Text by Patrick Bell.
Let’s head to some beaches of the past and do a little car watching. We have several to view, so grab your beach gear and we will proceed. In spite of the first image, General Motors products (mostly Chevrolets) dominate today, which is a reflection of how they dominated the landscape during this era.
We begin with a new looking all new 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Club Victoria (2 door hardtop) in Coral Sand over Colonial White. It reminds me of an orange creamsicle. Fords were built on two wheelbases for 1957 and 1958, and this one was the top of the line long wheelbase model. It had an Ohio license plate that appeared to be from 1956, so these folks were breaking in their new car on the beach.
Daytona Beach, Florida, was the location in this image, per the hard to read sign on the roof of the food truck. The truck was a 1941-1947 Chevrolet AK series, and in front of it on the left was a 1953 Pontiac Chieftain De Luxe 2 door sedan. Following the Pontiac was a 1949 Plymouth Special De Luxe Club Coupe, while to the left of the food truck was a white over red 1955 or 1956 Buick.
This well covered wagon looks like a 1951 or 1952 Plymouth Concord Savoy. Someone may have been taking a snooze in the back, unless it was just some boots. The Plymouth had a roof rack and trailer hitch, and the overall set up was quite interesting.
A lady was posing with a two tone 1953 Buick Special 4 door Tourback Sedan while everyone else was in the water. It was equipped with the optional backup lamps, and the license plate was a 1955 issue from Illinois.
Out on the beach with a blanket, a couple of cans of “Regal”, some sunshade, and possibly a portable radio, although it seems a few years early for one of those. Behind the trio was a 1955 Mercury Montclair convertible with a 1957 Ohio license plate. This was the debut year for the Montclair. To the right was a 1953 Pontiac Chieftain De Luxe 2 door sedan, the second one today. Between the two was the right front corner of a 1957 Chevrolet, and on the left edge was a 1956 Chevrolet.
We are back on Daytona Beach, in front of the Reef, where a lady was standing with a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air 4 door sedan. She was color coordinated with the car, and appeared to be looking down the beach.
Taking a nap in a parking lot seems like a good way to get run over, possibly by the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible she was next to. The Bel Air was blinged out with dual rear antennas, continental kit, and fender skirts. On the other side of it was a black 1960 Pontiac Catalina or Star Chief 4 door sedan, followed by a two tone 1952-1954 Ford sedan, and a white over grey 1959 Pontiac facing out. Further down was a tan 1958 Cadillac coupe.
Here is a different type of beach, with a lady out in the wind standing next to a 1960 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe with V8 power. It had a California license plate with what appeared to be a 1960 tab (black), so it was close to new at that time. The Impala became Chevrolet’s most popular series in 1960, where it stayed through the decade and beyond.
A 1964 Pontiac Bonneville Sports Coupe was taking a rest while its occupants were playing in the water. It had baby moon hub caps and a 1966 Iowa license plate issued in Linn County (if I am reading the stacked county code correctly as “57”), where the seat is Cedar Rapids. The Sports Coupe was the least expensive Bonneville with a base list price of $3358, which included a manual transmission and no power equipment.
We are likely back at Daytona Beach, where a 1974 Pontiac LeMans 2 door Colonnade Hardtop was enjoying the ocean view. This was the entry level mid size Pontiac during this era, and it was missing a door molding. The early glued on plastic trim did not hold up well in the elements.
This must have been a Chevrolet only beach, with 1970 model cars and 1964-1966 model trucks. In the foreground was an Impala 4 door sedan, and to the left was a Kingswood wagon. The trucks were a C/K series Fleetside in the foreground, and a Panel further back. Of course, either of them could have been a GMC.
And we will finish back at Daytona Beach with a photo that was shot in nearly the same location as image #10. This image looks like it was taken earlier, on a busier day, and you can see all of the white tall building. Plus it was also Chevrolet dominant.
The first two were 1973 models; a grey Impala with a little fender damage, and a maroon Monte Carlo. The white car was a 1968 Chevy II Nova 4 door sedan with a vinyl roof, damaged doors, and a body with sunburnt feet on the hood. Beyond it was a 1951-1953 Advanced Design pickup with a rack and a couple of motorcycles in the bed. And behind it and facing this way was another Monte Carlo, this one a 1970-1972 model.
Thanks for joining us and have a great day!
The “creamsicle look” was a thing even in the inter-war years, a period more colorful that is often imagined because color photography was rare until the mid-1930s. To celebrate the success of the 917 “turbo-panzers” in the 1972-1973 Can-Am series, Porsche did two runs of the 914 with Can-Am themed color schemes. Officially called 914 LE (Limited Edition), 500 were in Black (LO41) with Sunflower Yellow (L13K) highlights (code U1V) and 500 in a Light Ivory (L80E) & Phoenix Red (L32K) mix (code U2V9). The former were nicknamed “Bumblebee”, the latter, “Creamsicle”.
1974 Porsche 914 LEs (Bumblebee & Creamsicle) and 1929 Isotta Fraschini 8A SS Roadster Cabriolet by Castagna.
The picture taken at ” a different type of beach” looks like the Oregon coast. Much cooler temps and rocky terrain.
I always wonder why anyone would park near the ocean as the salty air promotes rapid rusting .
I also wonder if Florida’s beaches are somehow harder packed than other locations .
-Nate
Yes, quite obviously they are harder packed, Beaches vary based on the Geology of the sand, Much of Florida’s beach sands are made of quartz crystals, which pack very hard, unlike the sand we have on the West Coast.
These are great fun–the business of parking right there on Daytona Beach unknown to me. MERCURY PHOTO: portable radios got a whole lot smaller and cheaper with transistors, but the tube-powered ones predate this photo by more than a decade. “Radio News” of May 1948 has a similar-ish Westinghouse, and–of all things–a feature story about the profitability of renting such radios—especially at a vacation spot:
Yes, there were tube portable radios going back to the 1930s. And in the 1940s, miniature tubes allowed very small tube portables. In 1945 the Belmont Boulevard pocket radio was introduced; it measured a scant 3” X 6-1/4” X 5/8″. I didn’t realize they were built that small until I looked it up.
The hotdog vendor is still selling dogs on the beach in the same spot. Same as the Float rental behind him. They have closed parts of the beach to traffic now. The main part of the beach is hard enough to drive on but you can still get stuck in the soft stuff where they want you to park. Ask me how I know.. I got stuck in it last weekend.
The 74 LeMans was probably a few years old when the photo was taken. In addition to the missing molding, the black/red center emblems in the wheel covers were badly faded. It is painted the same Honduras Maroon as on my mother’s 74 Luxury LeMans.
Fun pictures. The white 1960 Impala coupe is a reminder of what a great job the stylists did in taming the wild 1959 by refining the fins and re-instating the much loved triple taillights in a beautiful rear “grille.” The front end was equally handsome. My uncle had a 60 Impala four-door hardtop in white over red and he was so proud of that car, it was constantly being washed and waxed.