Can failing to use good pictures be wrong? Such a failure could be considered a form of wastefulness, which can be wrong – or at least shameful. I must correct that. Like our last installment, these are unused, one-off’s, and other miscellaneous pictures (automotive and otherwise) I don’t remember using before.
Such as this Kaiser.
This Kaiser was found north of the town of Lebanon. The correct local pronunciation is Leb-uh-nun. Some will inadvertently say it as “Leb-nun”. Either way, there is no “non” at the end.
Still fully operational, this Kaiser was for sale. When was the last time you found a Kaiser for sale alongside the road?
Lebanon, while only around 17,000 in population, is a cornucopia for CC finds. Lying on Old Route 66, it was once touted as the Used Car Capital Of The World…which might still be accurate.
This Datsun / Nissan was in a grocery store parking lot. In a weird twist, contributor Eric703 also found this same Datsun / Nissan – in the same parking lot.
Another find was over 110 miles north of there, near Columbia. Attending an auto auction for my father-in-law one day (where the minivan he was interested in obtaining got cut from that particular auction, irritatingly) I found this Ford Contour SVT. It had a manual transmission and high miles but was in great shape.
Sometime after finding the Contour, I found this Chevelle on US 63 just south of Columbia. What really caught my eye was the driver’s window being down.
For the sharp-eyed, you will notice the “Little Dixie Lake” sign. The area around and northeast of Columbia has been referred to as Little Dixie, which dates to the 1850s.
Captured from the same angle, this ’61 Chevrolet was found just east of Jefferson City.
It’s a big boned Buick B-body! Found in St. Robert, two hours south of Columbia, this Buick was a literal stone’s throw from the front gate of the US Army’s Fort Leonard Wood.
Was I there getting a tattoo? Yes, a Buick LeSabre was tattooed onto an SD card.
Sliding 25 miles east on I-44 gets one to Rolla. Pronounced “Rah-luh”, it’s where I attended the last 65% of my college career. Away from campus is where I found this 1959 Mercedes. It’s not the best picture, but the best I could get of an amazing car.
I only knew the model year by looking at the license plate.
Regarding Rolla itself, I have seen a few Corolla’s around town owned by hardcore students. How could I tell? They have removed the “Co” from the nameplate on the trunklid.
Since I am meandering all over the state, here’s a Chrysler from Cape. Cape Girardeau, that is, the place where I was born a rapidly increasing number of years ago.
This K-car based LeBaron presented itself to me in February 2018, the day of my maternal grandmother’s funeral.
Speaking of grandparents, here’s a picture of my maternal grandfather while he was stationed in England during World War II. He’s the balding one in the upper right holding what appears to be spark plugs. Despite looking older, he was only about 20 in this picture.
This picture was found on the website of a war museum located near where he was stationed. The Army allowed him to disclose he was stationed “between Liverpool and Blackpool” in his letters home; no further description was allowed due to security concerns. It is now safe to say he was near the town of Freckleton. He also witnessed the Freckleton Air Disaster in August 1944.
My grandfather was surprised that I found (okay, my sister found it) this picture. I showed this to him when he was 95. His mental acuity was unchanged since this picture was taken, and he was one to tease, so I asked him what he was holding. He responded with a faux belligerent “I’m old; how the hell would I know?”. So I said, “Grandpa, you were there when this was taken!”.
This picture was taken near my house the day he died a little over a year later in July 2020. He was 96.
This creek runs parallel to the road I use to get home; my timing was good as all had been heavily flooded twenty minutes prior. We received a copious amount of rain in about thirty minutes.
That storm also flooded US 50 through Jefferson City, where I live. Those are parking lots on either side of the sheriff’s department Charger.
Also during the time of that viral ruckus of whose name I will not utter, the US Air Force announced they were going to fly a Stealth fighter over the central part of the state. It was based at Whiteman Air Force Base, which is about 80 miles west of where I live.
This picture was taken from my backyard.
Speaking of stealth, opossums are stealthy creatures. We somehow discovered this one trying to climb into my fenced in garden. Looks like he enjoys cherry tomatoes.
Deer are also very stealthy – and common. They also crap all over the place. A few years ago I was hurrying across the backyard for some reason when I slid and nearly fell upon stepping into the middle of an unseen deer pile and sliding a great distance. It was unpleasant.
You can see I’m not big on mowing. Mowing would contribute to starving the deer. Starving a deer would constitute animal cruelty. Animal cruelty is mean. I’m not mean…most days.
What is mean is when the fuel pump (I think that’s what it was) on your pickup croaks…when the tank is full. It was hauled to a coworker’s house and quickly fixed. Seeing the old girl in such a state was bothersome.
