Photos of the Week: Fincher American and Coral Colony

Wow, it's been a HUGE week over on the Palm Springs Automobilist Facebook Page, in fact our best week yet with a whopping 89,418 people reached. We had a lot of fun discussion about our images and this week's top image is above. It's a promotional photo of Fincher American in Miami, Florida and was taken in 1973.

It's obviously very carefully composed, with one of each model carefully chosen so that even the colors are unique, They managed to find the Gremlin in its unique Wild Plum and even all of the salespeople are wearing their blue blazers and red, white and blue ties. All in all a great period photo and you guys responded by choosing it as photo of the week. Hot dogs for everyone at Fincher American!

Second place goes to "Coral Colony", a 1957 Mercury Colony Park in a wonderful two tone of Coral and White with hardtop styling and two toned woodgrain. It's ab early model with rare sigle headlamps and the color is called "Desert Tan." We had some interesting discussions about what deserts have coral pink sand.

Colony Parks are among our favorite cars and we love the '57 Mercury inside and out, so it was a perfect photo for us. Remember to visit our Palm Springs Automobilist Facebook Page for new images and smart conversation daily. See you next week!

Photos of the Week- Hideaway Caprice and Margaret and Packard

Another busy week to recap on the Palm Springs Automobilist Facebook Page. Counts keep going up and new followers from all over the globe- can anyone translate Japanese for me? It's actually been two weeks since we recapped photos, so I'm showing the top image from each week.

This week's top image is "Hideaway Caprice" and it's a factory photo of a 1968 Caprice coupe with optional hideaway headlamps and rally wheels. All in all it makes for a very elegant yet sporty car and it's easy to see why you all liked it so much.

Last week's top photo is very special- 102 year old Margaret Dunning and her 82 year old Packard 840 Roadster. She wasn't the original owner, she's only owned it since 1949, but it the short sixty three years they've been together, she's gotten to know it fairly well.

I actually knew Margaret from the Michigan Region CCCA back in the 70s and 80s, where she taught me how to unstick the shift rods on our 1941 Packard 180 Formal Sedan. She's always been a gracious and helpful lady,

Her big news this year was being invited to Pebble Beach with the roadster, where she took it on the driving tour and got invited up to the reviewing stand for a short interview which I've posted below. Motor on, Margaret and Packard.


Be sure and stop by the Palm Springs Automobilist Facebook Page for daily images and fun!

Photos of the Week- Robot Invaders ,Tailpike Cruiser, and Marilyn

 Lots of activity on photos this week - statistics tell me that viewership was up 76.26 per cent so hopefully that means that folks are enjoying the site. I'm going inverse with the top three photos this week. In third place is "Robot Invaders" which I took personally. It's a detail shot of the nested antennae and overhead ventilation system of the 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser, and it was our third most popular photo this week.

 In second place, a historic photo of a bikini clad Marilyn Monroe and a privately licensed 1950 Pontiac Chieftain Club Coupe with whitewalls, deluxe wheel covers and whitewall tires. It's a charming bit of cheesecake I've nicknamed "Happy Birthday Mister Pontiac."

And our top photo of the week, again my own shot, shows off the dramatic tail of an impeccably restored 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser Coupe. It's a wild car from any angle, but this picture accentuates the disappearing breezeway rear window, rear stand up ornament, and wild fins with anodized appliques. I call it "Tailpike Cruiser" and it is our Photo of the Week.

Be sure and drop by the Palm Springs Automobilist Facebook Page for daily photo updates and smart banter with knowledgeable car people just like yourself. It's more fun than Merc-O-Matic.

Photo of the Week- "Come Fly with Me"

 Lots of fun with photos this week on the Palm Springs Automobilist Facebook page. Our most viewed photo this week I call "Come Fly With Me," a 1960 factory photograph of a brand new Chevrolet Corvair and a coquettish young lady, but what turns the picture into a standout are the folded paper birds- could this photo be what inspired Hitchcock to make the film?

Coming in a close second (how's that for a race photo headline) is Daytona, 1960- in which a Ford has a narrow lead over a Chevrolet. This photo captures the roots of NASCAR aka "stock car racing", when the cars were indeed regular production cars with just a few performance mods and some safety equipment added. Many of these drivers found themselves sitting on the production seats. It's a great look at a simpler time.

And the third place photo was so close I decided to include it as well. I call it "Then or Now", and it is in fact a recreation of a 1958 Cadillac factory photo, taken to publicize the Cadillac Grand National Event in Detroit in 2002. I think they did a great job in staging it. 

Be sure and drop by the Palm Springs Automobilist on Facebook for daily photo updates and lively car conversation!

Photos of the Week: Fancy Lancer and Lonely Ford

Lots of fun photos this week, and lots of traffic- with 44,946 people reached and dozens of great new images, comments, and lively banter from you folks. In other words, exactly what I had hoped for. Usually the vintage images catch your eye, but this week's top photo was of a restored car- in this case a 1959 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer coupe that I've nicknamed "Fancy Lancer."

Look at all of that polished stainless and chrome. Wow! It's a spectacular restoration of Dodge's top of the line hardtop for '59, and I don't blame you guys for liking it, or 42 people for sharing it further. It sure is a beauty.

Our second most popular photo of the week is a bit more somber- I call it "Lonely Ford" and it's a 1961 Ford Squad Car from the Andy Griffith television series, all outfitted with Mayberry markings and decals. It sits alone and empty, and I posted it as a tribute to the much loved and respected Andy Griffith to mark his passing. 139 of you have shared it so far as a remembrance to a man we will miss dearly. Rest in Peace, Sheriff.

Be sure and stop by the Palm Springs Automobilist Facebook page for new images daily and lively conversation from car folks such as yourselves. Hope to see you there!

Photo of the Week: Impala Sunset

The images keep flowing over at the Palm Springs Automobilist Facebook Page. This week's top photo was "Impala Sunset", a great twilight look at a '59 Impala Sport Sedan at Oval Beach in picturesque Saugatuck, Michigan. Surprisingly enough, it's one of my own photos (I'm known for leaving the lens cap on) but even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then.



And sharing a similar theme, I decided to include the second place photo as well. It's a Life magazine picture from the early '60s that I call "Along the Banks of the Hardtop River" and shows a riverbank shored up with abandoned cars that we would just happen to DIE FOR today. A great period look at how quickly these majestic chariots were discarded.

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