Happy folks at Moosic Motors Ford, Moosic, PA.
’52 Fords in the showroom, and some interested parties.
1953 Customline delivery, and some curious eye exchanges there.
The ’56 Fords looking rather dramatic at night at McCafferty Ford, Langhorne, PA.
Fun times with a ’56 Thunderbird at Vad Jelton Ford, Oakland, CA.
’60 Thunderbirds at Pulliam Motor Co., in Columbia, SC.
’61 wagons in the showroom, “Beautifully built for savings”, at Midway Ford, St. Paul, MN.
The men of Beaudry Ford in Atlanta, with the ’63 models.
’64 models at Edgewood Motor Co, Michigan City, IN.
New Mustangs in the back lot.
“Race on Sunday, sell on Monday…”
It’s at least 1971 in this shot, but with lots of 1960s cars still around, and the Folks of Wray Bros. in Bossier City, LA, would like to get you into a new Maverick. Or a used Mustang. Your choice?
Got to love the 50s Dealerships. TV ads I recall From Chicago. Jim Moran, The Courtesy Man at Courtesy Ford. Looking Over a 4 leaf clover at 1-2-3-4 Man Motors. Can’t forget Marty and Betty urging people to *Come on Down to Town Rambler* for free gifts including MICKLEBARYS *The only Baloney we hand out at Town Rambler *
Jim Moran was a Hudson dealer earlier. He sold more Hudsons than anyone else, so he was able to influence Hudson’s management. Supposedly his influence spoiled the original Jet design because Moran wanted it to look more like a GM product. It certainly did look more like a compressed Olds than a Hudson.
I always thought the Hudson Jets looked like 7/8 scale `53 Fords with Olds taillights! LOL
notice that customers and dealer people are all dressed up . Now most people go out looking like they just crawled from under a rock or tar pit. THe cars show that not every sale was the top of line car. Now its rare to see a restored bottom or mid line model car restored
Picture #3 (1953 Customline with curious eye exchanges) was taken at Bob Cooke Ford in Arlington, Texas. I was able to ID the location by the business across the street – Lee Davidson Grocery & Meats.
Both buildings are still standing – below is a then-and-now image of the former Grocery building.
Google StreetView link below – if you swing around you can see the former Ford dealership building, and the showroom bump-out that’s visible in the vintage photo. The dealership building’s glass has all been covered up, but it’s the same building.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/piFgTUQ1xGbHiU9H6
Both men in spats and slightly wild ties. Now whether I would buy a car, from the fellow, in the middle, with wandering eyes, remains to be seen.
Spats ? I reckon those are two-tone shoes !
Great! I had great hopes you would find the location on that one.
Memorable Detroit Ford dealer jingle:
(everybody knew it!)
Stay on the Right Track,
to 9 Mile & Mack,
Roy O’Brien trucks and cars,
make your money back!
Roy O’Brien’s got them buyin’ & buyin’,
they come from many miles away!
You’ll save yourself a lot of dollars,
dollars,by driving out his way today!
[So] Stay on the Right Track
to 9 Mile & Mack,
to get the best deal in town,
‘Cause Roy O’Brien’s has the best deal around!
I grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, across the Red River from Bossier City. I remember Wray Ford quite well, and its Shreveport competitor, Bill Hanna Ford. I don’t remember Wray Ford’s advertising, but Hanna Ford had the brilliant tag line “ You CAN afford a Hanna Ford!”
These dealerships full of cars reminds me that when I was a young man….many, many years ago, one of the highlights of my year was the unveiling of the new cars every fall. My friend’s Dad would take my friend and I from dealer to dealer to check out the new models and grab brochures on them all. We would pick our dream car for that year after hours of looking at those brochures. Great memories!
Good looking cars these .
-Nate
1961 was the last year for the 2-door Ford Ranch Wagon.
Who knew there was a “Moosic PA”?
Incidentally, the sign in the window (on the left of the image) is for a 1961 sales promotion sponsored by an organization of Lackawanna County car dealers (that’s where the borough of Moosic is located). The promotion was called:
Drive America to Prosperity – You AUTO Buy Now!
The promotion included (supposedly) sale prices and low financing rates… and prizes. I assume the photo was taken as part of that promotion.
Looks like it had a dirt parking lot. Just what you want when picking up your new Ford.
Maybe more like shale. This is in the middle of former coal mining country (my Grandfather was a miner in the Wyoming valley nearby). In 1959 they ended up digging under the Susquehanna river in Port Griffin, many miners drowned, and probably was the end of the coal mines in the area (which was the big business there) so 1961 would have been right afterward. Moosic is nearby to Scranton, which used to be in the locomotive business (makes sense, being close to coal, a lot of locomotives used to be coal fired).
We never lived closer than about a 4 hour drive, but my Dad bought his new ’69 Country Squire at Luzurne motors (Luzurne is the county next to Lackawana County) after my Uncle had bought a new ’69 LTD 4 door hardtop at the same dealership.
My youngest Cousin got married in Moosic…unfortunately, it didn’t take, he’s since divorced. I think it was the most recent marriage I’ve attended, and that was back in 2011. Other than going back for funerals (one of which was my Dad’s, we live 1700 miles away but he’s buried in the valley) that was the most recent trip we’ve made to the valley…from 1989 to 2011 I think we averaged every other year, and sometimes every year a trip back.
McCafferty Ford also had a store in Hamilton Square NJ later to be Haldeman Ford. Pop was some distant kin to McCaffertys, said years ago they were horse thieves, than laugh and say they still are!
Interesting pic is the one with the GT40. They were not for sale to general public, so I wonder what dealer got one on their showroom floor???
There was a street version, for homologation purposes, but they were very rare: https://robbreport.com/motors/cars/1966-ford-gt40-mk-1-road-car-mecum-auctions-1236137976/
The McCaffrey Ford dealership is still in Langhorne PA,
It’s part of the Fred Beans Auto Group.
I thought I recognized the Oakland Ford dealer shot due to the church on the left which I knew was Broadway. Once driven many times south bound from Highway 24 to downtown. Ford dealer still there called Uptown Ford.
Like the view, out the window, in that “Oakland CA” pic.
In several of these pics the plainest model, Mainline or Custom 300, is at the front of the display. Nice to see dealers attracting cheapskates instead of grudgingly bringing out the dull stuff as a last resort.
I love the next to last shot of the new 67s.
I can only imagine the elation felt by every Ford dealer in the country when the Mustangs started flying out of their showrooms.
Just been looking at all the old pictures of cars in various situations and have came to notice there is a lack diversity in these pictures. Please don’t get it wrong all Americans have a love for our great motor history I’m asking just to integrate all Americans with our great car history! Proud American here hoping I get this message across. Thanks
Don’t remember the car dealerships until later years of 1970s but in the 60’s I remember my parents having a 1966 Pontiac Catalina wagon and going to Yosemite and Big Bear with it And one he has loaner a white GTO while was being worked on It was great looking car and still is Man I love to go back in time and see those cars brand new
As an auto broker for 30 + years, used to do a lot of business with what was Broadway Ford in Oakland in the 90s – 2000s. Same building as pointed out standing today. Across 26th St that huge residential building used to be a great 24 hour restaurant, Biff’s Coffee Shop. Lots of interesting characters coming in and out of that place, mixed with the dealership and customer clientele!
RWCC – Thanks for the Roy O’Brien jingle. I bought my first car there – a new 1976 Ford Torino, silver with a red vinyl landau top with opera windows. Total cost of $4,160 out the door including taxes. Great memories!