Didn't Sky King on the old 50's TV series drive a 55 or 56 Chrysler wagon when he wasn't flying the Songbird? Later on I seem to remember him getting a 57 or 58 Chrysler wagon on the show.
As for pushbutton trannies, I recall 55 Mopars having a lever on the dash but 56's moving to pushbuttons - any exceptions?
Wow! Sky King!! I think I had a crush on his niece Penny....
I did find a pic of a red '55 Chrysler wagon id'd as The Sky King car (as well as a pic of a '59 Buick Estate Wagon as the new Sky King car!).
I believe all Mopar automatics went from the '55 dash lever to pushbuttons in '56 and stayed with the buttons right through '64.
Funny memory - I had a '59 Chrysler and remember when someone was tailgating I could push the 'R' button in halfway and blind them with my backup lights!
The "R" steering wheel gives it away - '64 Buick Riviera. Looks kind of oddly optioned - it's got AC and the old-style trip odometer stalk hanging from under the dash, but CRANK windows???
I think the '63-'65 Rivieras (along with the Corvettes) were the best looking American cars of the times.
This looks like a '63. I believe '63 and '64 steering wheels were the same (straight across trim) EXCEPT that in '63 it said 'Riviera' in the middle and in '64 there was just a very prominent "R". The '65 had the cross trim angled down towards the wheel. I know, kind of 'wonky'......
1951 Packard Mayfair. 1959 Chevrolet Parkwood station wagon. 1956 Ford. 1960 Chevrolet Bel Air or Biscayne sedan. 1962 Dodge Dart. 1964 Mercury Might be a 1963 Chevrolet behind the Mercury. 1962 Buick.
Don't know what the little car in the street is. A Hillman maybe?
based on what the domestics were putting out in the early 60s, it probably felt like a fish out of water back then too.
I felt the same way about the 1969 Volvo my parents bought new. Compared to the full-size ford and chevy mastodon wagons many families were tooling around in back then, it was like we were from Mars.
Luckily for it (and a contributor as to why it still exists), it was sold new in LA, so it had some relatives on the roads to make it feel less homesick :shades: ...but had the car been sold in the midwest or in a small town, no doubt it would have looked kind of odd.
A lot of Fintails and Pontons were brought back to the US by servicemen returning from European tours. A good many of 'em ended up in odd places. I knew an old guy in Hillsdale, NY who ran a Fintail (220S?)
It looks more like a Fiat 1200. Although hugely popular abroad not too many Millecentos made it to the States but the 1200 sold a bit here. My FIL had an 1100 while he was in Europe and liked it so much he bought a 1200 back in trhe US. My wife learned to drive on it (four on the tree!).
I see them selling to servicemen, as well as professors, doctors, engineers, etc, but not the local social climber unlike today.
Yes indeed. One of my father's colleagues (veterinary researcher) was sent over to Germany for a couple of months in the mid-60s when the firm bought a company there. He came home with a fintail 220SE that had the speedometer calibrated in kph. His driving age (just) son liked to take people out in it and show them its 'high speed capability' (see, I'm going 100 and it feels like I'm going 60). He could keep some people going for a while as long as there was no other traffic on the road to compare speed with.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
Well, they did have sports car performance :shades:
But yeah, one of these was good for maybe 105-110 tops, with everything running right and all the stars aligned - and once you hit 90 or so, it takes forever to get to another mph. A 300SE fintail could do more, but those were rare even then. The speedometer is also optimistic. Still, if one was to spend say 3 hours going 80-90, this would be one of the best cars of the period to do it in.
Oh yeah. Even at the tender age of 16 or so and sitting in the passenger's seat I could tell that it was something special. I never got to drive it, but just the sound of the doors closing and the feel of the controls was enough. I did get to drive my mother's cousin's 190D a few later, and it had the same qualities. The speedometer on that one was, of course, calibrated in calendar days.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
I recall that Mr Drysdale's secretary, Miss Hathaway, drove a 62 Dodge Polara convertible on the Beverly Hillbillies. I can see how people can get confused though because I think Dodge rushed out a slightly face-lifeted 62 Custom 880 (or some such moniker) based on the Chrysler Newport after the downsized 62's debacle.
It impressed me as very exotic in the best of ways. In addition to the precision of the build and the controls, it was so focused on the job at hand; to transport people. This, of course, was still a time when styling and image were the dominant priorities in domestic cars.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
It looks very nice. In white the least flaw shows and this actually is a nice car in my opinion. Stock wheel covers and all. The emblem on the fender says it has a larger motor in it. I'm guessing a 352 cu in?
That first pic is like a late 70s/early 80s flashback. Hot rod Model A, typical custom tri-Chevy, 33 Ford (probably a glass body), 70s style custom Vette...all it needs is a T-Bucket.
Because of the fender flags, that must be the K series 289, 271 Hp.
The car is a 1965 Ford Fairlane 500 with an A-code 289 V8 . IIRC just about all Fairlane and Mustang V8s wore those badges but the K-Code 271 HP V8s got a version which read "high Performance" over the numbers >
I can't recall if any '65 Fairlanes got the 390 V8, Mustangs didn't get it until '67. Those had Black Thunderbird badges reading "390"
Because of the fender flags, that must be the K series 289, 271 Hp. :surprise:
Not sure why but it reminds me of the +90 y/o Florida lady with the '64 Mercury Comet "Chariot." She claimed to have driven that car up to 120 mph and once got a speeding ticket for 92 mph in a 55 zone.
