I got a note from my old friend Don Reynolds the other day. He's winding down a busy year celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Reynolds Buick, the store his grandfather opened in Covina, CA in 1915. It's always a pleasure to hear from Don because of his love of history, and the latest missive was no disappointment because he included a treasure trove of images from his Father's desk.
The images are all from 1971 and represent a history book of what a prosperous automobile dealership looked like in the early 70s, preserved in Kodachrome. The building itself was only six years old at the time, and is resplendent with colorful pennants and a bevy of brand new Buicks- with a heavy emphasis on luxury models and boattail Rivieras.
The photos also happen to date from what Don a called the "Jaguar phase," so there are XJ saloons and E-Types -one with genuine wire wheels even- in the photos as well. Apparently Reynolds was a big Opel dealer too, with several Opels in for service including what looks like a 1959 wagon.
It's a glorious scrapbook of new Buicks and Opels, a peppering of Jaguars, enticing late model used cars, a GMC with a pop-up camper and even a dune buggy on the used car lot- because it's Southern California after all. There's even a Firestone tire store next door with a vivid red sign.
In never before seen Kodachrome, here's Reynolds Buick of West Covina, Califiornia in 1971:
All images courtesy of Don Reynolds/ Reynolds Buick
