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Automobile ID Exercise

ExGMan

Active member
I was wandering the Internet today and came upon this photo;

Screen Shot 2019-04-16 at 5.35.54 PM.png

Essentially, it's a photo of a traffic jam in Cape Canaveral, Florida in 1962. I looked at the photo and started to see if I could identify the year and make of the cars in the photo. Here's my analysis:

Photo Made in 1962 in Cape Canaveral FL
Background: I became interested in cars from an early age and motorcycles not much later. I spotted the
accompanying photo which was taken in 1962. Once I saw it, I started trying to identify
vehicles which might have been present on a street in Cape Canaveral, FL in that year based
only on appearance. There seem to be 27 vehicles facing toward the camera and one facing
away.

My look at each of the vehicles seemed to show among all 28 of them one European car, one
Lincoln, maybe a Chevy Corvette, a Chevy Corvair, a couple of station wagons and several
pickup trucks. The oldest car seems to be a 1953 Ford. There’s also an Edsel I think.
I made what I thought were partially accurate guesses regarding year of manufacture, and car
make. If I had no idea about the year, I put a question mark. If I couldn’t figure out a thing, I put
two. Here are my guesses. Perhaps other older car-watchers will have their own ideas:

1) 1960 VW - (large rear window)
2) 1963 Chevy
3) 1953 Ford
4) ? Chevrolet P/U truck
5) 1963 Buick
6) 1960 Buick
7) ?? Coca-Cola Delivery truck
8) 1962 Chevrolet
9) 1959 Ford
10) ?? P/U truck
11) 1962 Lincoln
12) ??
13) 1959 Chevrolet
14) ? Chevrolet Pickup
15) ? Edsel
16) ? Dodge Camper
17) ? Plymouth Valiant
18) ? Mercury
19) 1955 Ford Station Wagon
20) ? Buick
21) ? Chevrolet P/U truck
22) ? Corvair
23) ??
24) 1957 Chevrolet
25) ? Corvette
26) ??
27) ??
On the right, facing away from the camera: 1959 Plymouth Station wagon.

I hope all who’ve read this find this interesting.
 
Number 2 is a 61 Chevy.

Car number 11 ?? In front of the truck is a 61 Chevy.
 
All I know is that those dang foreign cracker boxes like that first car will never catch on. Just a passing fad that can never replace American iron.
 
Naaaah, it’s the queue at an early emissions testing station. They’re having trouble getting readings on that first car, hence the backlog.

Best,
DG
 
Changes

Think things have changed much, in 1962 I was in 3rd or 4th grade, $1.00 filled up a five Gallon gas can, the line of motels probably all had a sign advertising air conditioned rooms, many of the cars did not have air conditioners ones that did cost about 1/3 more, and growing up on the farm our 2 year old tractor had a 360 cu. in. Parallel twin engine with cylinders horizontal to the ground our dealer drilled out carburetor jets so it would have 70 hp instead of 59 (6.00 bore x 6.375 stroke ) see specs below.

Do you think line of cars going to work at NASSA or whatever they called space program than?

03CF0661-2317-44C7-AA65-DD22F263E033.png
 
I'll bet not one person in that string of cars was using a cell phone! :)

:laugh no, but a high percentage may have a Schlitz and a Marlboro in their hands!:banghead

I was admiring the old electrical system and the museum quality large transmission voltage insulators at the top and the streetlights as well...crappy streetlights by todays standards that lit the base of the pole well and not much else. Times change indeed.
 
:laugh no, but a high percentage may have a Schlitz and a Marlboro in their hands!:banghead

I was admiring the old electrical system and the museum quality large transmission voltage insulators at the top and the streetlights as well...crappy streetlights by todays standards that lit the base of the pole well and not much else. Times change indeed.

What a coincidence. That's the first thing I noticed too! :dance
 
The first Buick behind the pickup is a mid-50s model.

The next car after that is likely a Pontiac.
 
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