Cars, the Old Stuff

Many of the old car pictures in this blog have cycled down into the archives. Just click the dates down below my profile over on the left side.
Howard

I'm guessing that these two cars are about 1936 models. The one on the left is a Buick and the one on the right might be an Oldsmobile. That is definately a 1947 Cushman model 52 in the middle.

Thet's me on the scooter. The Chrysler looks like an 1946 -'48, but the owner told me it was a 1949. Most 49's don't look like that, but a few were built with the left-over bodies. The Cushman is a '47 model.

These two little trucks are similar, but the red one was photographed in Rockport, Mass. and the green one in Loudon, Tn.

This picture was taken in Loudon, Tennessee, in 1997 on film. It shows grandson, Chris, with my Cushman scooter, and a Chevy club coupe. The car and scooter are both 1947 models and Chris is a 1988. He is about a yard taller now.

These pictures show a Covair Monza. It's about a 1963 model, I would guess.

Back in the late 1950, General Motors and other American auto manufacturers noticed a trend to small cars. The tiny beetlesque Volkswagen was very popular. It was fun to drive, had a look all its own, got good fuel economy, and just about anybody could afford to buy one. So GM decided to make their own version.

The Covair had an air-cooled, horizonally opposed engine in the back driving the rear tires, but it had six cylinders and although it was somewhat larger than a Volkswagen, it was smaller that American cars. Like the Volkswagen, the air-cooled engine was noisy, but it's position over the rear wheels gave it excellent traction in mud and snow. They enjoyed a period of popularity.

Corvairs were dealt a heavy blow when Ralph Nader wrote a book proclaiming them to be "Unsafe at Any Speed." Many people thought it was a bum rap. Rear-engine cars handle somewhat differently compared to front-engine cars, but most drivers adapted quickly. The few who didn't probably inspired Nadar's book.

This nicely restored Covair is a Monza, the sporty version. It appears to be a daily driver that is carefully maintained. To me, it's a sharp looking car.

In at least one rural area of East Tennessee, Volkswagen New Beetles out-number other cars. This picture was made behind a church.

It seemed like we were never going to see it in our own garage, but there it is. Scrool down past that 63'VW(the one on a trailer) and you will see some indoor shots of the'57 when it was not quite finished..
For more pictures go to my scooter site at http://www.scooterplace.blogspot.com
I put them there because more people know about that site.
Howard

These two pictures show an original, unrestored 1963 Volkswagen. Naturally there is a story behind it.

It was bought new in 1963, by an elderly lady who didn't drive very much. She took good care of it, kept it in her garage, and drove it a total of 28,000 miles. Then in 1967, she died. There was some kind of holdup in settling her estate, so there it sat until 2005. It has had an excellent cleanup and four new tires, but otherwise it is pretty much as it was found. The license plate is a 1967, the speedo shows 28,000, the interior is spotless and even the original tool kit is still there in the trunk.

Unfortunately, it doesn't belong to me. Do you ever wonder why we can't all stumble on something like this from time to time?
Howard