Vintage Snapshots: Parking Lots In The ’60s & ’70s
– Posted on November 11, 2024
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What are the chances, two 1961 Olds parked together
It was an Oldsmobile Dealers convention.
My parents had a ‘61 Olds Dynamic 88 (bottom of the line) when I got my licence, so my first driving experience was in it. You are right that you rarely see them. Ours had the roofline like the one on the left, with the slight overhang on the back window.
Pic. # 1 is The Madonna Inn off SR101 in Ca.
The ’62 Ford two door in pic. #2 makes me sweat ~ I’m an idiot for ever selling the beige one I had with a 223 (?) i6, thee speed overdrive and add on AC from Arizona .
-Nate
I also recognized the Madonna Inn in photo no. 1
Me three. Alex Madonna was an interesting fellow.
The “64 Pontiac”, next to your “Ford” gets me going..lol
I’m almost certain pic # 5 was taken in Vancouver BC, ca 1972. Couldn’t have been much later since the little green Firenza has not yet rusted out or caught fire. The rest of the imports in this shot were still seen on our roads a decade later but not those.
I really enjoy these little collections of everyday life a generation or 2 ago with my morning coffee!
I wondered where this picture was, it features a lot more non North American cars than the other pictures.
The Vauxhall Viva hb – which I assume is what you identify as Firenza – was doing well. They were replaced after 1970.
An HB with 4 headlamps, amazing – my UK one had only two feeble rectangular things.
The Viva HB was a big hit for Vauxhall worldwide.
The rectangular headlight frontage was used in the UK, Europe and all Asian export markets.
A single round headlight treatment was found on the Aussie Holden Torana HB and the four headlamp look was unique to the Canadian market.
The HB was sold as Vauxhalls via Pontiac and Buick dealers while a slightly differentiated variant – the Envoy Epic – was available from Chevrolet and Oldsmobile outlets.
The HB was second only to the VW Beetle in import sales in Canada.
However, as some other commentators have stated, they weren’t that reliable or durable in Canadian conditions.
You are correct, that is a Viva and not a Firenza. I don’t think it makes a great deal of difference though, neither model held up well in these parts and were pretty much extinct by ’75 or so.
That one is in remarkable shape given that it would have to be at least a year old when this photo was taken!
Definitely Vancouver – the high-rise to the left is the BC Electric Building.
Times sure have changed! CARS with few other vehicles. Today it’s hard to find any CARS in a parking lot amid the BLOATED SUVS and Crossovers. Like many of the companies shown on signs, cars are unfortunately Gone With the Wind.
I like that second shot outside of the Oakland Colosseum. The four blue cars in a row reinforce how similar paint schemes trend across all the makes. Just like now, where every other vehicle is either charcoal gray or champagne white.
Besides those four cars, every other car in that picture IS either gray or white…
It is weird how blues (’60s) and browns (’70s) have all but disappeared.
A friend had a Tempest almost exactly like the one in the second pic. A very common color back then.
Can anyone identify the stadium in photo no. 2?
It’s the Oakland Coliseum.
My favorite is photo #2 with the 500 series AC Transit fishbowl in the Coliseum parking lot.
The last picture is from Orlando. The Skyline Restaurant was one of the Orlando Airport’s restaurants, and the sign’s lettering style matches the lettering in this matchbook from that restaurant:
My pick of the pictures is the one with the middle-aged couple standing in the foreground. They look so happy. Perhaps the children are grown and obviously their health is good. So, travel! Do it while you can.
I’m struggling to identify the black foreign car in #3, behind the Pontiac. Hmm….
What about a Renault?
“Ole Volvo”?
I think it’s a Riley 2.6 the BMC re-engineered Pathfinder, identified because of the revised taillights.
https://www.handh.co.uk/auction/lot/47-1959-riley-26-saloon/?lot=58629&sd=1
Yes it is. Thanks.
More great photos.
