Text and photos submitted by Ted Mathis.
A recent discovery of 35mm slides my father took stretching back over 70 years ago has provided our family with priceless memories of trips made, vacations we had, places we lived, and loved ones from so many years ago.
As well as Buicks my dad owned.
Here is his beautiful green over teal 1954 Buick. What model? I do not know.
I often tell people I wasn’t born in Texas, but I was conceived here. In early 1958 my family was living in San Antonio. I’m not sure what month they moved to Little Rock, but on June 14, 1958, I made a grand appearance in Arkansas.
My mother and newborn me.
My two older brothers. A Radio Flyer. An Arkansas Traveler boat with a Johnson outboard. And the pink Buick.
I had always heard, but never remembered Dad owning a pink Buick back then, but he did. A few slides show this beautiful pink and white 1958 Buick.
My three older brothers and the pink Buick in Texarkana in 1959.
I also know, as I remember Dad later had a 1962 Buick LeSabre.
Another picture of the LeSabre is when it appears photo bombing this 1951 Plymouth, which was our second car.
Dad kept that LeSabre until 1968 when he traded it in on a used 1965 4-door Wildcat. I wish I knew what engine was in the Wildcat but the internet tells me the base engine was a 325-hp, 401-cid, nailhead V-8. Optional engines included a 425-cid V-8 that produced 340 hp, and a 425-cid Super Wildcat V-8 that generated 360 hp. Whatever was under the hood of our Wildcat made for a very fast family sedan.
I, aged 4 weeks. My mother. Our pink Buick.
But anyway, back to the pink Buick. I can tell that it is, like me, a 1958 model. Does anything define a true mid-century classic like a ‘58 pink Buick? Or is the teal ‘54 Buick more to your liking?
After the Wildcat Dad bought a 1970 Mercury Monterey instead of a Buick. However, in 1977 he once again bought another LeSabre.
1977 Buick LeSabre Custom Sedan, image from the full-line brochure.
And then for some reason, my dad quit on Buicks. His final 2 cars were Chevrolet Caprice Classics. A 1984 model and a 1989.
I wish I knew more about my father, but I know his appreciation for his Buicks will always stay with me.
Further reading:
Curbside Classic: 1958 Buick Special – Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Doing To Excess
CC For Sale: 1958 Buick Special Sedan – Black Shows Off The Chrome
Curbside Classic: 1965 Buick Wildcat – Sabre Tooth Cat Or Dodo Bird
Vintage Snapshots: A Buick Owners Gallery – Portholes And Sweepspears
The Salmon color was very popular in the late 1950’s. That’s a beautiful memory. My sister had a 59 Imperial in a Salmon color.
That’s a big carport in Texarkana.
My grandfather usually had black Buicks from 1918 until his last Roadmaster in ’56, months before he died. I got to drive it once about ’80 because Grandma had sold it to his brother when she switched to black Cadillacs. Very different experience from the ’56 Olds we’d inherited from his other brother.
My parents had a two-tone brown ’57 Olds Fiesta wagon of which I can’t find a decent photo or memory. Bought in Jacksonville FL, driven to Carmel-by-the-sea with my sister and fetus brother in ’58, then to Norfolk VA in ’60. Bill and I were both transcontinental fetuses. Dad switched to Buick Electras in ’68, ’77, ’87, and ’01 (LeSabre). Not a pink one among them.
” … our Wildcat made for a very fast family sedan … “.
On a continuum of slow to fast, the ’58, ’62, and the ’65 Buicks would all be on the fast side of the continuum compared to the cars of their times.
The ’51 Plymouth would on the opposite side of the continuum, close to the edge of slow (but steady).
A neighbor’s new ’54 Buick was the first time I ever saw a wrap-a-round windshield; it was very impressive to my 10 year old mind.
And both of my sons, (and even I ) had red steel Radio Flyer wagons when young. Just seeing that wagon brings back many fond memories.
That Johnson outboard is a 1957 model. I’ll wager that the Arkansas Traveler with that motor moved along rather quickly with one person on board.
Family photos are fascinating, so much of life’s every day details captured forever.
Thank you for posting this.
That green 54 sure is a beauty. The 58 is a bit flashy for my taste, but was perfect for the times.
How marvelous you’ve discovered these slides now, but too bad you missed out on family fun slide night. Up until 10 years ago my dad would occasionally load up a couple of trays and we enjoyed some 60’s and 70’s slides.
One of my cousins has offered to digitize dad’s 4000+ slides, once that’s done I expect some D family cars to come to light.
