line of people waiting to get into the showroom. Every year the body shape would change. Today I can't tell a 2000 from a 2015 model.

 

I think my family 'quit' paying attention to the new cars about 1973-74....my dad went ballistic when he saw those little pinto-style Mustangs, Vegas, Toyota Corona's & ...etc, sitting on the car-haulers outside the old dealership!....cars went from bad to worse when all the regulations cur-tailed everything in the mid-70's....However, there is an old car repair shop here in Colorado Springs, with a pristine 56 blue Chevy Nomad in the window...and I find myself EVERY time slowing down to catch a look-see inside at it....takes me right back mentally to "Kid Mode' and how it used to be when cars had a certain distinction to them!!----my wife just bought a new Dodge, and I can barely tell it apart from every other car on the road...and then she had to show 'me' how to open the hood!!!

 

Gosh, this brings back lots of memories. My Dad loved to go look at the new cars and we, of course, went along. One thing that nobody has mentioned is I remember there being huge search lights in front of the dealership shinning up into the sky. I guess those lights were left over from WWII but they were all part of the experience. This was in Culver City in the 50s.

 

I hung around the Chevrolet dealer in Boyertown to get a peek at the 50 - 55 Chevys until they would chase me out . 18 years later I was their Service Manager !

 

I remember the large search lights that led you to the downtown dealer.