#1 Starting at the right lower corner a ’64 Impala SS, ’68 Dodge Monaco wagon, ’70 Buick Electra 225. The back row starting on the left a Ford Maverick, two tone ’56 Buick, ’65 or ’66 Mustang, white Karmann Ghia. Moving to the row in front of the building a blue Valiant?, light yellow Karmann Ghia, not sure, ’60 Buick 2 door, ’62 Falcon 4 door sedan, red VW Beetle, white ’65 Rambler Classic 550 4 door sedan, ’62 Impala Sport Coupe, white over dark red ’65 Cutlass 2 door, ’71 Chrysler New Yorker, perhaps a ’66 Oldsmobile 88.
#2 Oakland right lower corner ’60 or ’61 Valiant wagon, ’66 Olds 98, sharp ’64 Pontiac Tempest Custom Coupe, sweet looking ’62 Galaxie 500 Club Sedan, ’66 Impala Sport Coupe, ’59 Impala Sport Coupe, ’63 Pontiac Bonneville Sports Coupe. Across the parking lot in the center a white ’61 Impala Sport Coupe, ’58 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan, ’63 Impala 4 door sedan. Facing this way a ’62 – ’64 Chevy II, ’64 or ’65 Rambler American 2 door hardtop, ’66 Dodge Polara 4 door hardtop, ’64 Cadillac.
#3 Right to left a ’61 Olds 98 Town Sedan, ’61 Olds Dynamic or Super 88 Celebrity Sedan, ’63 Pontiac Catalina Sports Coupe, black car has me stumped as well, white over dark red may be a ’60 Buick. To the left of the lady a white ’61 Cadillac, ’64 Cadillac, wagon I’m not sure about, the nose of a ’63 Buick Special, white ’63 Pontiac, ’57 Plymouth Belvedere 4 door sedan, white ’63 Olds 98.
#4 Left lower corner a ’69 Malibu Sport Coupe, ’67 Cutlass Holiday Coupe, ’64 Olds Dynamic 88 Holiday Coupe, ’64 Plymouth Valiant 100 4 door sedan, ’65 Impala 4 door. Second row on the left ’69 Buick Skylark Sport Coupe, ’63 Impala convertible, ’67 Chrysler Newport 2 door hardtop, ’62 Chevrolet Bel Air 4 door sedan, VW Beetle, ’68 Chrysler facing this way, ’66 Cadillac, ’69 Cadillac.
#5 Vancouver left side Datsun 411, through and behind it looks like a ’73 Olds 88, to the left a ’62 Mercury Comet 4 door sedan and a ’71 or ’72 Pontiac Tempest or LeMans. Middle row ’70 Buick Skylark Sport Coupe, Vauxhall Viva, red VW Beetle, blue ’68 Chevrolet full size. Third row gold ’68 Ford Galaxie 500, ’70 Olds 88. on the street two VW campers possibly Westphalia’s, ’68 or ’69 Malibu Sport Coupe, red Vega or Astre in the background, Ford Econoline van, white VW Beetle, white Toyota Corolla.
#6 At the beach left side a ’69 Plymouth Fury I, ’68 or ’69 VW camper, ’74 Buick LeSabre sedan, Volvo 144, ’76 – ’80 Dodge Aspen Special Edition wagon, ’73 Buick Electra 225 4 door, further down the nose of a ’77 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser as featured earlier today. On the right side I see a gold Ford Granada or Mercury Monarch, green ’73 Plymouth Fury, blue ’73 or ’74 Ford LTD. At the end a Chevrolet pickup and wagon.
#7 Looks like 1979. On the left a white ’77 – ’79 Chrysler Lebaron sedan, red ’78 – ’81 Camaro, two ’78 – ’81 Ford Fairmont Futura’s in the back ground, white ’78 – ’80 Cutlass Supreme coupe, blue ’78 to ’80 Pontiac Grand Prix, three ’79 -’82 Ford LTD’s, a brown ’79 Impala sedan and a white ’79 Caprice coupe at the curbs.
That’s it for me. Thanks for the photos.
Desirous of that Monaco wagon!
Dad had a 67 Polara sedan (and then a ’73)
But I always liked the Monacos better.