I happen to love that pink `58 Buick, and guess it to be a “Special” (base model). Always loved Buick’s standard hub caps in `56-`58. Kind of a large baby moon with the BUICK lettering. `59-`62 adopted the same, but with the tri-shield that appeared with the all-new `59s.
Wonderful photos!
From the slanted windshield “A” pillar the ‘54 Buick appears to be a Special. The ‘58 looks like a stripper – a two door sedan without full wheel covers and chrome window moldings. The ‘62 LeSabre also appears to be a rare, two door sedan. The ‘65 Wildcat was a definite step up, with the standard 325 h.p.V-8.
It is strange that dad switched to Chevys later in life. Usually it’s the opposite, a lifetime Chevy buyer treating himself with a Buick in his retirement years.
Duplicate answer from below:
My guess is that he was loyal to genuine Buick engines and RWD, and by 1984, except for the base V6, all the V8 engines (307, 350 diesel) were all built by Olds. And after 1985, there were no RWD Buicks (until the Roadmaster reappeared).
A lot of old-time GM RWD buyers switched to the Caprice Classic around this time because it was the only traditional RWD car left (except for Cadillac).
Exactly right, my Dad had a ’77 Electra, ’85 LeSabre, ’91 Caprice when Buick had dropped RWD, then a ’96 Roadmaster (aka “The Roadmasher”) for his very last car… and that car with the LT-1 hauled azz!
Very nice family pictures, clearly taken by someone who wanted to be sure to get the cars in the pictures as part of the family.
The one with the boat, where the Radio Flyer wagon is used to dolly the trailer…That makes me smile as I can imagine should my dad have tried something like that, the dire warnings he would have given me NOT TO FORGET that the wagon had to stay there; and me forgetting and naturally finding some way to accidentally dump the trailer tongue on the lawn. Or maybe that’s just my childhood life as a Leave it to Beaver/Dennis the Menace episode.
I look forward to speculation as to why your dad shifted to Chevrolet after so many years devoted to Buick.
My guess is that he was loyal to genuine Buick engines and RWD, and by 1984, except for the base V6, all the V8 engines (307, 350 diesel) were all built by Olds. And after 1985, there were no RWD Buicks (until the Roadmaster reappeared).
A lot of old-time GM RWD buyers switched to the Caprice Classic around this time because it was the only traditional RWD car left (except for Cadillac).
Why he shifted to a Chevrolet? My guess is based upon how brand hierarchy became blurred from the mid 60’s and beyond.
I pin much of the blame on the 1965 Ford LTD with its luxury-class level appointments, and Ford’s brilliant advertising campaign touting it as being ‘quieter than a Rolls-Royce.”
Ford’s LTD blindsided its popular-priced rivals Chevrolet and Plymouth, forcing them to scramble to come up with their own ‘luxury’ models – the Caprice and Plymouth’s VIP. Even AMC felt they had to jump in with its Ambassador DPLs.
By the time Dad bought the Caprice, the Caprice name had already earned a sufficient level of respect to make going to what once was considered a lower-level brand than Buick to be no longer an issue involving social respect.
I was recently tasked with looking through my late dad’s financial and medical accounts to check something, and I noted one of his security questions was “what was your first car?” His answer was “1950 oldsmobile four door”. I asked him about old cars he owned before my time, and he frequently mentioned a black ’53 Chevy and a ’57 Chevy he drove as a work car, but I don’t recall him mentioning any Oldmobiles, and I’ve seen pics of neither. All the cars from 1960 to 1976 were base models of basic cars so the Olds seems an anomaly, unless it was a cheap used car. But all his cars I’m aware of he bought new; he always said when you buy a used car, you’re buying someone else’s problems.
(I’m trusting I didn’t just give away anything useful to hackers, lol)
As for which model the ’58 Buick is, didn’t the photographer realize we’d be trying to figure that out 65 years later and step back enough so we could see whether the car had three or four holes in the fender?
The photographer is off the hook. There were no portholes on Buick’s in 1958 or 59.
I was referring to the family pics in front of the ’54 (and meant to put a smiley at the end – was intended as a bit of a joke; the car was probably considered incidental background when the photo was taken). But when looking at old personal and family photos, I often do first notice some incidental thing in the background rather than the intended subject of the photograph, like “oh yeah, totally forgot about those psychedelic curtains we use do have there” and such.
I guess I misunderstood when you said “As for what model the 58 Buick is…”.