One should expect surprises in a 30+ year old pickup. Right now she won’t charge herself. The alternator is fine. One culprit is the external voltage regulator which is within the ECM (or PCU; it’s in some box behind the battery). Another culprit could be the crankshaft position sensor. Damned electronics.
Have I ever mentioned how common these Dodges are around here? Here’s proof…
This last Dodge reminds me of a story.
A coworker overheard a conversation one day. He said two people were talking and could not remember the name of a town where some business or person was located. One said to the other “I think the town name starts with a ‘U'”.
The reply? “Oh, yeah, it’s Eugene!”
This Dodge was found near U-gene, the eastern one.
Back in 2020, I had some surprise health issues. All turned out well but an incidental finding was the possibility of cancer. Between diagnosis and surgery I spent every Saturday morning exploring county roads. My mind was in overdrive and needing to sort things out. To think, I’d fire up my old Dodge and go for a drive. After a while I’d open a can of soda for sipping and head back home when it was finished. This exploration yielded some nice finds…like this Dodge!
Oh, and I found this Dodge upon leaving the hospital after some testing. That’s the bottom of my Dodge in the bottom of this picture. Good rigs don’t die easily.
This picture was taken in 2020 and I saw this short-bed Dodge again last week. She’s still going strong.
An observation…only the silver one appears inert. It is, likely not coincidentally, the same vintage as mine. The rest are still going…and are all older with fewer electronics. Damned electronics.
My exploration was fun, seeing all manner of buildings, terrain, wildlife, and a few automotive treasures, such as this Javelin. One never knows what they will find.
A Mercedes was not expected. The nose on that thing is highly unfortunate. That’s the nicest thing I can say.
If I weren’t being nice, I would say the headlights look to be plucked from a Pontiac Grand Am and the hood extension containing the Mercedes logo looks like somebody pulling their nose down over their mouth. But I shall remain charitable.
This 1956 Ford and semi-Studebaker combination was found between Brazito and U-gene.
Which reminds me…another person I know of goes by the name U-gene. His detractors call him U-genious.
This is an N-genious use of an old Studebaker.
This ’73 Ford Torino Squire was found behind a local business. I don’t know what happened to it as this business relocated and the building was torn down. It was a real bummer as he sold older cars and more than one CC find came from here. The business being so near was somewhat like fishing in a bathtub.
What I do know is this Torino had a 429. Cubic inches can alleviate many things.
Winding down, here’s another local find that deserves its moment in the sun. How often does one see a 1937 Chevrolet in the wild? Likely about as often as seeing a Kaiser.
Last, but certainly not least, is this Oldsmobile Delta 88 convertible. This seems like an appropriate way to end this journey in my photo archives.
Great writeup and your past time of just driving around sounds so soothing. I’ve enjoyed the few times I’ve passed through your state (unfortunately mostly on boring main interstates to STL or KC) but Missouri really has that Americana charm.
The interstates within Missouri, like other states, do get a bit tedious to drive as one misses most of the interesting parts of the state. Plus, I have driven every mile of interstate within Missouri, so I know what you say.
For variety, you might try US 50 or US 36 depending upon your origin or destination. Both give a better flavor of the area.
That Chevelle’s a four-door…somewhat of a unicorn, eh? I love those!
YES! Everyone wants a coupe or convertible, and wagons had a resurgence for a while, but the 4-door sedans have been a sidenote since Chevelles became collectible.
From the condition of the one pictured, I’m guessing it was someone’s grandmother’s car, put in the barn after she passed. Some grandchild (or great-grandchild) discovered it, and brought it back to life.
Jason, another excellent set of random photos that you’ve skillfully made un-random.
The Contour catches my eye. Not too far from when that was new, I rented a similar Mondeo in Scotland, which also had a manual. It was a surprisingly (to me) competent and enjoyable to drive vehicle. I know that they didn’t do well here in the US, but I have sometimes harbored a “what if” feeling about driving a US market one. The few I have known over here lasted ridiculously long.
I like the Olds in your last photo. For some reason, that’s a convertible that to me at least looks nearly as good with the top up as down.
That’s a very healthy-looking deer. So healthy, I fear for his safety…at least I would if he were around here this month as there’d be someone just itching to blast him into the deer hereafter. Which (despite all of the problems caused by deer) I can’t help but feel is kind of mean.
Thank you. Crafting a piece from random pictures is a nice mental exercise for me. I’m glad it paid off.
The one thing that sticks with me about the Contour is replacing the starter. In the late 90s I was at a Ford dealer small enough they didn’t mind taking you through the garage. In one corner was a Contour with the engine pulled. That was what was required for starter replacement.
