Although it didn’t invent the car, America has embraced it and shaped it like no other nation on earth. And as in so many other forms of popular culture, technology and consumer goods, American cars have often been trend-setters for the world. The revolutionary Model T put America on wheel. Starting in the mid-20s, GM brought style, image and flair to the popular priced and now typically enclosed sedan For the next three decades, big American sedans were seen as universal objects of desire for their unparalleled styling, quality, performance, size and value.
But Americans are always a bit restless and ready for the next new thing. And one of the biggest ones in the 50s was the family station wagon, as epitomized by this 1957 Ford Ranch Wagon. What had once been strictly a utilitarian device was now the symbol of the middle class American family. Just like the pickup is today. The same family that had a Ranch Wagon in 1957 would quite likely be driving a pickup today.
Before WW2, station wagons were primarily commercial vehicles or used by affluent folks at their hunting lodges or such. They were expensive; a 1939 Ford wagon cost almost 50% more than a sedan. The wood required lots of maintenance. And the image wasn’t right for typical families; they preferred the sleek styling of a sedan or coupe, even if it meant the kids had to all squeeze in the back seat.
But that all changed after the war. Americans were embracing a more casual lifestyle as well as more recreational activities. And they were moving to suburbs with larger yards and more hobbies and projects. And the emergence of the affordable all-steel wagon quickly made it a popular choice with families. The 1949 Plymouth Suburban was representative of this new trend.
The all-new 1949 cars by the Big Three reflected differing thoughts on the subject of wagons. Chrysler covered their bets with both two and four door versions; the two doors were all steel and the four doors were traditional woodies. Chevrolet also played it safe, but with four door wagons in both partial wood (shown) and all-steel versions, although the steel version had wood-effect paint. The steel version soon replaced the woody.
Ford meanwhile put all its chips on genuine wood and the two-door body style for its all-new ’49s. It was both bucking a trend and also establishing a legend.
It was named “Country Squire”, which of course became an icon, and a very effective brand for Ford. After the real wood went away in 1952, Ford became the keeper of the Ni-Doc flame.
The fact that the ’49-’51 Country Squire was only a two door wagon seems not to have hurt, even though these were three-seat wagons, with all seats forward facing. The roofs were higher and Americans were more limber back then.
Ford dropped genuine wood for the new cars in 1952, and added four door wagons for both the Country Squire (with fake wood) and Country Sedan. But they kept a two-door wagon, now dubbed the Ranch Wagon, as an entry level wagon in the low-end Mainline trim. An economical solution for both young families as well as business use. Families with young kids commonly preferred two door sedans and wagons for the safety aspect, as kid-proof door locks were still in the future. Chevrolet and Plymouth also had low-end two-door wagons in this price class.
Chevrolet’s 1955 Nomad revolutionized the wagon; now suddenly it could be an expensive, sporty image-mobile. Its starting price was a whopping $2608, which was more than a Buick Century Riviera hardtop, and not much less than a Cadillac. The Sloanian ladder, which was largely irrelevant after the war anyway, now was totally rotted out. It was now every GM division for itself from here on forward.
The Nomad wasn’t a big seller, but it, the new V8 and the Corvette clearly changed the image of Chevrolet, as was the intention. And Ford couldn’t afford to be left in the Nomad’s dust.
Ford’s solution was a lot more expedient than the Nomad’s: tart up the two-door Ranch wagon with the trim from the Fairlane and a few other tidbits and call it good. It was also priced some $200 less than the Nomad, and that was good enough for it to outsell the Nomad by about 2:1. The total sales numbers for both these high-trim two-door wagons weren’t really very high, but the unique Nomad clearly had a greater and lasting image and impact. But Ford’s success in the wagon market, where it outsold the next two brands (Chevrolet and Plymouth) combined was certainly never a question.
For its all-new 1957 models, Ford changed its strategy further, by dropping the Parklane and creating a more affordable but higher-trim version of its Ranch Wagon, the Del Rio.
Now priced between the Ranch Wagon and the four door Country Sedan, the Del Rio was targeted to younger families who preferred a two door wagon but with a bit nicer trim and interior than the spartan Ranch Wagon. The Del Rio sold reasonably well in 1957 (46, 105), but sales dropped rapidly in the following two years, as that segment of the market seemed to evaporate quickly. The two-door Ranch Wagon hung in there through 1961, as an entry level model, but the action with families moved quickly to four door wagons in the late 50s. The two door full-size wagon era was quickly ending, in part because compacts were now available for the thrifty buyers.
