Paul himself says I live in Curbside Classic Nirvana. Tonight I truly embraced that as fact. Between the temperate climate and relative wealth of the San Francisco Bay Area, the streets crawl with classic Detroit, Japanese and European iron from years past.
A friend of mine invited me out to Oakland’s Art Murmur this evening. On the way to get cash for overpriced food truck food, I noticed a panoramic windshield in the corner of my eye . Then I noticed sweet sounds of The Intruders “Cowboys to Girls” was playing softly in the air over the roar of the art walk crowd. My friends know the routine now: even if I get a glimpse they can expect me to be off with my phone camera to oogle the greatest hits or shadow classics of Detroit in its glory years, be it The Supremes or a Cutlass Supreme.
I had read on a flyer two weeks ago in at my corner taqueria that there was an auto show at the Giant Burger on the corner of 23rd and Telegraph every first Friday through summer. But it the daily drudgery of life buried this information in my brain, and I didn’t notice the calendar. For all of our viewing joy serendipity had plans for me.
The owner of this 1954 Chrysler Windsor Deluxe Sedan was the son of the original owner. But apparently his heart wasn’t too tied to the family heirloom passed down for nearly 60 years. He offered to trade it to the owner of this:
Another son of a Mopar loyal man showed up with dads 1953 DeSoto Firedome (Club Coupe?) with the stock 276 V8 and Fluid Drive transmission. I’ll be one to say that exhaust note would have been worth the trade alone.
The DeSoto in particular was a car nerds dream. I literally foamed at the mouth with questions, especially since it was a Hemi with a Fluid Drive transmission. I stared at the clutch pedal intensely before being brave enough to ask the owner “How Do you Exactly drive a Fluid drive” with all of the voice cracking curiosity of my eight year old self. I don’t know if I remember the explanation right: At about 35 mph you lift off the gas and it clunks into high. For downshifts you depress the clutch all the way down or something. It looks like I’ll be going to the final show Labor Day weekend to get the logistics of this ballet of semi automatic operation down correctly.
And to give some love to the sweetest co-pilot that anyone ever had.
The other surprise was although there was the usual suspects of Impalas, Tri-Fives and assorted Chevrolets, there were a number of medium priced, middle class cars of years gone by. This 1963 Mercury Meteor was one of three from the brand of the messenger god.
This 1963 Comet S-22 Hardtop was the second, and quite a sight with it this stunning Amana Fridge white paint job.
Before the sun set completely and my phone ran out of battery life, this 1960 Mercury Park Lane 4 Door Hardtop showed up. My hope is that it does show up at the last show of the season at an earlier hour so I can get better photos of what is most likely the rarest of rare Mercury automobiles.
Other Bourgeoisie Beauties from the Bouffant Era included a pair of Buicks. The first up was is one of my favorites: There is something so crisply tailored about all three GM C body cars of 1963-64 that looks so right. Within the same realm as the clean lines of an Eames chair, this Deuce and A Quarter, a Ninety Eight or a DeVille wouldn’t look out of place in the garage of an Eichler home in these parts, even today.
The other Buick in attendance has a trunk fit for kidnapping Dabney Coleman in 9 to 5 Style. The 1968-69 Skylarks have some of the most ridiculous Bill Mitchell hips of all 1960s cars, but it works for them in a flamboyant way that we’ll never see any Buick unabashedly embrace ever again.
And while we’re on Pop Culture triggers, The Crystals “He’s A Rebel” blared like it was August, 1962 on the way to becoming the #1 song in the country. I walked around the lot and saw this 1962 Biscayne Wagon. It’s virtually identical to the one that Phil Spector posed the group with on their Twist Uptown LP jacket.
And this is where I came to realization that I didn’t abandon an art walk, I just joined an art cruise. The styling of cars has been an art since Harley Earl brought modeling clay into automotive design and continues to be. Between music I love and the the steel sculptures that once populated Americas driveways, I got my evening of high culture.
So I tip my hat to the men and women that continue to collect these mobile sculptures. And thank them for sharing them and their stories on a hot August Night.
