I had the opportunity to walk down memory lane today courtesy of the Swampscott Recreation Department that sponsored an antique car show on the town green. There were some lovely cars from the 1920's through the 1980's, but I was drawn to those manufactured in the 1950's, when I was a young teen and was as mesmerized by cars as I remember young girls' imaginations were often captured by horses. I poured over car magazines and studied statistics endlessly about the new car models.
Looking back on that time, these cars represent for me (and I realize this thought is far from original) a brief period when America could do nothing wrong, unemployment was uncommon, US companies still made things that you could touch, and natural resources, including oil, seemed unlimited. The sheer brashness of the designs, the quantities of chrome and steel, the gaudy paint jobs and geegaws incorporated in the bodywork seem quaint now, but to me also create a - dare I say it - beauty that has never been recaptured by the US auto industry. And I wonder if, particularly for the 60 and over crowd, being among these dinosaurs from Detroit is somehow comforting, taking us back to a time before terrorism, climate change and job losses. But maybe that's just the 13-year old talking. I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.
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| Caddy Eldorado |
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| Lincoln Continental |
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| '56 T-Bird |
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| Edsel |
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| Big ole Lincoln |
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| That Edsel grille |
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| Olds Rocket 88 |
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| Cadillac signature taillights |
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| Just Lovely |
Time to get in touch with your inner 13 year old and buy an old rag top. No need to be all original - you'll want an ipod port.
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