I spotted this fine example one recent summer evening at the South Eugene High playing fields; the owner was apparently practicing with or coaching the baseball team; more likely the latter. This Del Rio Ranch Wagon is a lot more baseball than soccer.
The ’57 Fords were a handsome design for the most part, which clearly helped it unseat the Chevy for the sales crown that year. But in a similar but not quite as extreme situation with the all-new ’57 Chryslers, the Fords suffered from first-yearitis: various assembly quality shortcomings. It explains why ’55-’57 Chevrolets became the overwhelmingly-preferred used car starting in 1957-1958: they were rock solid compared to the Chryslers and Fords.
As handsome as it generally is, the ’57 Ford’s front end styling is a bit off.
The protruding headlights seem to be suffering from Grave’s disease.
The ’57 Ford was all new under the body too, with a new “cowbelly” frame that bulged out towards the rear, allowing footwells in the rear seat to preserve leg room despite the lower body. But the new frame did not allow for footwells at the front, so the seating was now decidedly more “on the floor” up in front than in the past. Ford kept this basic frame and suspension through 1964, after which it was replaced by the full perimeter frame, which allowed footwells in the front too.
This car has been very nicely restored, although I can’t vouch for just how precisely correct the upholstery is. But it looks to be much closer to original than that common nubby blue or tan fabric I see in so many older reupholstered cars.
This is a manual transmission car. The dash is reasonably nice, but not exactly lust-inducing.
It also has overdrive, which adds to its appeal. Engine choices were the standard 223 six, and three optional Y-Block V8s: the 190 hp 272, 212 hp 292, and the 245 hp 312. There’s no question that Chevy had Ford outgunned in the performance department in 1957, with its new larger 283 V8 that was available with up to 270 hp with carbs and 283 hp with fuel injection. But for family use, the 292 and 312 certainly were well suited for the job. Ford’s new FE series would arrive in 1958, to do battle with Chevy’s new 348 big block.
I do remember riding in the back of two-seat wagons as a kid. In fact my friend Johnny’s family had a ’56 Parklane in the same blue and white color scheme, and it was used to tow their beautiful 19′ Thompson wood runabout to the reservoir. That boat sported a big Mercury six cylinder outboard, and the two made quite a dashing combination. As kids, we didn’t even give two door wagons a second thought; it was easy to scamper in back there. And it did feel somehow snug and secure without a door.
Sliding rear side windows may seem a bit archaic, but they were actually a very pragmatic solution on a two door wagon.
Of course kids often hopped in the back too, which was also considered a safe place for them.
The Ford had a two piece tailgate, with the upper half flipping up and the lower dropping in typical tailgate fashion. That was the norm at the time, and worked well enough.
The dual exhausts on this wagon suggest it either came with the 312, or has just been upgraded. Either way, the distinctive exhaust sound of the Y block undoubtedly leaves some nice music in its wake.
The tailgate latch included the then-current Ford logo. The blue oval was still some years in the future, as well as the past.
The wagon became an American icon, but one that like so many other American innovations/fads would soon be popularized around the globe. In Europe it would not be until the ’80s when wagons were elevated from their utilitarian plumber/painter image and became a chic alternative to the sedan. In fact Europe took it much father: in Western Europe, wagon versions soon came to outsell their sedan counterparts by large margins. But by then, Americans had discovered the next hot new automotive things: minivans and SUVs. And of course these two would soon be taken up globally. And then came the pickup.
And although many bemoan the extinction of the classic big American wagon/car, it’s just morphed, into the big American pickup. Same idea: big, roomy, thirsty, a bit brash, but a practical enabler of the American lifestyle, which means embracing the freedom to drive something that can haul or tow almost anything, even if it never does haul or tow anything. Americans like to live big, or at least imagine they do, and the rest of the world has either admired that or reviled that.
But they eventually embrace it too, to one extent or another. And the pickup’s popularity is growing world-wide. Just how far the pickup will go globally is yet to be seen. But if the impact of the American wagon, pony car, minivan and SUV are any indicators, it might be quite a run.
The Nomad copied the Ranch Wagon, just as most of GM’s “new” styles in the ’50s copied earlier Ford templates.
