All shots were taken by WBAP-TV at Forth Worth, in 1962. Images from the Texas History Project.
Vintage Dealer Snapshots: Chrysler Products in Texas, 1962
– Updated on August 3, 2025
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Mid City Chrysler is offering a free Las Vegas vacation with the purchase of (some model of) hardtop. What a deal! I also note that they offered Simca. Google tells me that Mid City Chrysler was located at 333 E Division St, Arlington, TX, and the building still stands as an auto body shop.
Arlington is located midway between Dallas and Fort Worth (probably where the name came from). I don’t feel like Simca would have been very popular in that area.
Looks to be a Simca 9 Aronde on the righthand side of the Midway photo parked on the lawn.
I’m sure the Mopar mechanics scratched their heads when it come time for repairs.
Makes you wonder if they ever had delivered (or sold) a U.S. market Vedette for the 15 minutes Chrysler imported them…
Here’s a print ad for the same promotion… a 2-night trip to Las Vegas with the purchase of a Chrysler, Plymouth or Imperial hardtop.
Someone mentioned in a prior post that Chrysler was the first to standardize its signage for dealerships. I guess these photos predate that edict.
Great fun to see these, including Ransom’s thermometer. Below is a current photo of that site, and there’s some more history here: https://historicfortworth.org/property/packardh-b-ransom-motors-seventh/
Chrysler makes the Imperial a separate make for 1955 and yet despite their efforts and money spent marketing, Skyland has a sign on the pole that reads Chrysler Imperial in 1962. The signage on the roof isn’t any better. Chrysler Imperial spelled right out. Chrysler should have had second billing and the two names should have been on opposite sides of the building.
Great observation, but I notice on the lower sign across the top of the building, there are dots between Imperial / Chrysler, “Shyland” and then Plymouth / Valiant which made me wonder is they are just listing their “brands” so I checked and Wikipedia for Valiant, and it claim that “For the 1962 model year, the Valiant returned without Plymouth branding but was sold only in Plymouth Chrysler, Chrysler Dodge, or the rare standalone Plymouth dealerships.”
Nice pictures .
-Nate
Looks like they had quite a few conquest sales at the time.
Ft. Worth, always brings to mind…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcDBl_-OiQM&ab_channel=SteveEarle-Topic
I love the building with the thermometer.
A car dealer named Ransom would have been a natural for an Oldsmobile franchise (with the name of Oldsmobile’s founder being Ransom E. Olds).
The Vegas giveaway with a hardtop promo is interesting – why hardtops? Chrysler brands of the time always seemed to have a low take-rate on hardtops (vs. sedans), so maybe the dealer was overstocked or Chrysler was offering a promotion to move them?
My thoughts also when i saw that name..
Hmm…1962…up the road the movie “HUD” was being filmed that year in Claude Tx. Hud Bannon drove a ’58 Cadillac, but I think his Dad Homer drove a ’59 Dodge truck.
From Ft. Worth, you could route through Archer City, where Larry McMurtry was from on the way up to Claude if you wanted.