Thanks for a great read Laurence.
Enjoyed the walk around the parking lot with you.
Thanks for a great parking lot tour Lawrence some really nice and for me unusual cars. I dont remember ever seeing a Firedome coupe that model and Comets are rare here, Very nice tour
Wow, that was a rather impressive show of cars!!!
’63 – ’64 Electra: yumm. And that DeSoto is to die for (I’m obviously not the only one). Thanks for taking us along.
When is the last time anybody here saw a 1960 Mercury. A shame that the owner arrived so late. And although I have never been that much of a GM guy, that Electra 225 is mighty sweet.
JP, one of the reasons I started taking car pictures was because one day way back in 2007 or ’08 I was walking past a 1960 Monterey Sedan and thought “I’m never going to see one of these physically again” so I wanted to make sure from that point on that I document each car I think is unique to me so I don’t forget it.
And it’s a bit hard to believe in one metropolitan area there’s two completely different series 1960 Mercurys in driveable condition.
Laurence – you rock. I too, as much as I love vintage Caddies, would have cruiser “wood” over a clean, older C-body sibling (Buick Electra Deuce and a Quarters, Olds 98s, especially LS 98’s. – I’ll take a ’65-’66!)
Wow ! This is like going to a beauty pageant and getting to flirt with the contestants !
In my part of the south , this is the slow time of the year for weekly drive ins. Its just too hot. But in about 6 weeks , every WalMart , Strip Mall and Flea Market will be hosting Friday night drive ins. It’s kind of the social event of the week for car nuts and kills time until college football kicks off on Saturday.
This made my day !
Groovy.
Nice rides, all of them… though I’d likely go for the 225. Miles and miles of class.
It looks like the hands down crowd favorite is the Deuce & a Quarter. Now I wish I got more shots of that one.
I think that’s because in the late 1960s Buick was almost like Lexus is now, quiet and restrained in design (especially compared to Cadillac.)
I liked the old DeSoto and Chrysler best. Had a 53 NY 4-door with a blown head gasket. It leaked water into the exhaust manifold, and I had to put water in it every day before my 3-mile commute, but it worked fine for the couple of months I had it. It was tan and brown with a green interior. The Fluid Drive thingy…well, I’ve said before that it had the disadvantages of a stick shift and an automatic, and the advantages of neither, with gear ratios like 1st, 2nd, and 5th of a five-speed. But it could be driven rather easily by folks not into involvement with their driving.
The two-door sedans in that 53-54 DeSoto/Chrysler body were always rare even when they were new.
Thanks for the post! Makes me homesick for the Bay Area (I saw the fog rolling in from the ‘gate in the one picture). I could see how ’54 Chrysler Windsor guy (big flathead six) might’ve been seduced by the ’53 DeSoto Firedome (Fluid Torque and Hemi), but the common sense in me would’ve stuck w/the Windsor for sentimental reasons (last year flathead six in a Chrysler).
I would guess the ’54 Windsor DeLuxe was probably the Poweflite . . introduced late in ’53 on Imperial and a few New Yorkers.
I have driven a ’50 DeSoto (Fluid Drive) and a ’53 Dodge Coronet (Gyro-Torque hooked up to the first year “Baby Hemi”) . . . and for a boy born in ’59 and growing up with Roto-Matic 3 speed Hydra-Matics, Jetway automatics, Torqueflites, Turbo-Hydra Matics (including the paper-matic THM 200), I found early ’50’s Chrysler “no shift” driving . . . amusing. Yes, I’d take one . . .and a flathead Mopar and move one of ’em here to Honolulu (a/b/c and lower door rust proofing for the islands, of course)!
I do like early ’50s Mopar “club coupes”.
Fluid Drives (prior to the ‘indicators’ beginning on ’51 model Chryslers, anyway) were a small “y” pattern. Up and towards you for reverse – away and up for 1-2 (low gear), down and away for 3-4 (high). Used the clutch only for starting off, or shifting between ranges. At a stop, Fluid Drive requires no de-clutching. Just stop and go again. Sort of like a ‘modern’ automatic.
great post
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