GM owned the narrative, so GM always got the credit.
I’m not sure that I would say that the Nomad copied the Ranch Wagon. Sure, Chevy didn’t have a 2 door wagon in the post war period until 1955 when it copied Ford’s inexpensive Ranch Wagon with the 2 door Handyman wagon. But until Ford pulled the Ranch Wagon out of the bargain basement it was Chevy who gave the U.S. the sporty styling of a coupe married to a station wagon. Ford’s Ranch Wagon never had the “special styling” touches the 55-57 Nomad had.
And as I have always said, I would rather have Mercury’s answer to the Nomad (the 2 door Voyager wagon of the later 50s, or the 59 Commuter wagon).
You are correct!
The Nomad was a Motorama concept originally based on the ’53 or ’54 Corvette. The idea was to create a sporty station wagon (shooting brake?) that didn’t seem dowdy and would encourage sales to better heeled, would-be buyers who needed station wagon functionality but wanted something more performance oriented.
The Nomad copied the Ranch Wagon,
No it didn’t. The Ranch Wagon was just a two door version of a regular wagon, not unlike those made by other companies. The Nomad had a totally unique body.
Would you like to give examples of all those other GM “new” styles that copied earlier Fords in the 50s? Like the Corvette, for example? Or?
Very popular cars in NZ back in the day several school friends parents had 56 and 57 ranchwagons and Ford sedans they were more numerous than the tri 5 Chevys or so it seemed, American cars were not rarity in 50s 60s 70s New Zealand, but those 55-57 Fords just stayed around, 272 three speed tree shift manuals were most common sixes were unknown literally, American Fords were V8s, one 57 Ranch wagon same colour scheme as the blue fordor became a hearse in my hometown the guy who owned it retired closed the business but kept the car I remember seeing it in for a 6 monthly WOF check in about 78 it hadnt done 5,000 miles yet and still looked like a new car, the owner had a Fordson van as his regular drive the Ranchwagon just sat in a shed most of the year.
Were wagon buyers in the mid to late ’50s not bothered by rooflines that cut off the last foot of the car? That always strikes me when I look at American wagons of this era. Just a few years earlier, the roof extended most of the way back to the bumper, maximizing cargo space.
The interiors weren’t really any shorter; the cars just got longer overall due to those rear fender extensions. Anyway, style trumps practicality. You could buy a VW bus if you really valued the latter.
They wanted utility over a sedan or coupe, but not something that sells its soul and ends up looking dorky as hell…like that Plymouth. Theres no good reason why a car cant look great AND be useful…its a method of balancing out the two. The ’55 Nomad nails it as proper as anything out there.
As a kid, our neighbor had one of these. Rode in it many times. A special treat was riding front seat when my friend’s mother was driving.
In the 70s while attending college in Tulsa, I briefly owned a ’58 Mercury wagon. Four headlights instead of two, but the view over those front fenders always reminded me of riding in the ’57 Ford.
In Tulsa, the Mercury was just a cheap used car. However, it was a rust free example with working factory air. During a visit to Wisconsin, one of my old mechanic buddies at the Ford garage offered me a lot more than I paid for it. Always needing cash, I said adios to the Mercury and the oddly similar “over the fender” view with the ’57 Ford.
A side effect of that sale was a realization that I could buy a rust free Tulsa car, drive it to Wisconsin for family holidays and sell it at a tidy profit. Helped finance finishing up college at TU.
Had to drive a Wisconsin rust bucket back each time. No profit headed back, but I didn’t lose anything either. Never had another of these cars either.
Ford outsold Chevy in 1957? Wow!
I am shocked! I didn’t know this.
I thought the only time since the 1920s (until the 80s/90s) that Ford outsold Chevrolet was 1971, when GM took a 5-month strike.
The 57 Ford is a decent looking car, but the 57 Chevrolet looks great! At least I think so.
Top seller is really not as big a deal as they would have you think. There were fewer models offered back then, so all versions of the mainline Ford, Chevy, or Plymouth counted, not broken up by coupe, sedan, hardtop, engine, or any other variant. Marketers trumpet who the top seller is, but I doubt if one only decided on a car based on it being the top seller, ever.
