Cars You Rarely See Any More

[jimtoo]

I’ve been reorganizing our collection of digital photos, and avoiding doing the same for physical photos. Just thought I’d use up some WM’s electrons and show some rarely seen autos. There should be absolutely nothing political about these, just an opportunity to see what many collectors have called America’s rolling art.

I’ll start with probably the most expensive car we’ve seen. In 2009, we visited the Gateway Auto Museum in Gateway, Colorado. The cars there were from the collection of John Hendricks, who built the Gateway Resort. He founded the Discovery, Animal Planet, TLC and other channels, was CEO of Disney for awhile, etc. He still owns the resort but no longer managed it. Much of his car collection was sold at a Monterey auction in 2023, but it still lives on the web site.

This is the 1954 Oldsmobile F-88 concept car, intended to be the Olds’ counterpart to the Corvette. It may be the only one that exists. Hendricks paid $3 million for it at the 2005 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction and sold it for $1.8 million in 2023.

This is a 1971 Oldsmobile 442 (4 barrel carburetor, 4 speed trans and dual exhaust) convertible, purchased at the same auction mentioned above for about $100K (now worth about that, maybe a little more). That was the last year for the 442 and only about 1,300 were built. If I had $4,000 in 1971, I might have had one. But …

This is a 1947 Chrysler Town and Country, a real woodie convertible, and one of the 8,300 made from 1946 through 1949. I’ve included this because of my affinity for things made in 1947.

Lastly, this is a 1954 Buick Skylark convertible, one of about 800 made. I’ve included it because I think it is simply a beautiful car.

That’s it from Gateway. If you like these, see more at https://gatewayautomuseum.com/

I will post more other places as I get my stuff together.

[kcflyer]

These aren’t particularly “classic”, but I still wish I had one of these for a summer day

[crparrothead]

Not really a car guy, but used to enjoy watching the Barrett Jackson auctions when they were televised (I think on History).

[jimtoo]

@kcflyer

I still wish I had one of these for a summer day

When I knew I was going to retire and lose my company car, I bought a 1998 Chrysler Sebring convertible. This isn’t it, but it looks the same.

The dealer had a Prowler in the showroom, but had jacked up the price to about twice what I as paying for the Sebring. That seems to have been fairly common and just one reason they didn’t sell well. For you, they are still around and still look good. Do it while you can.

Plymouth Prowler for Sale / 124 used Prowler cars with prices and features on...

[sgtFriday]

I haven’t seen Car 54 lately, where oh where could it be?

[Sister]

On a lower scale, in the early 90’s my husband put his 1940 pickup in a chevy car show, in the Early Iron category. He won and got a pic of the pickup and himself in the local paper and a mention of the win in the Chevy magazine. We never found it necessary to tell anyone his was the only entrant in the Early Iron category.

[Payless]

@sgtFriday

I haven’t seen Car ‘54 lately, where oh where could it be?

…right here.

[jimtoo]

Today, it’s 2008 and we’re at the Gilmore Auto Museum in Hickory Springs, Michigan. It houses a huge 400+ car collection in several buildings over about 90 acres. We spent a whole day there. There happened to be a huge display of Pierce-Arrows the day we were there.

A common 1950’s sight, a diner with a 1949 Mercury (with fender skirts) sitting out front. A different color, but similar to my dad’s first new car.

This is a spectacular 1930 Mercedes-Benz SS, an appropriately named car.

Here’s a 1948 Tucker. It had a number of features that later turned up on other vehicles, but the headlight that turn with the steering wheel turns has yet to be. Only 50 were made before the company had to shut down production when Tucker lost financing and was accused of stock fraud. Tucker was from Ypsilanti, Michigan and accused the then Big3 auto makers of orchestrating the fraud. See the movie, starring Jeff Bridges as Tucker.

Here is a 1954 Ford Crestline Sunliner. That’s not a sunroof, half the roof is actually glass. The mode was made for 5-6 years of the mid-50s.

In contention for the longest production car ever made is the 1959 Cadillac ( here, a white convertible). That model is also believed to have the tallest tail fins of any US car.

Last, is the short lived1963 Chrysler Turbine. This was basically a car to test the feasibility of using a turbine engine (not unlike a jet engine) in a passenger car. Chrysler asked folks to apply to drive one equipped with numerous gauges and monitoring devices for 6 months and then fill pout a number of evaluation forms. That program ran until 1966. Someone in my neighborhood must have gotten one of those because I saw it on street many times.

