My favorite was one of the Chevys from the early to middle 50s, the ones that seemed so large that you could stand on the transmission hump and let your crew-cut brush the headliner...go to the drive-in and complain that you couldn't see the movie because of the split windshield (it was even worse when the car had the outside sun visor). I used to love to stretch out across the back window for the ride home and watch the street lights go by.
You could open the hood, sit on the fender and dangle your legs inside the to work on the motor which had pistons the size of coffee cans...today they are the size of juice cans.
I guess the cars weren't really that big; maybe we were just that small.
My first memory of the family car musta been around 1954. It was a maroon 1953 Studebaker. I was only 3 or 4 years old. I remember going to Dunmore, PA many times to visit relatives in that car. You know what is still amazing? (beside remembering my Roseville telephone number: HU5-0563) is that I remember my father's license plate number- IJ 18U!
Today, 50 plus years later, I don't know my cell phone number and I think I have a license plate on my car but I have no idea what the number is!
When we moved to 11 St. my family had one of those big black 1957 Chevy's. My Grandfather, at the time was in the hospital in Verona with tuberculosis. Children were not allowed on the hospital premises. Being the first grandchild on my Mother's side of the family my Grandfather wanted to see me. So we got in the car for a visit. The floor of the backseat of those cars was huge. A fews blocks away I would crouch down on the backseat floor behind the driver's side. When we got to the Guardhouse I would get as small as I could. The guard would wave us in and we would drive up a long driveway to the building he was in. Every time we went he would be sitting at his window waiting for us. We would just talk back and forth while my Mother went inside. This only lasted about a year or so then my Grandfather passed away when I was 5 years old. About 15 years ago I went to that building and it was still there! It looked very small compared to my memory of those earlier visits. I think they are building condo's there now. Thanks for bringing back the memories Dan.
I intended on including this in my initial post...
I seem to recall that you didn't go to a new car dealer and buy a new car off the lot back during those years. Anyone I knew who bought a new car expected delivery in 8 or more weeks. Is that my imagination or was it the 'norm' back then?
"Uhhh, Uncle Jer...you ordered a 1959 Olds and won't get it until February? It'll be 1960 by then!"
My father bought his first new car,a 1955 Mercury, when we were living on Sussex Ave., between 4th and 5th Sts. He came home and proudly announced his purchase. The family was overjoyed because of the long line of clunkers we were used to. We asked what color was it and he responded "powder blue". We all ran out of the house to see it, but when we got outside we couldn't see it. There was a new 55 Mercury, but it was bright orange. I hadn't known it but my father was color blind.
When almost every other car around was black, white or grey, we really stood out. But to my father it was still powder blue.
My Father loved cars. Kept them clean & polished.
The first new car I rem was 51 blue Nash Rambler.
Next time he bought a new car was 61 (he called)
aqua Mercury Comet.
Hu 5 8082
A new car? I remember a long line of used cars. HU3-5769, later HU4-2520 -- like Gene, I can remember these numbers but I can't remember my cell phone #!
Hu54067 remember it well my dad had a 1937 plymith battleship gray it was ugly in 1954 he splurged he hit a dd at mometh race track and bought a bright red n white olds super 88 it was a beast fast in them days 280 wasnt open but the stickel bridge was the guy's from sally's corner lunch. use it as a drag strip that olds was fast
