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favorite cars of the golden era

Fletch

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,865
Location
Iowa - The Land That Stuff Forgot
Depression Buicks

The Buick Club National Meet was in my hometown of Ames, IA, this July, and it was a rare kick to see some of these beautiful machines even with temps in the 90s. All my favorite cars are 1930s models, but it's unusual to see any but severely rodded Fords or Chevys showing any more - Buicks are all but unheard of.

Here's a 1932 Series 60 sedan. The 272 cid straight-8 packs a respectable 95 hp.
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Looks like you could sleep a family in the back seat, and I'm sure people did just that.
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This '32 coupe has a handsome add-on trunk. Wonder how well they kept the rain or dust out.
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A '31 roadster. Wire wheels were a sporty option.
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The '33 sedan, without sidemounts, presents some very clean lines while still being a traditional, non-streamline style.
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A couple of elegant '38s side by side. The one in front is a Roadmaster.
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A '37 Special, with a '40 coupe alongside.
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'37 front seat.
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Fletch

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,865
Location
Iowa - The Land That Stuff Forgot
My gosh, what a handsome little(?) car. Kind of a Willys look - except it looks longer - and that's no illusion.

Plus - touches of flair you would never see on a car from a big maker - old-world coachwork plus big-city ideas, and not a little playful impracticality. What good's that tailfin? And look at the sheet metal underneath the grille - a wafer-thin margin with NO bumper. Just that alone is enough of a statement to make it Art!

Even the name Sodomka carries undertones of decadence - of a vest pocket civilization on the brink of doom.
 

David Conwill

Call Me a Cab
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2,854
Location
Bennington, VT 05201
Fletch said:
My gosh, what a handsome little(?) car. Kind of a Willys look - except it looks longer - or is that the camera lens stretching it out?

Plus - touches of flair you would never see on a car from a big maker: old-world coachwork plus big-city ideas, and not a little playful impracticality. What good's that tailfin? And look at the sheet metal underneath the grille - a wafer-thin margin with NO bumper. Just that alone is enough of a statement to make it Art!

See, I'd rather have the Willys.

1938WillysModel38Coupe.jpg


The Aero just looks homebuilt and unfinished to me. Different strokes, I guess.

-Dave
 

Fletch

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,865
Location
Iowa - The Land That Stuff Forgot
Speaking of Willys

...isn't this a swell little buggy? 1933 Model 77 four-banger.
1937+willys,+mershons.jpg

These smaller cars helped pull Willys-Overland out of the red - that, and dropping their full-size Willys-Knight line entirely.
 

lord_k

One of the Regulars
Messages
148
Location
Ramat Gan, Israel
David Conwill said:
The Aero just looks homebuilt and unfinished to me. Different strokes, I guess.

-Dave

It was built by one of the best European coachbuilders. Sodomka bodies sometimes look awkward, but their quality is beyond any doubt.
 

David Conwill

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,854
Location
Bennington, VT 05201
lord_k said:
It was built by one of the best European coachbuilders. Sodomka bodies sometimes look awkward, but their quality is beyond any doubt.

Oh, I did not intend to besmirch the quality of the build, I just meant that the styling brought to mind the popular “home-built sports car” movement of the 1950s.

Then again, some cars just don’t photograph well, either. I never liked the 1958-1960 Lincoln, for example, until I saw a ‘59 in the flesh.

What powers the Aero, by the way?

-Dave
 

Aristaeus

A-List Customer
Messages
407
Location
Pensacola FL
David Conwill said:
The Aero just looks homebuilt and unfinished to me. Different strokes, I guess.
I think it is the lack of front and rear bumpers and runningboards. Add those and it would be a nice looking car.
 

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