One of my favorite car ads from 1957

[RicinYakima]

Found this ad for the Pontiac Star Chief 2door hardtop on this months Cornell Publishing newsletter. Could not convince my Dad not to buy the stripped down Plymouth station wagon with flat head six and three on the tree. I would have had more fun in one of these.

 

[Cherokee]

I remember those...I was 16 at the time. My Dad was a little more flashy so he bought one of these V8 & auto, and I did have a great time in it

 

[Pistolero]

I think that tag line on the first ad would get you into hot water today.

Bill

 

[RicinYakima]

Bill, really?

 

[Pistolero]

The problem is, that is what everyone knows is on his mind.

 

[462]

Cherokee,
Dad bought a '57 Ford Fairlane about '62 or '63, to replace a '53 Buick Special. It wasn't till '66 that I had that kind of "fun", and it was in my $100 '57 Plymouth. Sold it in '67, for $75, when I enlisted.

 

[Bret4207]

Back then it meant you had leg room. Now everything is in the gutter.

 

[Wiresguy]

Fun ad.
I've owned 38 vehicles that I can remember over the years, but no Pontiac or Plymouth, though can't remember why.
Lots of Chevys, Fords, a couple of Dodges, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo.
When I was in high school a friend had a 1961 Pontiac 2 door hardtop, 389 and 3 speed with the sweetest sounding glass packs. I really admired that car, especially compared to my stock 1951 Chevy which my 2nd grade teacher had purchased new. Looking back, it was a pretty good old car.

 

[KeithB]

The start of the era of American land whales...

 

[RicinYakima]

The start of the era of American land whales...

Thee has always been a place in the US for big comfortable over the road cars. I read somewhere that it took the least number of work hours to buy a new car in 1961. And the people wanted the biggest one they could afford. After all, gasoline was $.24 a gallon when I started driving in 1963.

 

[Hawk]

My first car, in 1966, was my Mothers hand-me-down Star Chief.
Red and boy would that car run!
Then I bought a 1968 Camaro SS with the 396 and 4 in the floor. I don't know how I survived!

 

[Cherokee]

That Ford had the big V8, 4 Bl. Boy did I learn a lot about how to/not to drive with that car.

 

[RBHarter]

Learned a lot about what not to do in a 66' C30 . 327 +.030 , 4v Rochester , manual everything ...... 5.30 rearend pulling 12-16.5s at 53-4 mph the secondaries crabbed open and the mpg went from 13.5 to 4 . 12,000 miles over the same 80 miles of mountain twisties 6%+ miss a shift run high idle 2 miles to the top in granny gear at like 7 mph ....... Hauled a lot of green pinion' pine firewood . Then there was the 40 miles of " is it safe to pass ? I don't know I can only see about 5 miles ."

Then I bought the 59' Ranchero with the 352 T Bird ! 4,000# 300 hp ......don't have a clue how they ever got any milage life out of a 6.50-14 a 235/75/14 only ran about 15,000 miles if I swapped the rears regularly ...... Ahhh the glory days .
Broke 3 transmissions with variations including shredded input gears , broken tail shafts and a wadded up input bearing .

 

[RicinYakima]

Yes, we all had great fun in those days. Mainly because you had to work on them all the time to keep them running.

 

[Urny]

My 1965 SS 409 Impala installed early lessons in poverty. It was bright red, white interior, 5 mpg and a can of carburetor cleaner every Saturday morning. But man it could fly. I think 1965 was the last year of the 409, and few were built.

 

[smokeywolf]

First car was a '63 Corvair Monza. Fun little car. Always carry an extra fanbelt. Easy for the back end to break loose and you end up looking out the windshield at where you've been.
My favorite car was my bronze colored '70 El Camino. Wasn't an SS but was the first car bought without help from parents. Always regretted not keeping that car and putting a 400 crank in it.

 

[RicinYakima]

My 1965 SS 409 Impala installed early lessons in poverty. It was bright red, white interior, 5 mpg and a can of carburetor cleaner every Saturday morning. But man it could fly. I think 1965 was the last year of the 409, and few were built.

Yep, the 396 "rat" motor made it in about November of 1964, so few '65 409's. In 1996 I bought a '63 red on red Impala SS that I had lusted after my whole life. Kept it almost ten years, drove it Reno Hot August nights, and up to BC for the shows in Vancouver. It was fun when your kids are grown and gone and you can play!

 

[Pistolero]

And Urny, you also got a really cool SONG!

Bill

 

[358156 hp]

Yep, the 396 "rat" motor made it in about November of 1964, so few '65 409's. In 1996 I bought a '63 red on red Impala SS that I had lusted after my whole life. Kept it almost ten years, drove it Reno Hot August nights, and up to BC for the shows in Vancouver. It was fun when your kids are grown and gone and you can play!

1965 was the last production year for the 409, and you could order it in almost anything you wanted as long it didn't violate GMs engine size restrictions, which seemed primarily aimed at the "A" body cars ('64 to '81). 1966 was the first regular production year for the 427 for Chevrolet, but it always seemed rare in the bigger cars. We see a large number of 427 Corvettes at my work, along with every other version. I think I've seen perhaps two or three legitimate 427 Impalas in my life.

And me? I drive Fords....

 

[Tom]

Does anyone remember the 427 ford? I had a 66 f100 that originally came with a 352 2 barrel. Found a 427 in the want ads and had a friend do the swap. It was a monster until I endoed it on the Montana prairie.