Following up on galleries with a summer feel, today’s images feature sunny views of the ’50s-’60s along some nice vintage cars on sandy beaches of the past. It’s a follow-up of sorts to a similar gallery posted months ago, and a theme that deserves a second look.
This is a gallery where some images seem to tell a story on their own (what’s up with those crutches on #3?), but as with many of these images found online, those specific details are nowhere to be found. So, a bit of imagination is necessary.
Regardless, what each does tell is of folks traveling to have a fun time by the beach.
I love these ! so much great car spotting .
The crutches are they typ used by polio victims , this horrible sickness was eradicated by VACCINES, not how some have no idea what vaccines are nor how important .
I can’t imagine driving any vehicle I care about onto the beach .
I worry about the salty air on the times I go near the coast .
Neat WWII vintage Jeep with cooler selling icecream .
-Nate
Dr Salk was our hero of the 50s!
I would never drive my car on the beach – surely sand being kicked up into places it doesn’t belong isn’t good for a car. Do they even allow that anymore? I rarely see cars on the beach except in old photos. Looks like some good times though…
I like that canopy thing on #3 held up by two cars.
It is allowed in many/most parts of Oregon. Technically, the whole beach in Oregon is a state right of way, which was done specifically so that no one could claim a private beach. It also means one can drive on it except for specific areas that are restricted because of wildlife, like the snowy plover.
I just looked it up – in Maryland (where I live) it is illegal to drive a car on the ocean beaches ($250 fine) unless you have a state permit, which normally is only given to government vehicles. They do have an arrangement for “Jeep week” where private off-road vehicles can be driven on the sand, with permits for the occasion required. Non-ocean beaches have somewhat more relaxed regulations.
In Delaware (whose beaches are actually a shorter drive for me), permits are also required to drive on the beach, and they normally are only issued for cars parked on the beach for surf fishing, which you must be actively engaged in if you park on the beach. This is only allowed at beaches designated for surf fishing. Oregon is like a different world from here.
Brings back great vacation memories from the early-mid 1960s. Early 60s Dad was the base commander at an AFB in GA. Dad was into baseball so each year we headed to Florida for spring training. Dad, Mom, me & a best friend, and frequently one cat. I always got to take a friend along as older teenage brother stayed home doing what teenagers do when home alone. Myself & friend would get a couple of weeks of homework in advance and typically complete in the car. Dad would be off watching sports, Mom off shopping, me and friend in a pool or beach, playing mini-golf or just exploring unsupervised. We all got together for breakfast and dinner. Nights parents off to nightclubs and us kids, who had our own motel/hotel room, were off to more unsupervised exploring. Wonderful childhood vacation memories and I can still almost smell the salt air and feel the night time breeze. The only negative was I always returned home with a sunburn, covered head to foot with Noxzema cream, and peeled for a week (am very fair skinned).
Looking at these pictures I only remember one time Dad drove our convertible on a beach, must have been Daytona. Never remember Mom in a swimsuit. In her younger years she was a natural blond fashion model, she never had a tan even though she kept the top down on her convertibles until the ground froze. These pictures remind me of a carefree time of salt air, sea breezes, and Noxzema cream. Thanks for posting.
This is something that was once common you’d likely never see today, at least here in British Columbia. Some of those cars are so close to the waters edge you can almost hear them rust!
I’m not a FoMoCo fan but I do like that ’61 Mercury convert!
Cars parked on the sand were not something allowed on L.A. beaches even in the early 60s of my childhood. Too bad, it looks so cool (for us, not the cars!).
Neither LA County nor San Diego County. If you ever have walked Southern California beaches you would know the sand above the high tide line is pretty soft. Walking it is tricky enough. Not till you are below the high tide line do you walk on hard packed sand among all the kelp strewn along that part.
The beach was a place for American cars. In nine photos there seems to be just two of those oddball foreign cars – a Hillman Husky and a Volvo 122s Amazon. Not even a beetle!
And they’ll have fun till Daddy, or Beach ⛱ Control takes the T bird Away! 😉
It continued until several persons were run over while sun bathing.
The lady next to the ’63 Galaxy ragtop fits in very well.
The 1960 Galaxie in the last photo just reinforces the fact I want one. The white car in #6 looks very fomoco, but I can’t ID exactly what it is.
The first few shots reminded me of Asbury Park, NJ. Still some of the large structures there, though many repurposed or vacant. Really enjoy seeing the COLORFUL cars often two tone- today’s cars are both high tech junk and tediously boring.
I agree, I know better than to drive directly on the sand unless it’s made for it. That said, even those can be a problem. It only takes one grain of sand to ruin everything, and I’m not just talking about cars.
The big “Merc convert” is a looker..
First image, the motorcycle. Based on the way the exhaust pipes are shaped and their location it could be a BMW? The red color doesn’t seem correct though. Thoughts from the experts would be appreciated.
Too small? looks like a Harey Hummer or another of the smaller bikes, some were 2 strokes, of the time. Harley also made an M50s (pic) that sorta looks like it? BMW R69s and the like were bigger and their big boxer cylinders stick way out.
m50s
sorry pic won’t load…dunno why.
Photo of a Harley M50.
For the comments section, the photo has to be jpeg format, and no more than 1800 pixels wide by 1000 pixels tall.
The first image reminds me of the end of ‘Whatever Happened to Baby Jane’, where Bette Davis drives the Lincoln convertible to the beach with a crippled Joan Crawford.
That white 1959 Pontiac… with a purple roof? An online search doesn’t reveal any such color combos — the only roof color that appears to have been offered for two-tone models is white. A possible custom job?
I just got back from a weekend in Pismo Beach. As I remember there was an off highway recreation area on the south end of the beach for off road vehicles. We walked near the area and saw lots of vehicles parked on the sand. I’ve never been curious enough to go check out the area.
My guess is that many of are at Daytona Beach. They still allow driving on the beach. I got stuck a few years ago in a rental car. I didn’t realize that a Cadillac SRX was rear wheel drive! I turned off the traction control and rocked it. Fortunately I was able to free myself. Pleasant memories though.
Born and raised in Southern California, Newport Beach, and no one was ever allowed to drive on the beach, except the lifeguards and beach patrol jeeps. Laguna would have been too difficult for any vehicles to get to, certain places excepted.
I’ve lived in Washington state for almost 42 years and there is a town on the southwest coast named Long Beach (no, not California) where driving is allowed. As was stated here in another post, Oregon has numerous access points the entire coast.
Thanks for these pictures, as always, such a slice of Americana.
In those days, Sundays in summer were beach time at Galveston. Beach parking was de rigeur… nobody gave it a second thought. We just had to leave early enough to claim our space…wonderful memories!
I love the picture of the 2 ’53 Chevys. I have had one for 43 years, since just out of high school. And I Love it. It was my only car. I took it everywhere, to the beach, to the mountains, I used it for my wedding, I drove it in the Memorial Day Parade for about 20 or 30 years. I drove it through the winters in the snow and ice. I just couldn’t see not driving it. GREAT TIMES. 😃
This is a picture of my ’53 Chevy back in 1987