Well if it was his first car then it is definitely possible that it was used and was the reason he came up with his motto “when you buy a used car, you’re buying someone else’s problems”. Which also might be why he didn’t speak about it since it was a problem that he got rid of as soon as he could.
’58 Buicks didn’t have the signature holes in the fender. Lots of chrome in other places though…
Wonderful slides! Love that green ’54; that’s my favorite.
Those Buicks as 2-door sedans were not very common at all, at least not in my world.
The pink Buick in my memory was a 62 LeSabre owned by a family friend back in the early 60’s. It was that metallic pink that was on several upper-brand GM cars around 1961-62. Your father could probably have gotten away with calling that 58 beige or tan, but the metallic pink 62 gave no such option.
I love all of these pictures. There are few photographic subjects as fascinating to me than young parents and their little kids, especially when they are of the generation(s) that I watched get old.
The 58 reminds me of the two door Buicks Broderick Crawford drove on his TV show Highway Patrol. He also drove two door Mercury Montereys and Dodge Coronets from that era.
Pic #5 of the newborn you and your Mom…..you looked like a big dude! ((poor Mom!))
Funny, I was thinking the same thing!
My thought too.
This whole piece was great. I loved the photos and reflections. Thank you!
We had a “pin/black, tutone” Mercury hardtop. ((1957)) The lady across the street had a pink Chevy, hardtop coupe. ((also 1957))
Recall no other “pink or coral”, rides in the neighborhood.
Ours was bought “used”, about 1962. Neighbors, I believe was bought new.
Both , oddly enough, were replaced with 1965, new cars.
The 1954 Buick re- introduced the Century that also had a slanted A pillar. And three port holes. A friend of my father’s bought a 54 Special 4dr sedan. He came over to our house with his family and, we went for a ride to the DQ in it. People in those days showed of there new cars. Fun day’s.
Terrific vintage photos, I remember those years and cars very well .
I too like to look for the little things that were different .
-Nate
In 1974 my wife and I would tool around in her dad’s 1957 Buick Special. Dark green with lighter green below the side trim. He bought it from a retired lady in Bakersfield Ca. And if only had 35000 miles or so on it., also had factory a/c with the unit on the floor. Cool car. My family flew out to Bakersfield for our wedding and we took my grandparents for a ride out to see the entrance to Merle Haggards home. (It was gated of course so you only saw it from a distance).
My father had Buick derangement syndrome:
49 Super fastback coupe
53 Special 4dr
56 Bel Air wagon- Oops
58 Special Estate Wagon
62 invicta wagon
65, 67, 69, 71 Electra sedan
73, 75, 79 LaSabre Custom sedan
83, 86, 89 Electra sedan
92, 96 Park Avenue sedan
.
I wonder what engine the ’77 LeSabre had in it. A good percentage of them seemed to have Pontiac 301s, and those engines could be troublesome. So if it was one of those, perhaps it didn’t age well, and by the time ’84 came around, your Dad had soured on Buick? Nevermind the fact that by ’84, most LeSabres had the durable Olds 307.
The next step up would’ve been a 350. Most of them were Buick 350s, but CA models got the Olds 350, and every once in awhile, I’d imagine an Olds 350 made it into cars bound for other regions as well. I’ve heard the Buick 350 had a bit of a weak block and internals, compared to the other divisions’ 350s.
I could definitely see bailing on Buick by ’89, though. A lot of traditional buyers simply did not warm up to the FWD C- and H-body GM cars.
As for that ’58 Buick, that’s definitely a rare beast. I think the last time I saw a 2-door pillared model was the last time I watched “Highway Patrol” and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in person!
I’m 3 weeks younger than you.
It took me awhile longer, but I moved to San Antonio 41 years ago, though I’ve since moved to Austin. My Dad never owned a Buick, furthest he got up the Sloan ladder was Pontiac (and that ended up as the worst car that he was to own). He had a ’56 Plymouth Plaza, bought new, when I came along. Problem was that he hadn’t yet met my Mom when he bought it, and it being a stripper with 3 speed manual, she was never comfortable with manuals so he traded it in on a ’61 Rambler American wagon in Compton, Ca. He’d been in the US Army before, but that’s not why we moved around so much, he’d gotten a degree in chemistry and his first job out of college in ’56 was working with semiconductors, something he was to do until he retired in 1990…just not with the same company. And, because he was a process person, we had to live in reasonable proximity of the plant where they made them.
He started buying 2nd cars in 1966,
You must’ve been thrilled to discover those old pics. Some great classic Detroit steel there, thanks for sharing!