Those are my car stories for the day/

[jimtoo]

The Dakotas in 2021, starting with the Pioneer Auto Show in Murdo, South Dakota. This place appears to be one family’s very large collection of cars, trucks, farm equipment, antiques and a bit of everything. Only two cars to show here.

This is a 1952 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon. It was near the end of the woodie station wagon and the wood was greatly reduced. The cylindrical object hangin on the passenger window was the precursor to auto air conditioning. It was actually an evaporative cooler, blowing air over water and the cooler air entering the car. We use two evaporative coolers to cool our house.

This is the only all wooden car that I have seen. Theoretically, it could be street ready, with two 500 cu in Cadillac engines (front and back),

We take these types of road trips so can see more than a square mile of sunflowers near Valentine, Nebraska.

And drive the enchanted highway in North Dakota, full of huge scuptures, like this one of my wife communing with the grasshopper god.

And getting to see where the buffalo play.

[branchkin]

I saw a wooden body Duesenberg at the Savoy car museum in Cartersville, Ga. The quality of woodwork was unbelievable.

[jimtoo]

It’s 2018, and we’re in Reno, Nevada visiting the National Auto Museum. This museum started out as the Harrah collection and has grown from there. It’s a huge museum, holding hundreds of vehicles.

This is 1921 Rolls-Royce, restored in copper and a Pebble Beach award winner.

A 1933 Auburn Boattail Speedster, made in Auburn, Indiana. Auburn was also the home of Cords and Duesenbergs, all of which are celebrated in a festival every Labor Day Weekend.

A 1938 Phantom Corsair, a true one of one, built for a Heinz (of the 57 fame).

Another unusual car, the 1954 Kaiser Darrin. It’s a sports car built by a company that made rather bland sedans before being bought by American Motors (AMC). Even more unusual is that the doors did not open, they slid into the front fenders.

Finally, a 1958 Edsel, deserving of being last. I think I’ve seen more Edsels in car museums than I ever saw on the road during their short lives (1958-1960).

[Bears54]

If you’re ever in the Chicago area, about 45 minutes Northwest of downtown Chicago is the Volo Auto museum. They have a little bit of everything from cars from TV and movies, dozens of classic '50s, '60s and '70s cars for sale in mint condition and some interesting other exhibits.

Explore Volo Museum: Classic Cars and Movie Icons Await

[jimtoo]

Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. The last time we drove through the Chicago area we swore that was the last time, but you never know.

[jimtoo]

The response to this nonpolitical endeavor has been underwhelming, so I thought I would continue.

Last year, I participated in the Route 66 motor tour of the route in NM sponsored by the NM Route 66 Assn. This occurs each year for a some portion to all of the route here. The plan this year is a week to cover the 600 mile route in the state.

These are some vehicles from the 2025 tour for only 3 days.

This is the lineup.

This is a 1964 Mercury Comet Cyclone. This has the precursor to Ford’s high-performance 289 that came out the following year. I suspect the car went through gasoline fairly quickly because the driver had to stop more often. It is mostly original with only minor restorations.

A very nice 1956 Ford. It’s been what I would call refinished but not restored, as the engine and interior are clean but not new. The white car next to the Ford is a completely original 1984 Pontiac sedan, showing its age but capable of making the 300-400 mile trip to NM and then this trip.

A 2016 and a 2019 Corvette.

Next to the Ford was a yellow 1997 BMW 328i convertible, unrestored, from Texas. Note the size difference.

A beautiful 1968 or 1969 Chevy C10 pickup. It has had a bit of wok but under the skin is fairly unrestored.

Lastly, a 1966 Studebaker Cruiser. It’s a fairly rare car because Studebaker stopped making cars in the middle of the 1966 model year and only 1,100 of these were built. It is mostly original, an the car surprised some of us as it blew by us on the interstate.

[Bears54]

@jimtoo

A beautiful 1968 or 1969 Chevy C10 pickup. It has had a bit of wok but under the skin is fairly unrestored.

I had a 1972 Chevy C-10 short bed, regular bed, not the flair side like in the pic above. Paid $600 in 1984, it had a 350 with three on the tree and was fun.

[jimtoo]

Never had a pickup. I know people buy them today when they don;t need a truck. If I ever get one, it be an older one that’s been restored. The size is more friendly to the driver and to others. I’ve seen pickups on the road that could nearly fit that C10 in their bed.