Me And My Car – Vintage Photos 1950s-1960s

Text by Patrick Bell.

It has been said that people look like their dogs, and I think that can apply to their cars as well. Today’s gallery pairs people with their rides from the 1950s and 1960s, and in quite a few cases, the pairing seems surprisingly fitting. Take a look and see what you think.

We open with a man with a new-looking 1966 Buick LeSabre Sport Coupe that was equipped with a vinyl roof, remote-control mirror, full wheel covers, and had a New Jersey license plate.  Across the street in the garage on the right was a 1959 Chevrolet wagon.

Standard power for the LeSabre that year was a 340 cubic inch V8 with a 2 barrel carburetor and 220 horsepower.  Optional was the same engine with a 4 barrel carb and 260 hp.  Buick did offer larger engines on the full-size cars (401 & 425), but only on the Wildcat or Electra 225.

It looked like this guy was caught midway out of the 1951 or 1952 Oldsmobile 4 door sedan shown.  It could have been a Super 88, or a 1952 De Luxe 88, as there was little change between those two years.  It was optioned with two tone paint, sun visor, radio, and full wheel covers.

For 1951, the 303.7 ci Rocket V8 had 135 hp and was used in all three series.  Horsepower was boosted for 1952 with 145 for the 88, and 160 for the Super 88 and Ninety-Eight series.

This lady and her photographer friend were going on a skiing trip in a 1949 Cadillac Series Sixty-Two Touring Sedan that was equipped with a radio, fog lamps, chrome wheel discs, and a 1955 Ohio license plate.

The big news for 1949 was the completely new overhead valve 331 ci V8 with 160 hp.  A three speed manual transmission was standard, with Hydra-Matic Drive optional.

And a man with a 1954 Buick Special or Century 2 door Riviera hardtop on a windy day in a tropical climate.  It had two tone paint, a radio, rear-view mirror/spotlight combination, and full wheel covers.  A feed supply store was in the background.

The Fireball V8 made it to the Special series this year in a 264 ci version with 143 or 150 hp depending on transmission.  And the new Century model got the Roadmaster 322 ci that was boosted to 195 or 200 hp for 1954.

This man didn’t look too happy that his clean 1953 Ford Customline Fordor Sedan got all wet.  From what we can see, it was dressed nicely in two tone paint, and had an outside mirror, and what appeared to be baby moon hubcaps with trim rings, to go with the white wall tires.

For power it could have been outfitted with either the 215.3 ci Mileage Maker Six, or the last year of the 239.4 ci Strato Star Flathead V8.

Here was a water skiing couple and a two tone 1954 Buick Super convertible, with what appeared to be trim rings with the standard hubcaps.  The couple was just showing one of their water skis as the other was still in the back seat.

The Super series used a 177 or 182 hp version of the 322 Fireball V8 for power that year.

Shown here was a soldier leaning on a 1956 Mercury Custom Coupe with a 1957 New York license plate.  They were on an Army base with barracks in background.  It apparently was a day off when a few were working on their cars.

Other cars that can be ID’d are; on the left a 1952 Ford Customline Club Coupe or Tudor Sedan with the hood open, and further back was a blue 1950 Buick.  To the right was a 1951 or 1952 Dodge Meadowbrook or Coronet 4 door sedan.

Mr. X was posing in the driveway with his two tone 1955 Cadillac Series 62 Sedan or Series 60 Special that had “H.R.X” for a 1964 Ohio vanity plate.  It also had a round star badge mounted to the plate.  From the front, it looked good for a nine year old car.

By 1955, the 331 ci V8 introduced for 1949 had been boosted to 250 hp, and was in its last year in that size.

And a sharply dressed man with a sharp-looking two tone 1962 Lincoln Continental Sedan with a Massachusetts license plate.  It had an unusual color combination, plus all I recall on these was a single color.

This was the second year of an all new restyle that downsized the car and reduced the available models to two, with a convertible companion to the sedan.  The suicide rear door style would carry it through the decade.

Here was a man who was enjoying a drive on the beach in a 1965 Ford Country Sedan wagon.  The fender badge indicates it had the 352 Thunderbird V8 with 250 hp, along with a radio, remote-controlled outside mirror, and standard hubcaps to go with the narrow-band white walls.

The full size Fords had all new styling this year, while the powertrains were essentially carried over from the previous year.

A lady was about to enter the driver’s seat of a 1959 Ford Thunderbird Hardtop on a country lane.  This was the second year of the “Squarebird” style that was in a class of its own with no competition for a few more years.

The standard power was the 352 Thunderbird Special V8 with 300 hp, and optional was a 430 Thunderbird Special V8 with 350 hp.

This was a good car for a young man; a two tone 1955 Chevrolet Two-Ten 2 door sedan with some rust repair in the fender eyebrows, in an image that seems to date from the sixties, from the cars in the distance.

The 1955 Chevrolet was nearly all new, and was very popular with over 1.7 million copies made.  And it still is very popular.

This one looked like a mother and son who were posing with a two tone 1968 Buick Wildcat 4 door sedan.  From 1966 through 1970 the mid series Wildcat was the least popular full size Buick.

The standard and only engine available was a 430 ci V8 with 360 hp.  The transmission choices were a three speed manual, or the optional Super Turbine Automatic.

And a well dressed lady in red with a fur piece was smiling for a picture in February of 1969.  Behind her was a 1967 or 1968 Mercury Cougar.

The Cougar was Mercury’s pony car that debuted in 1967 and brought some life into the Mercury showrooms.  It had strong sales the first year, but they tapered off after that and did not match the first year until it became a full series in 1977.

A man and a boy were looking over a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda ‘Cuda Hardtop.  The hood scoops, lock pins, and driving lights were standard on the ‘Cuda, while the vinyl roof, dual Racing Mirrors, and Lemon Twist paint were all optional.

1970 brought a complete restyle, and the first Barracuda that did not show its Valiant roots.  A full slate of Plymouth engines were offered, from the Slant Six to the Hemi.  But it was too late, as the muscle car era was about over.  Sales for 1970 were the second best ever (the best was 1965), but after that they quickly fell off the cliff, and 1974 was the last year for the Plymouth pony car.

Thanks for joining us and have a great day!

 

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