1958 Buick Special

[ew1usnr]

This is only related to Falcons in that I was driving my Falcon home from work when I took the pictures, and that this was the type of car that convinced America that they needed something smaller. I have been passing this car ever day on my way home and wondering what it was. I finally stopped yesterday and took these pictures.

It is a 1958 Buick Special. Look at how they folded the front end of the hood 90-degrees to make a flat surface, aerodynamics be darned. They wanted the front end to look BIG. Look at the V emblem in a circle on the hood and in the fender ornaments. They wanted to let you know that this car has a V-8.
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Look at the front turn indicators. They are shaped like torpedoes.
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Look at the gigantic chrome tail fin caps and the HUGE rear bumper. God bless America! Take that, Toyota! Whoever bought this in 1958 was probably really proud of their new car.
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[ew1usnr]

This is a quote from Jeff in another thread. I could not resist the bait but did not want to steer that thread off track, so I posted it here.


Post a picture of the Plymouth. We like them all.

I like Falcons for a lot of reasons, but I think that old cars in general are just cool as heck. I think that this one is amazing:

The 1906 Stanley Steamer Rocket:
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"The fastest car in the world in 1906 was a specially built Stanley Steam Car called the "Rocket". Fred Marriott drove the Rocket on Ormond Beach in Florida on January 26, 1906 and hit 127.66 miles per hour completing the mile in 28.12 seconds." WOW!!!

My gosh! I read that 109 years later and am awed. Think about what those early engineers did. The car was powerful, light weight (only 1600 lbs!!), low, and streamlined. They knew that at those speeds, reducing wind resistance was critical. They drove the technology of their time to it's absolute limits. Man, oh man. It makes me proud to be an American.

If I were to ever get another old car, choosing which one would be difficult. Look at this lovely. The 1951 Nash Statesman:

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That car was was a re-styled version of the 1941 Nash 600, which was the first mass-produced American car with lightweight unit body construction. It had a 112-inch wheel base, an 85 hp motor, overdrive transmission, was streamlined, and it delivered 30 mpg! Wow! Gee, I would love to drive one of these to work every morning.

And look at this beauty. A 1960 DeSoto. DeSoto is a discontinued division of Chrysler.
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Oh, my gosh! That car is spectacular compared to anything new. It would cause accidents from people staring at me if I were to drive that one.

And in conclusion, I give you the 1961 Plymouth Valiant - a competitor to our beloved Falcon. I remember seeing these cars back in the late 70's and thought (at that time) that they were incredibly ugly.
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I look at the pictures now and think "Wow!" They had fins on both the back and front fenders. And I love that "spare tire" molded into the trunk lid. These cars would really stand out in traffic today. In your face, Hyundai! God bless America!

I have to add this. The 1968 Mercury Park Lane Brougham 4-door hardtop that Steve McGarrett drove in Hawaii Five-O.
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The car chase scenes where he would blast full speed through the streets of Honolulu in that BIG black Mercury were just great. The crooks never outran McGarrett. "Book 'em, Dano!" Can you imagine the looks that you would get if you drove one of these?

Hawaii Five-O - McGarrett's Car Explodes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mcwxv32gssA

[BadBird]

We owned a 1957 when I was a kid and that car was beautiful. My uncle Art bought a new 1958 Buick and I had never seen so much chrome.
My mom bought a brand new 1961 Plymouth Valiant and she loved that red little car so much. It lasted a long time until she gave it to my brother. Yep, the one with the 64 Fairlane.
When I bought my black 57 chevy 2 door hardtop it was the best looking car in Wichita Kansas. Then I got white rolled and pleated leather installed in the car with bucket seats, rear seat out of a 57 thunderbird. Put in a 327 with dual fours,4 speed transmission out of a 63 corvette and went drag racing.
I still remember Carol (then my girlfriend in high school and now my beautiful wife) driving it, dropping me off at the filling station where I worked 15 hours a day, six days a week. She wasn't used to driving the car that was set up for drag racing and would break the tires loose every time she shifted. Man how I miss those days and especially the cars.
Crazy thing is. That car was only 8 years old when we were in high school and yet seemed so old. Now my wifes car is 16 years old, my truck is 12 years old and they still seem new. They are sure made better today, but miss the style changes every year. Going to the show rooms every year to see the new cars was a big deal. Now you can't tell a 2006 Toyota from a 2016. Thanks for the pics. Larry

[ew1usnr]

This is a great picture of an old Soviet Lada versus a new Mercedes. The Lada won.

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"Being one of the most indestructible yet cheap cars also came with huge jokes among customers. Here are some:

A man goes into a car accessory shop and says to the assistant, ‘Can I have a hub cap for my Lada?’
The assistant thinks to himself for a moment and then replies, ‘OK, it seems like a fair swap.’

What do you call a Lada driver who says he has a speeding ticket?
A liar.

What do you call a Lada at the top of a hill?
A miracle."

Wikipedia says that: "20 million Ladas were sold between 1966 and 2012. It was based on the 1966 Fiat 124 sedan and the keys to its success were: competitive price, reliability, simple DIY-friendly mechanics and unpretentious functionality."