I just stumbled into this great vintage shot at an unlikely place, a Corvair-themed Youtube video. This is a terrific shot that so perfectly captures why and how California invariably set the trends for the future. Converted buses, campers and vans. Vintage woodie wagon. Imports. Corvairs (2). And lots of station wagons. No date was given, and I’m guessing at the year; but I think that’s probably within a year or so.
Only one unsolved mystery; what’s that tan station wagon on the very far left? Studebaker?
Looks like a 1954 Studebaker Conestoga Station Wagon
I agree with Paul Chgo – taillights say either 54 or 55, but the 55 did not run a chrome strip all the way to the rear.
Make that three in agreement.
I am going to swim against the current here and say ’56 President Pinehurst judging by the swoop along the side dipping down in front of the rear wheel arch.
My disagreement is that the 56 has a little fin peak that seems to be missing from the subject car.
I am sorry. I thought you were talking about the blue SW to the far left. That was the one I was posting about.
And of course there’s station wagons galore. All we ever think about is woody, woody, woody; but I figure for every woody out on the beach there were probably about ten steel bodied station wagons.
You show me something better back then for hauling a couple of boards, camping out overnight, and getting laid in. Vans still had ten years to go.
I haven’t heard this in years, but many called their wagons “beach wagons” years ago. This picture bears out why. I don’t know how widespread the use of the term was but in New England station wagons were often called beach wagons.
I do not see the 1954 Studebaker Conestoga Wagon. Please elucidate. I do see an interesting tan and cream wagon with nose facing the beach. It looks to be a custom body but of what I do not know. Even looking at the right rear wheel cut-out I am unable to determine the base for this vehicle. I have tried ot attach a ’54 Conestoga to this response.
Way over to the left, all one can see is the very back of the car. Oh, and the rear glass is open, too.
It’s not parked with its nose facing the beach. It’s the last car to the left in the row of “angle parked” vehicles in the foreground of the photo (from right to left: Volkswagen Beetle, red Corvair, late ’40s/early ’50s Ford station wagon?; green and white Volkswagen Bus; then the mystery car). As Roger said, only the very back of the car is visible. The rear glass is open, and there is an object sticking out.
It took me a little while to figure out which car they were talking about, too.
Pretty sure the objects sticking out are a couple more surfboards. I’ll leave what the car is to the experts.
I do not see the 1954 Studebaker Conestoga Wagon. Please elucidate.
You can’t see the same tail end as of the wagon you posted? New glasses, maybe? 🙂
I do see an interesting tan and cream wagon with nose facing the beach.
You do? I don’t. Now I’m sure one of us needs new glasses. Surely you don’t mean that big tan and cream step van? That’s hardly a wagon. it towers over the Corvan next to it.
“No Left Turn”
Hard on the goofy foots back then
San Onofre, 1963, LeRoy Grannis. With the scaffolding and PA system, some kind of showcase/competition?
very cool. it’s hard to imagine a world this perfect. there is a whole book of leroy grannis surfing photos on amazon.
Sweet ! .
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I don’t swim and salty air rusts old vehicles so I can take or leave the beach but this is a wonderful scene .
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-Nate
Back in the days when “Do you remember back on Old L.A. Oh Oh oh. When everybody drove a Chevrolet. Oh Oh Oh.Whatever happened to the boy next door
The sun-tanned crew-cut all-American male.”
“Beach Baby” a great song from 1974 pining about the lost days of the early ’60s.
And proof that “everybody drove a Chevrolet” was not only untrue, but had already become a cheap clichĂ©.
The one that interests me is the little green two door wagon to the right of it. The only thing that pops into my head is Opel?
Yup! They were quite common at the time. There were still some on the streets there when I moved to So Cal in 1976.
I’m enjoying the big body blue and white step van, but wondering why, with a vehicle that big and tall, the surfboard is on the roof. Perhaps it’s a full conversion, and the inside is now highly domesticated.
This is a 1959 Opel Rekord P1 Caravan.
http://www.voz.co.at/Gallery/Opel/picture-0070.jpg
Looks staight out of Gidget! Love the vintage pics!
The newest car I could ID was the blue 62 Ford wagon.
The Studebaker folks seem pretty certain that the tan wagon is of South Bend origin, but my first guess was Vauxhall Victor. That generation of Vauxhall was not unknown in California, perhaps only slightly less popular than the very similar Opel.
Is that a 55-56 Ford wagon between the VW and Falcon?
I’m sure am glad that I didn’t live back in those days.
T’wasn’t as bad as some make out .
-Nate