Text by Patrick Bell.
Real cars and real people is our focus today and there is a good variety of images to look over. It is always fun to try to figure out how the people fit together so take a look and see what you think.
Our first image was quite a group, perhaps three generations of the same family. They were posing in front of a 1954 Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe sedan that looked fairly close to new. It was a warm late winter or early spring day.
Above, we see two adults and two young boys along with a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air 2-door sedan, with curb feelers to protect those nice whitewalls. It may have been a city dweller visiting the rural folks.
This one looks like a young family with Grandpa. Perhaps Grandma was the photographer. Also in the shot was a 1953 Ford Customline Fordor sedan equipped with a V8 and the optional fender skirts. This was the last year for the Flathead V8, originally introduced in 1932.
Above, a 1956 Studebaker Champion or Commander 4-door sedan from Pennsylvania was traveling with its people to a warm location — perhaps a beach, going by the lady’s attire and everyone’s sun tan. Parked to the left was a 1952 Buick Super Riviera sedan.
Another view of the car and this location was seen previously HERE.
This image was very colorful, with the low sun and all the different shades. Four cheerful ladies were sitting on a 1957 Buick Special Estate Wagon with a roof rack and ladder. A 1951 Chrysler Windsor club coupe was parked to the right.
Lincoln had a restyle for 1956, and this coupe, of either Capri or Premiere trim, looked good in the popular Coral color. It had a California license plate, and the neighborhood looked very typical for the time. This group appeared to be having fun.
Another typical neighborhood with people that looked a little more serious. They were standing by a V8-powered 1958 Chevrolet Bel Air 4-door sedan, with a 1961 Mercury Comet 2-door sedan across the street. The lady in green had her arms full of something.
Change was underway in this neighborhood, with a new building going up across from the old Rexall drug store. This group was traveling in a 1962 Ford Galaxie 500 Town Victoria with the standard hub caps. Behind it was a 1960 Plymouth Fury 4-door sedan, and across the street was someone’s rolling project, a 1954 Buick. Plus the blur of a 1956 Cadillac was passing by to the right of the pole. I will leave the bus ID for one of our bus gurus.
The youngster was having a good time, even if no one else was. They were posing with a red 1964 Mercury Montclair Marauder 2-door hardtop, perhaps a new one with the buyer’s tag in the windshield. The grass and trees were nice and green, so it was likely a summer day.
Next, we have a pair of 1963 Pontiacs with a man who looks like he had busted a few knuckles in his day, along with his family. In the foreground was a white over gold Grand Prix with a matching white and gold interior. A close look reveals it was a three-pedal version, which in this case meant a four-speed. It also had the factory tachometer on the left side of the dash, what appeared to be chrome wheels with spinner centers, and a buyer’s tag on the rear. On the other side of it was a white Tempest Le Mans Coupe with the standard hub caps.
We will close today with a shot of Grandma and her funny hat, who appeared to be out visiting the younger generations in her 1962 Rambler Classic Deluxe 4 door sedan. It had a Connecticut license plate, and other than being a little dirty looked close to new. Parked to the right was a dump truck.
Thanks for joining us and have a great day!
First pic: wow, that’s a big family! Can they all fit in that car?
That’s Grandpa with his sleeves rolled up, son to his right, daughter-in-law to his left and their 3 kids. To the left is Grandmom and her daughter with her 3 kids, brother-in-law is taking the picture.
I always have to stop and think who’s behind the camera?
I love the picture of Mom and her 3 girls on the 57 Buick.
I remember riding with my aunt, uncle, their 3 kids, and my grandmother in my their 69 Delta 88 on more than one occasion. The norm was my youngest cousin in the middle up front and 4 abreast on those diamond embossed clear vinyl seat covers over the factory cloth.
That said this pic looks like one of those taken when family from out of the area has come to visit and are getting ready to take off. So the whole clan lined up with them for the parting picture. I know I was lined up for a few of those types of pictures when I was a kid.
I see Grandma and Grandpa, the people being visited? Mom and Dad with their 3? 4? kids, possibly the people visiting as I’m getting the vibe that he is the Chrysler Man. The (still living in town?) sister with her 3? 2? kids. Maybe the person behind the camera is her husband?