However, yes, there was a lot of years where Ford held the top seller crown. It helped that Ford did not have as many divisions diluting the overall brand, as GM did with Chevy, Pontiac, Olds, and Buick. As mentioned, the new car sales often did not translate into the cars lasting (due to poor construction, usually) and the Chevy models just became more reliable choices for a used car. That happens with cars today, but not as dramatically. We see residual value in Camrys being better than Fusions, while both sell new in similar numbers. Since that affects lease costs, it affects the OEMs now more than it would have in the 1950s and 1960s, when leasing was virtually non-existent.
There’s a similar type of “book-cooking” at work behind pickups’ high position on the best seller lists – really, each pickup line should be counted as at least four lines (1/2 and 3/4-1 tons, models with and without back seats).
For CALENDAR year 1957, Chevy won – by 130 units IIRC.
But MODEL year, Ford won hands down.
It’s well documented what the problem was.
The entire FoMoCo (except Lincoln) and MoPar lines got lower, longer and wider for ’57, essentially turning a maxim created, pretty much single-handedly, by Harley Earl, back upon GM’s head.
Now while GM had little to lose in the grand scheme of things – it still controlled nearly half the market – and larger cars were on their way for ’58 and ’59, the ’57 Chevy was still an obvious third-year facelift. And in a time in which fresh styling trumped just about everything else, the all-new Ford took the model year sales crown from the dated-by-comparison Chevy.
Plymouth MIGHT have done better but the “Suddenly it’s 1960” 1957 models basically behaved like three-year-old taxicabs that had been ridden hard and put away wet. Poor design and workmanship, combined with water leaks, meant brand-new cars were rusting on the showroom floor. And word got around FAST. Allpar has some fascinating firsthand accounts of the ’57 ChryCo line and the damage it did to the company.
And as it turned out, the ’57 Fords had similar durability problems that simply took a little longer to manifest themselves.
Suddenly those ’57 Chevies were looking better and better. They, and their ’55-’56 counterparts (which WERE sales champions in 1955-56), became icons of the used car market.
And here’s a dirty little secret: while Chevy’s Jet-Smooth Ride and styling leadership kept them in the sales lead all through the ’60s, the Tri-Fives often offered superior overall roadability (as long as they were kept up, obviously) until at earliest 1965…probably 1969 is a better guess, as F-41 sway bars and 15-inch tires became more commonplace on the full-size Chevies.
With all that said, Paul, this is a fascinating article about a model I’d never heard of before. I remember an uncle had a ’55 Ranch Wagon tucked away in a falling-down garage, back around 1971. Guess it would stand to reason that Chevy’s Nomad would invite a challenge…at least from Ford.
If I were a Ford guy – well, this is their equivalent to the ’57 Two-Ten Handyman I currently own, so I could totally see myself in one of these if I were a Blue Oval guy.
TomLU86, Pat Chappell’s “The Hot One” history of Tri-Five Chevies is long out of print, but can be found from time-to-time on Amazon. It’s a fascinating history!
Just goes to show how perceptions change over time. Easy to think, looking back from a 2018 perspective, that when the ’57 Chevy first came out, they just dominated the landscape. But it was Ford and Plymouth that captured more attention, and Ford, more sales, in the 1957 model year.
TL:DR – the ’57 Chevy was the first GM “Good Used Car” of the type they made so many of in the ’80s-00s.
Ford outsold Chevy more than you think. Since WW II it won the sales crown in 1946, 1949, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1966, 1970, 1971 and 1988. Then, starting in 1990, Ford won just about every year.
Also, the ’59 Ford outsold the bat-wing Chevy.
The 57 Chevys were a 3rd year style, so when new they were ‘old’. But, “the bugs were worked out of them”, so they gained popularity as good used cars later in the 60’s. Many young drivers had them as first cars, and etc, etc…
“The Nomad copied the Ranch Wagon, just as most of GM’s “new” styles in the ’50s copied earlier Ford templates” As a rule GMs’ styling back then dominated the market, while Ford brought up second place. The “B” pillar shape on the Nomad (all 19K+ for 5-7) was unlike anything else in the US market, and combined with the radically slanted rear, gave the whole car a very distinctive look.
The pictured 57 Ford is quite nice; certainly rare!
