Not too many images appear in this post, but they do a good job of highlighting the excitement new car models created back then. A few of today’s shots come from the South Tacoma Motor Co., where Walker Chevrolet would open during the nights of December to showcase the new models. Other dealer pictures are unidentified, but the glee is there all the same.
As CC reader CPJ commented some time ago:
“Recall that these old-time dealerships treated the annual new car introductions like a national holiday. Windows were papered beforehand so no one could get a peek before the anointed day. Newspaper ads abounded. When that day finally came, there was fanfare, coffee, donuts, prizes and stuff for the kids.”
It was quite a tradition. And deserves a moment of remembrance in our vintage galleries.
I remember as a teen (mid 70s) entering a dealership with my Dad so he could decide whether he could or not afford a brand new car. It could be a GM (Opel) or Renault (just Renault 12) or Fiat (128, 125, 600), or VW (Beetle or Brasilia). The aspirational was the R12 and the Opel Rekord. He eventually got a Rekord. What I remember is the illumination by night. We’d go to the cinema by night and stop at the different dealers to take a peek with my friends. So, dealerships were commonly close to movie theatres on main streets. Imagine all that sqaure meters dedicated to storing cars, new and used.
There’s not one delarship of those left in Montevideo’s downtown. Nor more than a couple of movie theatres.
Enjoyable period correct photographs.
Did people really get this excited over a 6 cylinder Chevy??
If I had been around in this time period I would be over at the Ford dealership; smearing the plate glass window with my nose, hand prints and hot panting breath.
“Did people really get this excited over a 6 cylinder Chevy?? “
Not just 6 cylinder Chevies, but back then: ANY NEW CAR.
Post WWII, the whole GM line up was a revelation in design and technology, especially those with the available automatic transmissions and the sleek “no B pillar” hardtops. With no USA cars being made during the war, and cars only lasting 6 or 8 years at best, demand for new cars was high and more people were in the Chevrolet price bracket than the more expensive models higher up the Sloan ladder.
The post war GM designs were (IMO) much more attractive than Chrysler products (‘duh) and I actually had a ’53 Chrysler. Fords had their fans, but their new designs were a tad late, and for those looking for performance, Fords with their flat head V8s were no match for GM’s slightly up-market OHV V8 Olds and their 4 speed automatic transmissions.
OK, the shoe box Ford convertible with a V8 and 3 speed stick was very cool. I tried to buy a ’49 (or ’50) model but it was more expensive than the even newer ’53 Chrysler convertible.
It was an exciting time to see new cars (and even tires) now available for purchase after the dreadful shortages (including some foods) during WWII.
TBH, you kinda needed to be there.
People got excited over a lot of “6 cylinder, rides” then!
Did people really get this excited over a 6 cylinder Chevy??
Apparently yes, given that Chevy outsold Ford in 1950 by some 25%.
Surprisingly this building has survived with little change and it currently houses a used car dealership/repair facility, with the showroom still in use to display (used) cars.
Pass by that place a few times a month. That place is an icon in South Tacoma where every hot rodders dreams are filled with images of classic hot rods just itching to be bought and cherished.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Austin's+Pro+Max/@47.206008,-122.4837835,3a,75y,267.55h,86.32t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1saptRmXnCHhNa58yrr7LgKQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m6!3m5!1s0x5491000df05cffb3:0xeeffbbc01c2cda52!8m2!3d47.2060052!4d-122.4842435!16s%2Fg%2F1tjwhg3w?authuser=0&entry=ttu
UNGA BUNGA….SIMBA!!!
Back in the mid sixties, when my family lived near the Lakewood Chevrolet plant, they would put up cloth masking on the fencing surrounding the parking lots where the new cars were stored. For weeks before the September “reveal” (IIRC), people would poke holes through the cloth attempting to get a look at the new models! I can still recall the shock I felt upon spying the first of the 65 Impalas! 🙂
Ahh, yes, the beautiful 1965 Chevrolet Impalas and Caprice! Truly stunning cars in all forms–two door hardtop, two door sedan, convertible, wagon and four-door hardtop!
From a modern perspective, it’s surreal to think that folks were often excited at new car models. These types of photos, and the ads that went with them, are great to look at these days.
This is one of the better dealer print ads from this period – a whole ad supplement (from a Wisconsin dealership) in the form of a newspaper advertising a the new 1949 Chevrolets. Imagine all the effort it took to write this ad copy – certainly not something you’d see done any longer:
Chevy always tried to focus on one Big New Feature. Sometimes it was trivial like front vent flaps (Fisher No-Draft Ventilation.) In 1950 Powerglide was a more serious innovation.
Showroom is rather small. Wouldn’t take a lot a folks to make it crowded. Still , can’t help thinking there wasn’t some “incentive” to get that many folks crammed in..
They’re keeping a curious , small, space cushion, between themselves and the car too.
My small, western PA, hometown in the “process” of losing it’s only remaining , in town, pedestrian friendly dealership.
New one in “car centric” locale to emerge.(three/four miles outside city limits)
Dealership sold to a “multi dealer, entity about two/three years ago.
More great pic selections Rich. Florescent tube lighting coming into large popularity in the early ’50s, lends a state-of-the-art feel to these showrooms.
Terrific-looking finish on the foreground Chev, in the second pic.
“Recall that these old-time dealerships treated the annual new car introductions like a national holiday. Windows were papered beforehand so no one could get a peek before the anointed day. Newspaper ads abounded. When that day finally came, there was fanfare, coffee, donuts, prizes and stuff for the kids.”
The technical term for the phenomena, was ‘planned obsolescence’. 🙂
I can only imagine how impressive those new Chevrolets were in their day.
It is odd to think of those showrooms back when most manufacturers offered one basic model. That second shot seems to display a nice variety of body and trim styles. In later decades you were lucky if a showroom could accommodate one version of each model offered.
I would imagine outside the dealership there were huge old carbon arc searchlights shooting their beams up into the sky to entice people to come and see what the commotion was. Wow, it’s been years since I’ve seen one of those in use.
I’d have been here gawping at the Bel Air Coupe .
Yes, they were only 6 bangers and fairly delicate at that but the style and driving was so far ahead of Ford & Chrysler .
If you wanted a rear go fast car you had to go up the Sloan ladder and Chevy / Ford were duking it out in those year, called the “Low Cost Field” .
-Nate
You can see the excitement in the faces of those staring at the new Chevrolet. Back in the day when owning a new car was a luxury and complement. Many still carpooled to work just to scrape by.
A bit different today.