Cadillac Dreamland

Cadillac Dreamland, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

A new(ish) picture of an old friend.

Rusty Gold

Rusty Gold, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

We've visited this well-seasoned '53 Chevy sedan delivery once before. I first saw it two years ago, parked in front of a repair shop in rural Illinois. It's still there, getting a little more rusty and listing a bit further to the right as the tires deflate.

Farm Fresh '53.

Chevy, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

I saw this Chevy coupe at the nostalgia drag races, competing in one of the stock classes. As I was shooting it the driver said "So, do you have a filter that makes it look better?". I told him that I called cars like this "farm fresh", and he told me it was exactly that. His father (also racing that weekend) found it in a barn the week before, and they'd been pulling all nighters to get it the old girl up and running again.

Still packing the original straight six, the old Chevy ran faultlessly-if a bit slowly-all weekend.

Fading Glory

Fading Glory, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

TtV Tuesday!

Six Taillights

Six Taillights, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Originally introduced in 1958, the Impala was Chevrolet's new top-of-the line model, positioned above the now famous Bel Air. Six small taillights were a styling hallmark of the model, carried through to the model's end in the 70's.

This one's a '60.

Fading Glory

Fading Glory, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

I forget which Duaflex I used on this-the 4 maybe? Both of them have great viewfinders-very bright.

Biscayne

Biscayne, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Hey! The Biscayne's back! Taken with the Lensbaby.

Biscayne

Biscayne, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Introduced in 1958, the Biscayne was an entry level version of Chevrolet's full-sized line of cars, coming in under the more upscale Bel-Air. As such, the Biscayne had fewer chrome gewgaws outside, and fewer optional convenience items and vinyl trim on the inside.

This didn't mean that it was a less desirable car, though. The Biscayne's simpler trim changed the look of the car, and better yet you could get it with any engine option-from a straight six grocery getter to the 348 V-8 mill with a four-speed, creating a nice drag car in the process.

This Biscayne is a '58, and had been hot rodded a bit at some point.

Cad Nebula

Cad Nebula, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

I seem to have found several old Cadillacs through the years, or they have found me. This is a '62-ish sedan.

I thought the rust spot around the logo looked like a bit nebula-esque. The title was a tossup between this and "The Pillars of Cadillac", which wouldn't make sense if you didn't know about the "Pillars of Creation".

Hydra-Matic

Hydra-Matic, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Long retired, this Oldsmobile is still complete, parked in a corner of a farm. It's one of several vintage vehicles parked here, most likely left when they broke down or simply outlived their usefulness.

This car is interesting as it's a '41, and one of the first Series 60 models, which began Olds' tradition of cars with numbers for names. This one's a sedan, with it's distinct fastback body shape, and has the Hydra-Matic automatic transmission, the first fully automatic transmission in a mass-produced automobile.

Snowy Glory

Snowy Glory, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The Old Rusty Cadillac, wearing a fresh coating of snow. I seldom manage to get out here first, before other people walk around it and leave footprints or wipe the snow off. It was nice to do so, just this one time. I tried to not leave footprints all over the place.

I also like how the melted bits on the windshield and grille form a smiley face. It was a fleeting smile, too, as it warmed up and rained the next day.

Staring at the Sun

Flare, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Ramble On

Rambler American, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Famous for being a car that goes very fast in second gear*, the Nash Rambler was a popular car in the compact segment. Sold under both the Nash and Hudson names, the model was discontinued in 1955, the new car featured modified Nash "Airflyte" styling, to better integrate with senior Nash models. This, in combination with economical engines and a low price, helped the Rambler to be the first really popular American compact car, and it remained in production until 1955, not long after the formation of American Motors Corporation.

In 1957, AMC was in need of a compact car, something to slot in between the tiny two seat Metropolitan and the larger family sized Rambler Six. Fortunately, AMC had retained the previous model's tooling and it was a fairly simple job to update the styling. The "new" car made it's debut in 1958 as the Rambler American.

The American was well reviewed, praised for it's low price and economy, and proved to be a popular car throughout it's three year lifespan. In 1961, all new styling appeared, ending the Rambler's visual links to earlier "Airflyte" Nashes.

*a reference to the Playmate's 1958 song "Beep Beep".

Chevy Truck

Chevy, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

A 1940's Chevrolet one ton truck, that has, as far as I can tell, been in the same ownership since it was new. One of several vehicles on this property, all disused and all going to ground.

Ultramatic

Fading Glory, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

A 1952 or 3 Packard sedan. I think it's a 300 or maybe a Patrician, but there were no badges to suggest this. It was sporting an Ultramatic automatic transmission, though.

I found this car in a tiny rural town in Illinois, parked in front of a rundown repair shop amidst a complex of grain silos. I don't know how long it sat there but I went by a few weeks later and it was gone. I've said it before, it's best to just stop and look when you get the chance.

The Car Of Tomorrow....

Corvair, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

...yesterday! A rusty and crusty Chevrolet Corvair. Trusty, too, as this was a runner-I think the owner was preserving it as found, in a state of arrested decay.

Cloudillac

Cloudillac, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Great sky day that afternoon.

Fading Glory

Fading Glory, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

I haven't visited the old Caddy in a while, so I felt that the new Argus was as good a reason as any to drop by and see the old girl again.

Skyliner

Introduced in 1955, the Ford Fairlane was the company's new full sized offering, and proved fairly popular for it's short two year lifespan. The model received a restyle for the '57 year, and along with most of Ford's range the Fairlane grew in size and gained a lower, leaner look. The model also gained a new top-line designation, the Fairlane 500, and a new top, top of the line model, the Skyliner.

The Skyliner was something really special-a hardtop convertible. Retracting hardtops are a bit more common these days, but in the late fifties this feature made the Skyliner unique-it was the only model offered anywhere with such an option. Sadly, although watching a Skyliner go through the motions is a traffic-stopping show, it was an expensive option, prone to malfunctioning (there's a zillion miles of wiring involved), and worst of all took up most of the trunk space. So, only about 20,000 Skyliners were built in '57, and way fewer for the restyled '58 and '59 years.

This one's a '57, and is resting peacefully behind a body shop out in the country. It seems pretty solid-I hope it gets the restoration it deserves.

Stylemaster

This is a well-seasoned '47-ish Chevrolet Stylemaster coupe. Like many manufacturers, Chevy's immediate postwar offerings were slightly warmed over versions of their prewar cars. In this case, the Styleline range, which was introduced in 1941 as a four door sedan. The coupe followed in '42, but production was suspended after a mere 110,000 of all models had rolled out the doors.

Once hostilities ceased the range made a comeback, with a few style and mechanical updates to keep things fresh. The Stylemaster featured pretty smooth styling, relatively unadorned by chrome trim and other gewgaws. They're nice looking cars, even by modern standards, although they are clearly from another age. This one certainly is-I found it (along with a '41-ish Olds) on "display" outside a junkyard in rural Illinois. I've no idea how long it's been there, but even though it's complete I don't know if it's savable.