www.modot.org
Did you really think your work was over? We’ve still got a lot to do here in 1956.
A while back, you might have enjoyed a CC piece about a circa 1924 municipal fleet. Well, our visit to 1956 should be even better, because this time you get to pick your own chariot.
After you take a close look at this 1956 Auto Fleet spreadsheet, let’s brush up on our 1956 history.
In November 1956, Dwight Eisenhower was re-elected President of the United States. Earlier in the year, he’d signed legislation authorizing construction of the U.S. Interstate Highway System.
Also in November, the 1956 Summer Olympics were held in Melbourne, Australia, not long after the equestrian competition had taken place in Stockholm, Sweden. Ultimately, the Soviet Union won 98 medals; the United States earned 74; and 35 stayed in Australia. That year’s Winter Olympics were held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Finally, the long-running soap opera As The World Turns first hit the airwaves in 1956.
In 1956, you’re a new employee of the Missouri State Highway Department whose position requires an assigned vehicle. Unlike the 1924 spreadsheet, this one breaks down, by make and model year, the number of available vehicles to choose from. There’s quite a variety, with Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Ford, Plymouth and Chrysler all represented. Let’s examine their offerings, in no particular order:
The most plentiful offering is the 1955 Ford Coach; the fleet’s 85 units covered 1,920,195 miles in calendar year 1956. This spreadsheet’s terminology has prompted some thought due to its use of “coupe”, “coach”, and “sedan” to describe certain cars. I’ll speculate that “coupe” may mean business coupe, since relatively few were purchased, while “coach” describes a two-door sedan (I’m quite eager to read your thoughts on this matter).
Your best odds lie with landing one of these. Since all color choices were available, which would you pick? Just remember it’s a state-owned vehicle, and that pinks might not go over well with the public.
The ’55 Fords achieved 16.4 miles per gallon, a wee bit better than the 75 Ford coaches purchased for 1956, that are pictured here.
You might also note the two new 1957 Ford sedans that had already covered a total of 1038 miles, with a combined fuel cost of $13.56. But do you really think that you, as a new employee, would be assigned a brand new car?
If you aren’t a Ford person, then how about a Buick? Here’s a ’51 you might like. Although the 1950 model had been auctioned off, the fleet still had at least one example of each model year from 1951 through 1956. It is unfortunate that engine sizes were not noted, but the Buicks did travel 13 to 16 miles per gallon. If you don’t mind driving something already broken in, I’ll bet you could settle into a ’51 or ’52 quite nicely.
If a bow tie captures your fancy more than a tri-shield, then you might not want to hear about the waning popularity of Chevrolets in 1956. The year started with 109 Chevrolets from model year 1952, 39 of which were sold to new buyers. The most-utilized Chevrolets were 1953 models like the one pictured above, which traveled a combined distance of just over 1,000,000 miles. Some new employees are truly devoted Chevrolet people, and there are Chevys available. What’s your preferred body style?
The 1951 and 1952 Oldsmobiles were starting to get up in years, but they delivered better fuel economy than nearly every Chevrolet–over 16.3 miles per gallon. Who would have pegged Oldsmobile as the more fuel efficient nameplate? A ’52 like this one could be a good choice if you’d be covering large areas of territory. Comfort with fuel efficiency is always a winning combination.
There’s a new 1957 Pontiac in the mix. It’s too bad the purchase price isn’t shown here, but in any case don’t hold your breath: “New employee” doesn’t translate to “new car”, despite what you’ve been told.
It’s too bad the single ’54 Pontiac had been wrecked. You like being unique, so grabbing the only entry could have worked in your favor.
If you are a Chrysler person–and there are several who’ve just been hired–maybe the best has been saved for last. You definitely had the most upscale brand in the ’55 Chrysler sedan on tap. However, it also is not available to you: The Chief Engineer needs a car, doesn’t he?
Could I sell you a Plymouth instead? As a group, Plymouths are the newest vehicles in the fleet; in fact, the oldest is a 1954 model. How about this ’55? With six units available, it’s the most popular Plymouth. Not only is its fuel mileage comparable to the Fords and Chevrolets, but it will provide you with a more exclusive ride. Sound good?
