Let’s go for some rocket action with this gallery of images covering Oldsmobile’s Rocket days. These date from the early ’50s to the late ’60s, and the folks pictured seem quite varied in origin; a sign the brand was an enticing one to all sorts.
We start with a semi-deceiving lede shot, with a young couple standing before a ’55 model on an image dated to 1969.
TOP PHOTO:
The car may come from the 50’s, but the clothes and hair look more like the mid 60’s. Maybe a young couple’s first (slightly used or hand me down) car??
You’re right. The article states the pic is dated 1969.
Narrow whitewalls are also a giveaway.
If they are in fact the owners of the Olds they are plenty lucky because someone has obviously taken very good care of the car for many years.
My first thought was that the car must be “His father’s Oldsmobile” 😉 but that was before I read the post.
I’m so oblivious to clothing fashions that I didn’t notice any of this. The young woman’s shorts/skirt/whatever that is looks a bit ’60s now that I look closely, but the young man’s clothes look utterly generic to me that could be from any decade, and the hair styles don’t shout “1969” to me either. Shame on me though for not noticing the period-incorrect narrow whitewalls!
The pic of the `49 Olds 98 cvt. is interesting. Looks like both of their mothers are along for the ride, and the one standing next to the wife by the driver’s door doesn’t appear to care for the wife too much. More a case of tolerating her; after all no woman is good enough for her precious son! (eye roll)
Interesting. I read that photo quite differently. I think that the lady on the right is the mother to the one on the left. Dad/husband is behind the wheel, and it’s grandma/mother or mother-in-law in the back seat. Lady on the right is just not too happy being on a trip with her mom or mother-in-law.
The woman on the left (in the red coat) could be all of 16. High School students looked so very old back then.
Jeff, I think your interpretation is closer to the mark. The woman standing on the right appears to be about the same age as the driver. Her expression could be because of the cold and wind, given the scene is near water, coats are being worn, and the younger woman’s hair seems to be windblown.
Though clearly not identical, the location reminds me of this one on Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia, along Toms Cove adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean.
Interesting to see how the clothing has changed .
I didn’t like the overly Conservative clothing then nor now .
-Nate
That first photo startled me a bit (1969)—’til I got to the helpful caption.
At CC I’ve gained a better appreciation of the degree of body-engineering sharing between GM’s divisions in the 1950s, alongside individual production of engines and such.
Detroit’s postwar V8s allowed for lower hood lines than with the straight 8s, which seems to be in evidence here.
Congratulations to whoever owned the Toronado! I’ll guess there was enough financial security there to be able to acquire and enjoy one of GM’s premium offerings.
Buick may have been GM’s golden child of the 50s, but Olds provided a great car for those who were a rung down on the ladder. Hard to beat a Rocket V8 and a Hydra-Matic!
Indeed, especially in the 1970s when the Cutlass beginned to climb the charts of the best-selling cars.
It would be interesting to see some snapshots of Oldsmobile owners of the 1970 and early 1980s although not everyone enjoyed the FWD X-body Omega.
Cool pics, all. May I have the Dynamic, please?
I like the ‘54 Holiday, but it would look even better without the silly (and dangerous) hood ornament.
The 4th picture down of the green Olds Coupe, could that be a 2 Olds family? The blue car in the background looks like an older model sedan.
4th photo:
Getting the impression the young man is showing off his new Olds. Maybe a fresh lawyer or engineer of modest success.
Too young to be a banker making that kind of money.