In Austria back in the ’50s, we did that with at least that many adults and kids, piling into a big old American taxi sedan for an outing on a special occasion, like this confirmation outing. And my father wasn’t in the picture, as he took it.
The kids sat on the laps.
Rich, you did it again. Great photos with funny comments. Plus, you find details such as the four-speed Grand Prix. I got a kick out of your remark about the family in front of the Mercury Marauder and Grandma’s funny hat as she stand in front of her ’62 Rambler.
These pieces are a collaboration with Patrick doing the exceptional job identifying the details of the cars and providing the text.
Thanks to both of you for your kind words.
These photos bring back memories .
That ’62 Ford looks sharp in red .
-Nate
Had one. Ford called the color Chestnut. It was a very popular color on the 1962 models.
My 3 favorites —
The first one. That’s a family that’s proud of their new Chrysler (as they well should be!). Also, bonus points for how the three youngest kids are all messing with something that must have been some kind of identical gift. Looks like cans of something.
The second one. I’ll go with the idea that it was taken on a visit to the country-dwelling side of the family. Otherwise, someone needs to pry the JC Whitney catalog out of dad’s hands as those curb-feelers aren’t going to be much use out there in the hinterlands (and they look so dumb…says the guy whose dad routinely attached them to cars back in the 1960s).
The 1963 Pontiac…That cat must have been a treasured member of the family!
And a runner-up is the family in front of the 1962 Ford. This was snapped the second before mom grabbed the toddler’s shoulder to prevent him from dashing off to check out that 1960 Plymouth. If he survived, the kid has good taste 🙂
On the ’63 Grand Prix photo, I got a chuckle out of Patrick’s comment, “…a man who looks like he had busted a few knuckles in his day…”
Also cute to see the cat in the photo!
In 1960 and 1961 the car is not a Mercury Comet. It is just a Comet, though it was sold by Mercury dealers. The word Mercury first appears on the car with the 1962 model.
That is because it was designed as the baby Edsel, corresponding to Ford’s compact Falcon companion. Early mock up photos show it with E-D-S-E-L letters where the production car has C-O-M-E-T chrome. It was deliberately introduced for sale after the demise of the Edsel marque (which were also sold by Mercury/Lincoln dealers).
Very nice family photos with their cars. My favorite is the gold Pontiac where the little boy is holding his cat for the photo, of course the cat looks the other way. I can never get my cat to look at the camera, he get suspicious every time.
Pete is afraid you’ll recognize him from the wanted posters at the post office!
On the ’63 Grand Prix photo, I got a chuckle out of Patrick’s comment, “…a man who looks like he had busted a few knuckles in his day…”
Also cute to see the cat in the photo!
Picture #6: We’ve seen that one before in this series.
The boy looks like he could audition for “Thunder Road” in a year or two!
Next, we have a pair of 1963 Pontiacs with a man who looks like he had busted a few knuckles in his day, along with his family.
Actually when I first read this sentence, I felt sorry for his family as he busted a few knuckles along with his family. Then I saw the necessary comma.
We got to get “Eric703” to find the location “62 Ford”, pic. Love that “Merc Marauder”!
I tried! Couldn’t come up with a location on that one.
t/y for the try.
That last shot of the Rambler Classic Deluxe could have been me and my sister back in the day. Our Rambler was Band-Aid beige, but otherwise very similar. I always liked the round taillights, they remind me of a 2002.
Also, doesn’t “Classic Deluxe” sound like a hamburger?
Nice to see photos of folks before corporations owned every aspect of life and made life suck. Those aren’t fake smiles like we have to make for our work teams chat photos now. When these photos are posted I always wonder where those cars and people are now. Is that car part of my new electric can opener? Is that kid the parent or kin of my new pcp? OK, I’ll leave the rabbit hole now. Love these old pics, please keep them coming and remind us that life didn’t always suck. Once upon a time, corporations were kept in check. Will never happen again thanks to Citizens United ruling. Oh well.