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
"I think the Plymouth convertible is a 66?" It sure is!!! Reminds me of how good most all of the '66 convertibles looked. I still remember drooling over a used '66 Ford 7 litre Convertible at a local dealer while i was in college (I know, shoulda, woulda, coulda...)
Got all but its not a mustang. I'll post a picture of the vehicle beyond the Corvette when I get home from work.
As for the Outlaw, it is a real World of Outlaws Sprint Car that has been fully converted to street legal. I've seen 2 of them, the yellow one here and a red one.
I like that 66 Ford. I really liked the C pillar effect on the coupe that year. For 66, I liked the Ford over the Plymouth and the Chevy. I never got into that squared off thing with the Caprice that year - much preferred the 65 Impala over it. But as you note, the mid sixties put out a lot of great looking stuff.
Good guess Magnette but it 's the similar looking Lancia Ardea. The Ardea was smaller than the Aprilia and had some advanced features including a 903cc V4 engine and beginning in 1948, the first five speed trans offered in a mass production car.
For some reason many were made with RHD even though, by decree of Il Duce himself, Italians drove on the right side of the road.
Comments
">
As for pushbutton trannies, I recall 55 Mopars having a lever on the dash but 56's moving to pushbuttons - any exceptions?
I did find a pic of a red '55 Chrysler wagon id'd as The Sky King car (as well as a pic of a '59 Buick Estate Wagon as the new Sky King car!).
I believe all Mopar automatics went from the '55 dash lever to pushbuttons in '56 and stayed with the buttons right through '64.
Funny memory - I had a '59 Chrysler and remember when someone was tailgating I could push the 'R' button in halfway and blind them with my backup lights!
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I think the '63-'65 Rivieras (along with the Corvettes) were the best looking American cars of the times.
I quite agree, the interior styling (which doesn't show it's best in black) is one of the nicest of the era too.
I'm curious as to how you could get the exact year from an interior shot, can you nail this one?>
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
MUCH LARGER, way more cars!
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
1959 Chevrolet Parkwood station wagon.
1956 Ford.
1960 Chevrolet Bel Air or Biscayne sedan.
1962 Dodge Dart.
1964 Mercury
Might be a 1963 Chevrolet behind the Mercury.
1962 Buick.
Don't know what the little car in the street is. A Hillman maybe?
Fun to see what streets looked like when my fintail was new. It must feel like a fish out of water today.
I felt the same way about the 1969 Volvo my parents bought new. Compared to the full-size ford and chevy mastodon wagons many families were tooling around in back then, it was like we were from Mars.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I see them selling to servicemen, as well as professors, doctors, engineers, etc, but not the local social climber unlike today.
Yes indeed. One of my father's colleagues (veterinary researcher) was sent over to Germany for a couple of months in the mid-60s when the firm bought a company there. He came home with a fintail 220SE that had the speedometer calibrated in kph. His driving age (just) son liked to take people out in it and show them its 'high speed capability' (see, I'm going 100 and it feels like I'm going 60). He could keep some people going for a while as long as there was no other traffic on the road to compare speed with.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
But yeah, one of these was good for maybe 105-110 tops, with everything running right and all the stars aligned - and once you hit 90 or so, it takes forever to get to another mph. A 300SE fintail could do more, but those were rare even then. The speedometer is also optimistic. Still, if one was to spend say 3 hours going 80-90, this would be one of the best cars of the period to do it in.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
I recall that Mr Drysdale's secretary, Miss Hathaway, drove a 62 Dodge Polara convertible on the Beverly Hillbillies. I can see how people can get confused though because I think Dodge rushed out a slightly face-lifeted 62 Custom 880 (or some such moniker) based on the Chrysler Newport after the downsized 62's debacle.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Line-up
Almost looks like an advertisement with grandma standing there...lol.
This one is actually Street Legal and you can barely make it out in the Line-up picture.
Odie
Top photo L to R:
-1955 Chevrolet, '34 Ford Street rod, '29-'31 Ford Model A street rod, '62 Corvette, '65-'66 Mustang.
Middle photo 1967-'68 Plymouth Fury
Last photo- I doubt anyone knows but it sure wouldn't be street legal around here, headlights are mounted too low.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Worst part is she's saying to herself:
"I should *NEVER* have sold my Fury to buy asbestos siding!"
It looks very nice. In white the least flaw shows and this actually is a nice car in my opinion. Stock wheel covers and all. The emblem on the fender says it has a larger motor in it. I'm guessing a 352 cu in?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Because of the fender flags, that must be the K series 289, 271 Hp.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The car is a 1965 Ford Fairlane 500 with an A-code 289 V8 . IIRC just about all Fairlane and Mustang V8s wore those badges but the K-Code 271 HP V8s got a version which read "high Performance" over the numbers >
I can't recall if any '65 Fairlanes got the 390 V8, Mustangs didn't get it until '67. Those had Black Thunderbird badges reading "390"
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Not sure why but it reminds me of the +90 y/o Florida lady with the '64 Mercury Comet "Chariot." She claimed to have driven that car up to 120 mph and once got a speeding ticket for 92 mph in a 55 zone.
As for the Outlaw, it is a real World of Outlaws Sprint Car that has been fully converted to street legal. I've seen 2 of them, the yellow one here and a red one.
Odie
Mercury Cougar?
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Good guess Magnette but it 's the similar looking Lancia Ardea. The Ardea was smaller than the Aprilia and had some advanced features including a 903cc V4 engine and beginning in 1948, the first five speed trans offered in a mass production car.
For some reason many were made with RHD even though, by decree of Il Duce himself, Italians drove on the right side of the road.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93