A neighbor’s son bought a black, new 57….that car really caught my young, budding car enthusiast eyes!!! Sex on 4 wheels…WOW! Never could afford one; altho I did have a ’56 150 2 door street machine for 20 years. :):) One of the brothers, who ran a Texaco station/service shop did have a ’56 Nomad. They serviced my car twice a years: excellent wrenches!
Yes indeed, nothing like 4bb carbs, chokes, points, condensors, etc. Back then I knew my way around under a hood..NOT now! Cars are radically improved from then, but rather lack the “connection” those smog belching oldies did…:( DFO
In fall 1956, we got a 1957 six-cylinder stick-shift Del Rio Ranch Wagon. Even as an eight-year old, I thought the name was a bit exotic for a Ford utilitarian vehicle. The car’s Achilles heel was the fact that it would stall out at the most inopportune times. My mother even learned to remove the air cleaner, fiddle with the butterfly and get it going. It was a good-looking car, compared with a lot of the American wagons of the time, but it did not seem to be that durable overall. In the summer of 1958, it was traded on a FIAT 1100 sedan with suicide doors. That car seemed to be Italy’s revenge for being on the losing side in WW II. After it proved to have no ability to handle a Norheast winter season, it was traded on a bat-wing ’59 Chevy sedan. Our family was very fickle in those days where second cars were concerned!
My father bought a brand new 57 Ranch wagon, black, 6 stick and it’s option list began and ended with……a heater. That was it. When Mom & Dad were in the front seat, my spot was in the wayback, with the upper tailgate window (that what you call it?) propped open, breathing in all that good exhaust flavored air.
I remember it had an overheating problem in the summer which Dad solved by opening the forward-hinged hood to the secondary latch and driving it around like that. It worked.
Great article on one of my all-time favorite vehicles. Wagons are to die for and (if) Ford transforms the Fusion into a wagon I’ll be there with check in hand. Two very minor points: The name Country Squire began with the 1950 wagons. The 1949 Ford wagon was not badged a Country Squire. Shouldn’t the fake fiberglass wood paneling be Di-Noc (not Ni-Doc)? I remember the 1957 Ford being a real rust bucket. My memory says Chevy built a much better car in the 1950’s. Ford began real quality control in 1961 and by 1963 had the quality game nailed. A 1963 onward standard sized Ford was a well-built automobile.
Thanks for the big history of the origins of Ford’s wagon dynasty, I love that stuff.
Amusing to see “modern conveniences”, navigation and cup holders in a once-common plastic hump tray. Nav looks hard wired into power through a voltage converter – surprised it’s not plugged into the lighter.
That ’40 Ford Woody and the ’55 Nomad…two of the most awesome wagons ever. Excellent material for street rods, Hot Wheels, and AFX slot cars.
Does anyone else think GM is being run by morons, since they keep pooping out CUV turds one after the other, when they could easily use the Camaro as the basis for a rwd based wagon (AWD and a slight lift optional to throw the CUV crowd a bone) and call it the Nomad? Outside of laziness and timidness, theres no reason on earth GM cant roll their own version of the Dodge Magnum by making a Camaro-ized wagon that preserves most of the performance and style while adding a whole lot of utility. Anything that lets you have your cake and eat it too is a win, IMHO.
Interesting breaks in the two-tone paint.
Hmm…nicely trimmed cargo bay but no padded dash.
All the direct-fit 2dr wagon parts on hand made Ranchero a profitable simple build for Ford, meanwhile, Chevrolet lacked same so had to spend a lot more tool money in its scramble to create the competing ElCamino.
I always found it odd that Ford used the “small” car (Custom/Custom 300) instead of the”big” car (Fairlane/Fairlane 500) for the wagons. Especially in the higher trim levels. Those thick upper doors are the giveaway.
What a sweet car to drive to the ballpark!
Ford also built the “Courier” sedan delivery (panel van) based on the 2-door Ranch Wagon.
Chevrolet also built car-based sedan deliveries and starting in 1955, in addition to the stylish Nomad, Chevy also built a lower-priced 2-door “Handyman” station wagon in “Two-Ten” and “One-Fifty” trim. The 2-door Chevy wagon disappeared for 1958, but came back for 1959 and 1960 in “Brookwood” trim (the same as the “Biscayne” in sedans). The existence of the Brookwood 2-door wagon and the sedan delivery made the 1959 and 60 El Camino a little cheaper to produce.
There was a 2-door ’58 Chevy Yeoman wagon and a corresponding sedan delivery.