As for me, I’m rather partial to the ’53 Ford Country Sedan. There’s only one, and I have snagged it.
Yes, there are a few constraints that go with being a new employee. Nevertheless, you need a ride and the choice is yours. What would you pick?
I would like to thank Jeannie, from the Missouri Department of Transportation in Jefferson City, for providing me with this information. She was kind enough to lend me copies of original annual fleet reports for nearly every calendar year from 1956 to 1980 for use in this article.
My grandfather is high up in mdot, I’ll take the 57 Poncho
I’ll take a 55 Mainline Business Coupe in Black.
As a new employee, best not make waves. I could be quite happy in a 55 Ford. Of course, if there is a Plymouth available . . . .
As for the Buick, it depends – who is paying for the gas? Also, if you take one of the real oldies now, does that mean you get a brand new car when the State unloads it? If so, give me one of the antique Buicks.
It is interesting that there is not a single non-Big 3 car represented here. No Stude, Packard, Nash, Hudson, Rambler, Willys or Kaiser. I wonder what could have happened if one or more of the independents had really gone after governmental fleet business in a big way. Get a lot of units out into a fleet, and I would bet that momentum would be a big thing, particularly in the maintenance garages.
Of course, the way it probably worked is that several dealers had ins with someone high up in government, who would lean on the fleet manager to buy a few cars from him. It always seems to be about who you know.
The City of Falls Church, Va., had Volvo police cruisers for a while in the early 90s. The only car dealership in the city limits (if you exclude the former Peugeot dealer on Lee Hwy that hadn’t yet taken the sign down) was a Volvo dealer. The owner was politically connected (he later served as the state’s lieutenant governor). Don’t know if he offered an unbeatable price or if he strongarmed the city council.
But in 1956 or 1990 or 2012, it does always seem to be about whom you know.
I recall seeing those Volvos even earlier, ’85 or so.
The CHP tested the S70 in 1999 but I don’t think it ever went beyond the test batch.
JP, I’ve got these annual reports for nearly every year from ’56 to ’80. While I do not intend to run every year, I can say that AMC made some serious inroads during the early to mid-’70’s. I used to live across the street from a MoDOT retiree who had been a maintenance superintendent; at one time he had been assigned a new early ’70’s Ambassador in olive drab.
From what I have read, AMC was trying to make some serious fleet efforts at that time.
I’m surprised at the number of Buicks and Chryslers in the fleet. I can see a couple for the highest in the organization for when the Governor or some other high ranking official wants to get the publicity shot cutting the ribbon of the opening of the latest stretch of hwy or bridge. On the other hand I can see those people who would have warranted such an expensive vehicle getting a new one for their use every year and the old one going into the rest of the fleet.
Personally I’d take the newest Ford they’d let me have or one of the older Buicks. Of course the reality is more likely you take what they give you.
I’m fairly certain – don’t have my ’55 Ford brochures any longer – that Ford still offered a business coupe, a club coupe, and a two-door sedan in 1955. I know that they did on the 1952-1954 bodies. A two-door sedan had the same roofline as a four-door sedan, but had longer doors so that the rear quarter window was shorter. The club coupe and business coupe had a slightly shorter roof and rear quarter window, the club coupe differing in having a rear seat.
The term “coach” was earlier terminology for “two-door sedan”.
These days were long before the linguistic abomination “two-door coupe” made its appearance. A coupe is a two-door car, period. A four-door car, no matter how swoopy its roofline is, is still a sedan.
Wow – looking at the huge numbers of miles driven on 3- to 4-year old Chevy and Ford 2-door sedans makes me think that these were the state patrol cars.
My wife and I both entered the world in 1956 ourselves. My parents’ car then was a ’56 Olds Super 88 two-tone four-door sedan. (image at http://askautoexperts.com/wp-content/uploads/1956-Oldsmobile-300×199.jpg)
You know what else entered the world in 1956? Alfred Bester’s seminal SF novel The Stars My Destination, in Galaxy magazine as a four-part serial (and also published in a different form in Britain as Tiger, Tiger!). The version most likely to represent author intent is the Signet 1957 paperback, as explained in the endnotes in the glorious new Library of America two-volume set American Science Fiction: Nine Classic Novels of the 1950s (see http://www.loa.org/sciencefiction) – no, I’m not an employee, but I respect the hell out of self-evidently thorough editing of the sort that LoA routinely does.
