After spending a pleasant morning in De Smet, SD, we headed West again… Keeping my eyes peeled, I spotted this motley lineup and did a quick u-turn for a closer look.
Since I’m writing this and you’re not, I’ll skip the two newer Chevy pickups and go straight for the old iron… Just a simple, hardworking old truck.
But if you’ve got a growing family, perhaps something in the way of a station wagon might suit?
But of course, sir—I knew you were a connoisseur of fine motor cars the moment I saw you. Only something that says “sporty but stylish” will fit the bill, and this Pontiac with the Silver Streak 8 is just the thing.
That’s some mighty fine looking chrome on that beast.
Some nice accessories on this car, too.
Businessman Coupe, anyone? And is that a rear window wiper I see there?
So yes, I think we do indeed have something for everyone in our lineup today!
Love that Pontiac they really did chrome things properly actually you picked the only 3 of any interest in that lineup a goo0d solid ute a cruisy sedan and quite a rare wagon, some great scenery on you’re trip.
I don’t think the Tin Indian is a Business Coupe just one of the original crop of GM Fastbacks, I’m pretty sure the Business Coupes of the era had a more traditional roofline.
That rear window wiper is very curious I’ve never heard of that being used in that era cars before. I wonder if someone added it once they started being common on Hatchbacks in the 80’s.
I love that era of GM Fastbacks but I also like the 58 Chevy so I’m a little torn but I have to go with the Poncho since it looks in better condition and hopefully doesn’t have a SBC under the hood, much rather have a straight 8. If I had to have a V8 I would prefer a 326 or Pontiac 350…… and I wouldn’t touch a thing on the exterior other than a headlight trim ring and repo taillight lenses if available. Oh and covering those wagon wheels up with some 50’s customs style wheel covers or some of the 60’s or early 70’s with the PMD badge
In the late 1940s/early1950s I would sometimes see a car with the rear windshield wiper. Dunno if they were factory or put on later, but the cars weren’t very old at the time.
To the best of my knowledge and reading, nobody was doing a rear wiper from the factory back in those days.
Great selection Ed. Wikipedia, as we know, is almost infallible so I checked with them. They say the first rear window wiper wiper was invented by a guy named Jack Reynolds working for Ford, in 1972 in Mahwah, N.J.
With that car it would have taken about a mile of vacuum line i reckon.
Pretty sure they’re off by at least three decades…
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1941-1942-1946-1947-1948-CHEVROLET-BUICK-PONTIAC-NOS-ACCESSORY-REAR-WINDOW-WIPER-/320928575497
Thanks for the detective work. We’ve all learned something new as a consequence.
Cool find, but man is the owner really proud of that or what. $800??? From looking at the pictures it is a case of an aftermarket company that came up with it and they earned a “factory authorized accessory” designation, though it’s not like Trico wasn’t the likely suppler of the front windshield wiper motor as well as the arms and blades.
My first car (in 1956) was a 1947 Chevy with that same fastback body. It didn’t have a rear wiper, but it did have a backup light (with a switch on the dash), a glove-box light, a visor, and a couple of other things that I can’t remember. An old-timer told me that a lot of dealers, when cars were hard to get right after the war, would load the cars up with accessories, figuring that they’d be able to get more money for the cars which they were having no trouble at all selling anyway; if someone who had his name on the list didn’t want the extra stuff the next one might.
Fine choices, Ed. Postwar GM fastbacks have such a compelling, natural shape. And what is it about that Chevy pickup that always makes them so likeable, brawny, noble, great strength without showing off.
A nice grouping. I am partial to that Pontiac myself, although the 58 Chevy wagon is interesting to consider. Without looking into it, I remember that Pontiac had two series then, and this looks to be the larger one. I wonder if it had the Hydra Matic.
I note that you did not photograph the skunk at the garden party – the 76ish Ford Club Wagon
Wrong brand. (c:
Nice find!
That truck looks like it may still be serviceable as the license plate up front looks pretty new, compared to the rest of the vintage iron.
I noticed how some cars have all but totally lost their paint , others have most of it, though past its prime, but at least it’s still there, protecting as best it can.
Of course, that’s due to how old the car actually is, with newer ones having more paint.
I am restoring a ’48 Chevrolet Fleetmaster spt. cpe. and have a reproduction of the orig. Chevy Accsy. booklet and it does show a genuine GM rear window wiper. And a few yrs. ago I found one of these units (still in the orig. box!) So although very rarely seen then OR now, it IS an orig, Dealer Installed Accsy. Period. P.S. I bought for around $100.00, no more than $125 and still had all hardware and instruction sheet in box! Very cool.