About deer…the one pictured was a healthy one. It may also be the one trying to expand his personal gene pool with some hapless doe in about the same spot. I was both amused and annoyed. My wife was just annoyed.
Also about deer…they have gotten very thick in my world (see previous paragraph). I work with people for whom deer season is better than the sum of Christmas, their birthday, and the birth of a child all multiplied by 100. It’s fun to hear them carry on about deer season.
Great set of random pictures, so to celebrate I’ll make a bunch of random comments.
Datsun 200-SX: I recognize that car! I spotted it about 5 years ago, and that’s the most recent of this vintage of SX’s that I’ve seen. Lebanon is a great place for carspotting.
Contour SVT: I remember you telling me that you found this car. I owned a ’98 SVT and loved it. If I could somehow buy a new one just like it, I would.
Little Dixie: My wife’s family hails from Little Dixie – so named because it was originally settled by Southerners (largely moving from Kentucky). Little Dixie actually extends pretty far into northern Missouri, which brings some cognitive dissonance because the landscape looks like Iowa, but the people speak like North Carolinians.
Buick: Nice cream LeSabre – looks like those are wheel covers from a 1990s Buick, but they look like they belong there.
Rolla/Corolla: The Coastal North Carolina town of Corolla is actually pronounced Co-Rah-luh (so it rhymes with Rolla). Locals immediately know you’re not from there if you pronounce the town like the Toyota.
WWII Photo: It’s remarkable to come across a picture like this decades later. I’d love to know what your grandfather was holding!
Dodge Trucks: Next time I’m in rural Missouri, I’ll have to play the Count-The-Old-Dodge-Trucks game. I’m sure the rest of my family will find that game thrilling.
Delta 88: Great find! I also like the car’s license plate ending in F8F, like the F8F Bearcat fighter plane. It’s always nice when your standard-issue plate has some other meaning.
You’ve covered a lot of ground!
While your in-laws live in Little Dixie, your brother-in-law lives in Little Rhineland. I saw something recently showing the different regions of the state, with the Little Rhineland having been heavily settled by Germans as the terrain was familiar to them as it seems it looks like the Rhine Valley around here. Thus, I need to go to Germany to verify.
I’ve never heard of Little Rhineland before – but I can definitely see that being the area’s nickname!
Kaiser kind of a rare one, a special without any of the bright trim. You just don’t see these
Excellent hunting! You sent me pictures of that Kaiser some years back and I was going to use it for Part 2 of my Kaiser history. I need to get back to that. It’s a really exceptional find.
Thank you. I never did see that Kaiser again. With any luck it found a good home as it was in remarkably good condition.
Yes, and that c-pillar kink should rightly be called the “Kaiser kink”, as I’ve pointed out more than once (last time, I promise! lol)… maybe it’ll sink in this time 😉
I owned several Oldsmobiles from the ’70s and ’80s. It was notable that various corrosion issues, bulb filament failures, and loose light bulbs that needed a push and a twist would result in either the top, or bottom of the mostly vertically oriented tail lights would work in strange ways when the brakes were applied.
Good to see that the unusual horizontal light orientation on the ’73 Delta 88 didn’t distract the Olds tail lights from their usual operation!
The partial view of the rusty early ’50s Buick (with Dynaflow) in front of the Torino Squire is tantalizing. It would be interesting to see more of it. I wonder if it’s in salvageable condition.
The Contour (american version of the Mondeo) was an attractive car but unfortunately had a bad reputation, even without being a bad car.
No one I know who has owned that car speaks badly of it.
Jason, I’ve found that reading what you post often provides me with a link to interesting information that otherwise has escaped me to date. In this case, it is a 1944 air disaster that is shocking even in 2024: Freckleton Air Disaster: On 23 August 1944, a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Consolidated B-24 Liberator crashed during a test flight into the centre of the village of Freckleton, Lancashire, England, killing all three crewmen aboard the aircraft and 58 individuals on the ground, including 38 children aged four to six. Count on me to continue following what you write on CC.
Thank you.
My grandfather slowly kept adding details about the Freckleton disaster over the years. One of the last times he brought it up, he added details that have not been covered in anything I have ever read about it. How did he know this? He helped with the extrication of those school children. I’ll leave it that.
Two other items…a friend of his was in the Sad Sack Cafe across the street from the school and was one of those also killed. Second, something I read in an article about the disaster, one of the pallbearers for the children later married the mother of the child whose coffin he had carried.
Great car spotting – made for a fun post!