I’ll take the 55 Plaza, preferrably in a coupe.
Random observation…It seems this ’55 Plymouth starred in every horror flick from the period featuring some oversized, irradiated creature.
Well, let’s say (as a two year old) that I have a need to inspect something or another and get about in style, how could I select anything but the Chrysler Windsor Delux Newport. What better car could I have to test newly applied stretches of wonderfull blacktop.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm From A Buick 8… (Sorry couldn’t resist that.)
Am I the only one who cares about fuel economy? I’ll take the Oldsmobile, even if it is getting on in years.
I’ll be partly rational by choosing the ’55 Mainline sedan and partly irrational by going with Regency Purple as my color choice.
New Yorker Deluxe for me.
Jet black with formal grey interior please
Some of my earliest memories are of my Father attempting to get paid for state fleet deliveries. In those days you had to post 10% and enclose it with your formal bid. Thirty years later, as GM of a dealership in the same state, I took great pleasure when telling the state to omit us from their list of vendors. The ultimate mooch – and they had the gall to want our money for the privilege.
Nice! I still remember my friend and I riding our bikes a couple blocks to ride and play on the I-5 construction site. Riding on the endless concrete, crawling thru the culverts etc. It was great. My parents owned a 50 plymouth at the time. Even boring to me then. However, my uncle had a 56 Olds 2dr. HT. Now that was NICE. Ironically to the article, the worst interstate I’ve been on was in Missouri south of KC about ten years ago. Nice and smooth in Kansas, Pure crap when we hit the Missouri border.
The roads around the state have improved vastly in the past ten years. I-70 used to be horrible around ’00 to ’04, as was I-35.
I’ll take one of those Fords.
I happen to be a Resident Engineer for SCDOT and drive an Escape hybrid. I had a F150 before that and those that came before me had Jeep Cherokee’s which were much better than the Chevy Cavaliers before that. The old pictures show a lot of Ford sedans. SCDOT’s Chief Engineer of Operations drives an Impala. Tahoe’s and Suburban’s were popular with those on high for several years until some bad press stopped that.
Suburban’s were very common in the field offices for years as they were perfect for use by the survey parties and were needed to carry nuclear density gauges. We don’t stake our own construction projects much anymore, only check the contractor’s staking and now use special pick up bed mounted boxes for the nuclear gauges, so no more need for Suburban’s. We are down to our last one, a 2004 model that like nearly every one before it is an unreliable pile. It has just over 100k and is doing well in that it has not required a new engine, tranny, or rear end yet. Most will require 2 of 3 before they are out of service. The paint is falling off and there are constant check engine lights and drivability problems that have been so bad that the maintenance shop actually took it to two different dealers to try and get it running right.
Ford trucks and cars seem to be the most populous vehicles with SCDOT, followed by GM vehicles next. At this point we probably have more Prius hybrids than Chrysler products.
Highways or Dieways, it’s your choice.
I’m very late to this thread, but all I can add is this:
1956 was the first year (5 years old) I remember really well, especially the summer before Kindergarten. A lot of fun was enjoyed by my friends and myself. A much different time and way of life among the sycamore-lined streets of our neighborhood. The best playground a kid could possibly have was an alley. Dad would sit me on his lap and let me “drive” his 1950 Plymouth. That was special.
In December, 1957, when out of school for the holidays, mom and dad packed up our beloved gray 1950 Plymouth, the movers came, and we had to leave our wonderful neighborhood and our two-family flat in north St. Louis to our new 1935-ish brick bungalow in Jennings, MO.
Why? Ike took ours and thousands of other homes for Interstate 70.
A whole different way of life ended.
‘Nuff said.
I’ll take one of the ’56 Chevies. Notice the relatively high oil usage numbers on all the cars. I hope that was mostly scheduled changes and not top offs.