favorite cars of the golden era

[davestlouis]

Real flower cars are actually professional cars built on long wheelbase chassis, there are variants that hold caskets under the stainless lid, and others that just hold flowers. Accubuilt and Eagle both make flower cars today, if you're prepared to spend close to $100K. I have read that some years, they only sold 10 or so flower cars.

Just to give some perspective, roughly 2000 hearses per year were built in the 50s, by the big hearse makers, plus several hundred made by small, regional coachbuilders. So, as a percentage, flower cars are a tiny bit of production.

 

[Viola]

Good to know, but at that price point... I think I'll take the El Camino, no offense.

 

[El Guapo]

I love all these old cars but, I prefer to drive trucks I don't know why but I do.

Trucks like these:

Well I was going to insert a 1955 Chevy truck in there but I must be computer illiterate, maybe later.

 

[ron521]

I liked the green Bentley driven by Ralph Fiennes in "The Avengers", looks to be a late 20's or early 30's model.

 

[davestlouis]

I saw a mid-60s "Kennedy" Lincoln suicide door convertible on I-44 yesterday...black with what I took to be red leather, top down, toolin' along. The top mechanism is freakishly complex, with dozens of solenoids and switches that have to work perfectly for the top to cycle, but what a cool looking car. Makes my little SAAB look puny.

I had a neighbor when I was a kid, who liked 1940's era Studebaker pick up trucks. He also didn't want people to think he was showing off, or being pretentious, so he had all of them painted dark green, with red wheels, and only took one home at a time. He had at least a dozen of these trucks, all beautifully restored, but since only one was at the house at a time, everyone assumed he had one old truck...strange.

 

[Story]

Genesis of the Interstate Highways

Ever wonder where your Interstate Highways came from? Eisenhower made a cross country trip in 1919 and was fairly cheesed off at how long it took, so when he got to visit Germany in 1945 and saw their autobahns, it was the inspiration for our highways.

The cross country convoy arrives at Cantigny 20 June 2009 to rest, refuel and share their experiences with the local community near Chicago. The Convoy is retracing the route of the first major motorized expedition across the United States. (Photo by Army Public Affairs Midwest)

 

[GoldenEraFan]

Golden Era Dream Cars

My dream cars of the golden era:

1927 Lincoln
1934 Chrysler Airflow
1936 Hudson
1941-1948 Oldsmobiles
1941-1950 Desoto's
1948 Packard
1949 Nash
1951 Hudson Hornet
1953 Studebaker Starlight
1955 Nash Ambassador
1957 Oldsmobile Rocket 88
1959 Plymouth Fury

 

[Lone_Ranger]

21-50 to Headquarters!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnUHwiZ-SB8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l3jYfV8BtQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnOFQ4QBtXY

A 1955 Buick, and a Fedora too! If that guy isn't a member here, he should be.

And on Route 66, with Broderick Crawford's son

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufIsNB_uf00

 

[Story]

http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/publ...ItemNo=4225407&iSaleNo=17327&iSaleSectionNo=2

Lot No: 229•
Formerly the property of Al Capone and “The Outfit”—the Chicago Mob
1930 Cadillac Series 452 V-16 Armored Imperial Sedan
Coachwork by Fleetwood
Chassis no. 701617
Engine no. 701617
Oh, if only cars could talk. What stories this one could tell.

Its modifications mark it as something truly special. Based on a seven-passenger Imperial Sedan by Fleetwood its doors are reinforced with ¼” steel armor. All the glass is 5-ply laminated. The side windows have round ports cut in them, and they’re not for ventilation. A police band radio nestles under the dashboard conveniently above the front seat passenger’s feet.

 

[scotrace]

That's the Capone car the Franklin Mint has replicated in 1:24 scale.

 

[David Conwill]

Ever wonder where your Interstate Highways came from? Eisenhower made a cross country trip in 1919 and was fairly cheesed off at how long it took, so when he got to visit Germany in 1945 and saw their autobahns, it was the inspiration for our highways.

Worst thing that ever happened to this country - it changed the automobile from something desireable and romantic to something mundane and necessary. And I won't even get started on what the freeways did to our central cities.

If you want to point a finger at something that destroyed so much of what this board loves (be it classic autos or swanky downtowns), it's Eisenhower's freeway system. Though in fairness to Ike, we started down that road in the 1930s.

-Dave

 

[volatile]

1939 Buick Special:

And the car that inspired it, the 1938 one-of-a-kind prototype Buick Y-Job

If I win the lottery, the first purchase would probaby be a custom-built Y-job repro!

 

[volatile]

My dream cars of the golden era:

1927 Lincoln
1934 Chrysler Airflow
1936 Hudson
1941-1948 Oldsmobiles
1941-1950 Desoto's
1948 Packard
1949 Nash
1951 Hudson Hornet
1953 Studebaker Starlight
1955 Nash Ambassador
1957 Oldsmobile Rocket 88
1959 Plymouth Fury

What's the car in your avatar?

 

[Roadmaster]

My Golden Era Cars

1947 Buick Roadmaster...all original Survivor

1946 Nash 600...also an all original Survivor

 

[David Conwill]

What's the car in your avatar?

That's a 1942 DeSoto. The hidden headlights didn't return after the war.

-Dave

 

[LouieGee]

I have been reading this thread "ooh-ing" and "aah-ing" at all the utterly fabulous cars!

My personal favourite cars from the golden era would have to be:

1924 Hispano-Suiza Tulipwood Torpedo

1935 Duesenberg Convertible Phaeton

1939 Delahaye Type 165 M

 

[StraightEight]

1939 Buick Special:



And the car that inspired it, the 1938 one-of-a-kind prototype Buick Y-Job

If I win the lottery, the first purchase would probaby be a custom-built Y-job repro!

Um, not quite. The Y-Job was the precursor for the '42 Buicks, which were built in more or less the same form through '48 with a re-skin for '49 in the upper trim levels. Note the grille, fully integrated headlights, bombsight hood ornament, overall shape, etc. The Y-job's interior is basically identical to the production '42-'49 Super and Roadmaster. Here's my '48 for comparison:

 

[Forgotten Man]

Gotta love that Buick!

He's right about the Y! The Y paved the way for the 42's and the models after the war.

Such a lovely car, I've always loved the 42's to the 48's

 

[dhermann1]

Mr H, I never noticed those elephant ears on your bumpers. Those alone cost a fortune. You have a real gem of a car. As I've mentioned about a million times, that 41 Buick, ideally a 4 door Century, is my ultimate. But I wouldn't turrn my nose up at a 42 thru 48, or even 49, either. But that 39 Buick, I dunno, I can't look at them without sort of wincing.
Dodge DeLuxe, I have great photo from 1951 of my 4 year old self and my grandfather's 39 Dodge. I'll post it tonight when I get home.
Regarding the whole Caddy vs. Packard issue. I think that the Pierce-Arrow outclassed both of them until its tragic demise in 1934.

 

[StraightEight]

1947 Buick Roadmaster...all original Survivor

Great looking car. Love those survivors. At the Buick club's all-GM car show a few weeks ago in Woodley Park, Van Nuys we had most of the '48 catalog lined up in the steel, including a Roadmaster just like yours.