The schnoz on that later model Mercedes reminds me of Jimmy Durante. 😉
When I stumbled upon that Mercedes, my comment contained the word “ugly”. How that got produced makes one wonder.
That Kaiser is quite a find, I actually saw a very rough one for sale at the side of the road when driving between Trail BC and Calgary AB in September. Didn’t stop for the photo though.
The one you found looks quite a bit like the Cold War Motors Kaiser, almost the same color or maybe used to be the same color:
Long ago I spotted another Kaiser I wrote up. It was a ’53 Kaiser Dragon that was sitting on the lot of an old car dealer near Kansas City. It was pretty ratty in comparison to the red one shown here.
For whatever reason, the survival rate of Kaisers seems to be quite high.
The guy at Cold war motors has several Kaisers including his daily driven one and a 37 Chevy, Ive never seen a live Kaiser.
I love the Kaiser! My grandparents bought a new 51 Deluxe when my mother was a senior in high school. My uncle Bob was dating Mom’s younger sister at the time and got to drive it a few times. He later remembered it as a really nice driving car. If anything could displace a Studebaker from my dwindling short list, it would be one of these.
I once built a model kit of a 37 Chevy and painted it a color of green almost identical to the one you found!
Ugh – aging electronics are no fun.
I remember you mentioning your grandparents having purchased a Kaiser. Not many can claim such a unique thing. It would be interesting to know of their ownership experience, particularly with it likely becoming an orphan during their ownership.
That ’37 Chevrolet was parked next to a Pontiac G6 – one of those forgettable little Pontiacs made toward the end of their run. There wasn’t a profound size difference.
People in my family remembered that Kaiser fondly. The only negative was my grandma noting that in their farming community, everyone was certain to know where they drove.
My grandfather died in early 1957 and grandma continued to drive it until maybe 1958 or 59, when a bee flew into the window and she lost control and ended up in a big ditch. That apparently totaled the car, and she bought a used 55 DeSoto. I think she liked the Kaiser better.
I sure do like that Kaiser!
Dutch Darrin did great work here. That was another lost opportunity for Packard.
Early fifties Kaisers were stylish and well built. Too bad it was saddled with the ancient Continental six, when the medium price competition all had eights, some even modern OHV V-8’s. 1954 seemed to be a pivotal moment in the auto industry, when the Big three decided to crush the independents with a price war. In 1955 Kaiser, and Hudson were gone, with Packard and Studebaker hanging on by a thread.
Excellent pictures. The Torino wagon reminded me of my 73 Mercury Montego (a lady once asked me what a Mondego was!) wagon. Mine had a very tired 351.
My dad served in India during WW2. He never would talk about it so I know very little, other than he was in the Air Force (called something different then) and was in communication. He shared that while in the communication building he received word that his second daughter was born.
Thanks for those memories
My dad lived in China during WWII. He very much appreciated (and arguably I am here to post this today because of) the efforts of your dad and his colleagues as they kept Northern China and its population alive via the India-China Airlift.
My dad was fascinated with aircraft his entire life, and much of that started from those experiences with American airmen and their machines when he was a 10 year old.
It was likely the Army Air Force. That’s the branch where my grandfather served. Sounds like your father was also in the AAF.
They did a lot of good in the overall effort. It’s good to know of someone else who had family in the AAF.
I see the birds like to hang out on both of the Kaiser’s side view mirrors.
I own a roof rack and park under trees.
In the 80’s I drove a mini fire truck on patrol in a small combined police & fire dept.
They were 3/4 ton Dodge pickups with a 200 gallon tank and a high pressure pump.
The tanks didn’t have baffles and the trucks weren’t heavy duty enough but we survived.
The thinking here was that it was ten minutes to get a fire truck to some remote trailer park or highway. We could get there in 3 to 5 and at least hold things off or knock down a small fire. Eventually the logistics improved.
Later, in 1989, I drove a Ramcharger which was very comfortable and quick. The city garage put a giant homemade wooden box between the seats when outfitting it. My first morning using this truck as I was about to head out the guy who used it the night before
came up to me, opened the door, and said he forgot something. He reached across me, opened the box and pulled out a snake. “Come on cuddles”, he said.
Days or weeks later some guy came to the station looking for that snake. Details aside,
this is how a department comes to have a property intake procedure on reptiles.
Anyway enjoyed the pics and thanks for the nostalgia.
Some interesting shots, but the Ford Torino Squire really jumps out at me. Appearing to be in good shape for one, but Torino’s were Fairlanes which were intermediates. That thing looks huge. I know, different times, although I was there, but that Torino looks 20 feet long!
When I was a kid, I always heard Lebanon was the rollback capital. As in speedometers.
Yes, I’ve heard that also.