A few images of Lindahl Chevrolet and its surroundings, located in Iron River, Michigan. Shots taken in August 1968.
Vintage Dealer Snapshots: A Chevrolet Dealer In 1968
– Posted on November 8, 2024
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Curbside Classics Archives
That is one LONG hill! Bet the Chevy dealer did a lot of brake work.
That’s lovely .
I remember dealerships like this, the service department was on the second floor .
I wish I could go to that used car lot and snag one of those trucks, maybe it’d have a 235, radio & heater =8-) .
-Nate
In the first picture, that’s a ‘68 SS396 parked by the stop sign.
Dead ringer for my old one
I lived in Michigan for 20 years, and never heard of Iron River. No wonder; it’s a town of (currently) 3000 residents, deep in the Upper Peninsula, on the Wisconsin border.
Even more surprising is that there’s *still* a Chevy dealer there, combined with GMC. With 68 new vehicles on the lot!
Lindahl Chevrolet was owned and operated by Curtis Lindahl until his death in 1988.
Maggini Chevrolet in my hometown of Berkeley, California was a similar two story style of dark brick with lighter masonry trim. I recall the trim being even more ornate … my childhood memories are stronger for the building itself than what was in the showroom. Quite different than the nearby VW dealership which was very modest (like its cars). The Ford dealership was big but also had a big outdoor lot next door, which was uncommon, so eyes were drawn to the cars.
Lead photo, hard to believe someone would trade a pickup after so few years, truck on the left is a ’63, two on the right are ’64/66. The white one may be a C20 with the Westcoast Jr. mirrors, 283 4sp I’d take that!
Love spotting details from the past, I’d long forgotten. Those gold parking meters were still in use in the 1970’s, when I was a little kid.
1st Photo:
Look how Plain Jane the pick-up trucks look back then. Not even a spot in the showroom for a new truck. Lucky if it came with a radio. Bet you had to special order if you wanted A/C or automatic.
Today, the trucks and Suburbans are the main cash cows for GM, Ford, & Chrysler (or what ever it calls itself).
How things have changed.
“Look how Plain Jane the pick-up trucks look back then. Not even a spot in the showroom for a new truck.”
Not to say there’s a new pick-up in the showroom, but that line of pick-ups are in the used lot- 1968 was the first year of the next generation of Chevy pick-up, which lasted until 1972.
67-72
Back in the good ol’ days a large percentage of the population rolled new iron every year or two!! 40 years ago I bought a new car every 9 months!
The truck overall hasn’t changed.
Front cab-
Cargo bed-
Just the Bling has changed!
Here is the top picture in 2008. The former dealership is the white building, the pine trees replaced the used car lot, but that house in the background seems the same. Looking north on 2nd St across US-2.
Sometime after 2018, the dealership building was torn down.
The 3rd photo is actually Crystal Falls, one town to the East.
Actually 67 was the 1st year of the next gen of Chevy pickups. I had a 67 fleetside till a few years ago. Great truck, always started.
The “Ok Used Cars” sign caught my eye… I remember that sign at Chevy dealers when my Dad was shopping for our new 1968 Impala.
Nowadays, we call them “Certified Pre-Owned”. 🙄
Thank you for posting these photos. It reminds me of my childhood. It seems every small town had a Chevrolet and a Ford dealership. The town nearest where I grew up had been a Hupmobile dealership originally. Graf Chevrolet in Waterford, Wisconsin had a corner of the service department for displaying one new car. You could see the front end from the street and a curtain hung along one side of the car to make it a little bit softer.
By that time, the public had been brainwashed against Corvairs, so none to be seen.
There is one in the top photo.
Michael, I think I see the front end of a yellow Corvair next to the Impala.
Jeff
My Mom in 69 arriving home from Steakley Chevrolet in Dallas, Texas.
In response to the comment about the 68 Chevelle SS if you zoom in you will see that it’s not a Chevelle at all. It’s a 68 Canadian Chevrolet Beaumont. Note the long bar tail lights and the absence of the SS badge and any Chevelle script anywhere on the rear of that car.