I’d say family of today would be in an Explorer as a “modern Country Squire/Ranch Wagon”.
While the 4 door F series is today’s ‘LTD/Galaxie/Crown Vic’.
Yes, I think you are so very correct on that observation. Car buyers have seemingly moved on to other types of vehicles. And, most of the Big 3 brands have ceded the automobile sales to Toyota, Honda and other foreign brands.
I was raised in a series of 1950s-60s Ford wagons; perhaps in retirement I’ll get one of these and “keep it nice for the next guy.”
This ’57’s wheel covers don’t seem identical to the Thunderbird’s, but there does seem to be some family resemblance.
I smiled at the Country Sedan at the top of this ad, with nine cheery faces painted in:
Blue-and-white Del Rio twin in this ad:
50s Ford V8 wagons came standard with dual exhaust.
My dad bought our first new car in 1956 and the choice was between a red and ivory Nomad and a spring green 4-dr Ford for a move from Wyoming to Chicago. In a long history of bad choices, he chose the Ford, which made the trip fine, but rusted out in only two years of driving Illinois’ salty roads. He replaced it with a 4-dr AMC Rambler.
The “family pickup” and the “family SUV” came to the fore when large body on frame station wagons disappeared. Growing up in the suburbs, in the 70s and early 80s friends with large families had a mid size or full size station wagon, like a Ford Torino or Country Squire or GM equivalents. We lived in a upscale suburb so no Ranch Wagons and a Buick or Oldsmobile was more common than a Chevrolet.
My parents had a 57 Ford sedan with a Y block when they married, but replaced it with a Plymouth Valiant before I was born. Oddly we never had station wagons until the 200s when my sister bought a Subaru Forester.
Can you like Ranch Wagon’s and Nomad’s? Sorry haven’t built a Nomad yet.
Let me just say I don’t want to seem like I’m trying to steal Peter Wilding’s thunder by posting a model pic. His work speaks for itself, I’m just hanging on the trolley car strap of enthusiasm for models in general shown here.
After all there was a time when model cars were shown in various auto hobby magazines back in the day so the tie in is natural.
No worries about stealing thunder, Dave!
Grave’s disease indeed! What a perfect way to describe it.
There is a question.Ford did offer more hp than Chevy for 57. F-code cars had the 300 hp supercharged 312 engine. Only one wagon has surfaced via Hemming’s Classic Car, a lovely Country Sedan with documentation from new. This was news to me as I too always thought the Chevy 283 cid/283hp fuelie was the king.
Did a Ranch Wagon leave the factory so equipped? Would have been a real barn burner!
I have always thought the ’57 Fords looked better than the ’58/’59s .
This wagon is a stunner .
-Nate
Young PRNDL approves! 🙂
Dang blasted photo didn’t load.
For the curious, it’s the same photo as the lede photo of this CC oldie…
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-kids-pre-powerglide-prndl/
The Chrysler wide ‘forward look cars’ were stunning to look at and outshone both GM and Ford in appearance IMO, however as stated earlier build quality was not up to mid fifty’s GM standards,.
Oddly in contrast to American assembled Chryslers of the era Chrysler Australia assembled Plymouth, Dodge and De Soto sedans and pickups as well as Australian ‘coupe/utes’,sedan based ‘utility or pickup back versions similar to the Ford Mainline utility that was uniquely built in Australia from 1952 until 1959 and sold well here and in New Zealand for generally rural people.
The Dodge/Plymouth/Desoto models were a mix of parts with Canadian imported CKD models and built in the Chrysler Australia Adelaide plant in the state of South Australia.
The assembly in right hand drive was IMO better and rust was less of a problem, although we don’t salt roads due to a generally dryer and warmer climate.
Possibly because they were seen at the time here as luxury vehicles more care was taken in production.
I owned a 1959 (although the 58’ model in USA) Desoto Firesweep, in two tone green, fitted with the 361 cu 309 HP engine and push button Torqueflite auto it was rust free until 1976 when I stupidly sold it.
It had few mechanical issues and was surprisingly agile for its size and weight and I never had any leak issues, and it drew attention when I drove it,
Highlight was attending the Australian first release of Grease at a premier theatre in Sydney where 30 or so classic cars were parked outside the venue and we dressed in period 50’s attire for promotion by Paramount.