Tulsa OK, 1959.
Oklahoma City, OK, 1962.
Roseville, MI, 1965.
Tallahassee, FL, 1969.
Vintage Chrysler – Plymouth Dealer Shots: My, My… What A Few Years Do To You
– Posted on June 22, 2023
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Curbside Classics Archives
Tulsa OK, 1959.
Oklahoma City, OK, 1962.
Roseville, MI, 1965.
Tallahassee, FL, 1969.
Amazing how much car styles changed in just 10 years compared to today’s slow cycles!
In our relatively small community in the 50s and 60s we had Chrysler Plymouth, Dodge Plymouth and DeSoto Plymouth agencies. Somehow all managed to survive until 63 when DeSoto was gone and dealer decided to retire. Then Chrysler dealer closed. Now we have only Dodge, Ram,and Jeep in one dealership. NONE of these vehicles have any appeal for me. In the mid 50s to early 60s, Exners fabulous finned fantasies ruled! Favorites were 61 Imperial LEBARON and final 61 DeSoto! 🏆 👍
In Lee Iacocca’s autobiography he wrote about when he was at Ford they were constantly trying to one-up GM, all but ignoring Chrysler. The only time Ford paid much attention to Chrysler was when they adopted those standardized signs and building overhangs; red for Dodge, blue for Chrysler-Plymouth. The intent was to make them stand out so it would be more apparent how many of their dealerships were out there; previously it wasn’t always obvious you were passing a Chrysler dealer. Ford decided to do the same thing.
I also recall Iacocca saying that whenever he wanted to hire an engineer, he tried to poach them from Chrysler.
That ’69 dealership design stuck for a long time. Looks just like the dealer I bought my Omni from in ’89
Chry. Co. was like the French ~ they had their own way to go and it didn’t line up with anything else .
This was often a very good thing .
Sometimes not so much ~ looking at _you_ AirTemp II
-Nate
First off – this is Plymouth. If you showed VW dealerships, there were Beetles throughout those years and they only got more popular. Chrysler/Plymouth was bouncing through some pretty tough times with upper management, styling and market shares. So we do see a dramatic difference over the decade. This was a challenging decade.
Based on my experiences growing up, the 1962-1968 Plmouth/Chrysler products were pretty good. Not always attractive, but solid cars.
1959: It’s all about optimism, being futuristic; the car approaching light speed as it travels through space.
1962: Awkward transition phase.
1965: Now it’s about minimalism, boxyness, maturity.
1969: Awkward transition phase–next stop, Brougham.
Interesting pics.
I wouldn’t have cited 1959 as a great year for car design, but in these pictures the 1959’s look the smartest of the bunch. Then again, these are all Chrysler dealerships. Maybe it’s a good illustration of how Chrysler design collapsed first into incoherence and then self-doubt after the short-lived ‘Forward Look’ turned out to be a dead end.
Credit to Chrysler, for doing an excellent job, reigning in their branding to a very consistent look and feel. Given the dealership facades would likely be built and painted by local tradespeople, using Chrysler supplied Pantone colours and specs, their dealerships always had a very professional and coherent look in the US and Canada. With that late ’60s design. Though, I remember dealerships doing away with that sign-topping Pentastar, in later years.
I don’t remember if those signs had a Pentastar on top, but I definitely don’t remember a spinning Pentastar.
The only sign that needs to spin are those KFC buckets. They should have never taken them down they’re too distinctive. Ever seen a rotating Subway or McDonalds sign? Didn’t think so. (apparently a few rotating buckets are still in use, like this one:
Spinning signs, appeared to be a ’50s/’60s phenomena. As they appeared to fall out of style in ’70s. I recall many gas stations never bothered to maintain them/keep them spinning. When they didn’t work, it may have drawn unwanted negative publicity. A non-rotating sign: ‘Are they closed?’ ‘They can’t afford to get it fixed?’ Loved the rotating Sunoco signs.
Great selection of images!
Amazingly, it looks like the Vance Motors building in Tulsa is not only still standing, but has recently been renovated with a mid-century design in keeping with the building’s era. It appears that it’s currently occupied by a high-end home goods store. Google StreetView image below, and link here:
https://goo.gl/maps/jB2bQgVrDFvj99CeA
Incidentally, the image here is probably one of the last images of Vance Motors – Vance merged with another Tulsa Chrysler dealer in 1960, and the merged company occupied the other firm’s building about a mile away. This particular building then became a Studebaker franchise, and then for a few decades was a brake shop. It’s great, yet surprising, to see a building like this rehabbed. Funny though, that the big sign structures have been retained.
When I lived in Tulsa in the ’70s, 11th St was still the city’s main used car row. That tradition dated back to old Route 66 running right down 11th St.
My 1962 Imperial Crown 2 door Southampton was sold new at Fretwell’s in Oklahoma City. The building still stands. I don’t see my Imp in the picture, tho….
This looks more or less like the trade-in cycle of lots of MoPar owners from those years. Say what you will, a guy who traded every 3-4 years back then surely brought home a vastly different car than the one he traded in.
Oh, but the hours I could spend walking through any of those lots in real life.
I’m torn between the red coupe at “Fratwell’s” and the green one at “Capital”!
Would like to climb into my Time Machine and grab a few of the Chrysler Newports & New Yorkers at the Capital dealership. Big fuselage fan here!!
http://fuselage.de