Art & Inspiration Interesting images from old magazines

Sept. 1957, Speed Age

 

August 1957, Car Craft

 

January 1961, Custom Craft

 

Sorry about the double post... does anyone recognize these cars / builders / owners? Gary

 

People Magazine called me "Hoodfella back in August 2002

http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20137782,00.html


worse tho, the "rewriter" in New York took the littl reporter gal's [ who was *here* to do the story ] SEVEN pages of notes and condensed em down to fit the space allotted --
adding his OWN -- sayin my "JUNKER"! "rattles" down the highway --

Hey, my Beulah mighta *been* a "junker" when I first rescued it from that vacant lot in Ocean Beach back in the 60s

BUT

*IT* has never "RATTLED DOWN THE HIGHWAY"

I HATE rattles -- even w ALL the gear she's carried, all the years she's served me servin others, She's NEVER had a "rattle" -- leastways, not fer long

My Beulah rattle?

Them's fightin words!

Little gal reporter wrote me a nice note of apology - -lettin me know that *she* had NOT said that - -I've got it framed by the magaizine story out on the shop wall --

 

The '32 5 window on the first page top is Don Tognotti's Avenger coupe. On the second page it looks like the AMBR Alien.

 

I am old enough to remember when Barris "built" the car. Back then, this was just another old, retired race car.

Not yet the icon that the passing of fifty years of time gave the car in the future.

In '63, the original builder, Art Chrisman had moved on into a new era…he was tucking blown overhead cam fuel engines in the front seat of new Cougars, at the forefront of the class to become known as funny cars!!

Art must have gotten a laugh out of what Barris did, but my guess he didn't lose any sleep over it! And yeah, like all of us have done, he lived to regret ever selling the car!

Yes, the Chrisman coupe is now an icon, deservedly so. In '63, there was no history yet in our hobby.

And, yes, Barris is the king….of taking credit for cars he didn't build.

 

Oh, no! Not a traditional tractor grille!


We never say it enough, but thanx for keeping up on this and your other historical threads, rbantique! Gary

 

This has got to be one of the best threads found on the HAMB.
I lost all my little pages in an unfortunate incident at my house about 25 years ago and this thread is my chance to see articles and photos from magazines I never thought I would read again.

Thank you to all the contributors for bringing this thread to life. Job well done!

 

There is something very special about looking at old vintage photo's and I think for me it just brings back so many wonderful memories.

My wife always kids me when we go to Cracker Barrel because she knows that I just love to look at all the old signs and other stuff hanging on the walls. I know it sounds crazy but I could sit there for hours looking at the stuff.

I think the best threads on this site are the ones with old photo's of cars, people, buildings, signs and magazines. I have study the art work of all signs for a long time.

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to share their photo's with the rest of us.

Jimbo

 

This is one great looking car! It appears to have a Ford crest in the grille, along with some fender dressing too. I'm guessing it to be early/mid 60s?

Is any more info available for it? I'd like to read more about it.

 

another from the same day

 

I'm curious as well. I was thinkin' '63 Galaxie.

 

Nice article nonetheless. .. you've got the spirit!

I've been paying it forward this way for 40 years after I blew up an engine on a -12 F morning coming home from a wedding!

Posted using Full box of Crayons on the Kitchen Walls App!

 

It started as a '63 Ford Galaxy and was customized by George Barris for Ford's Custom Car Caravan. The Custom Car Caravan was a promotion by Ford that started in the early '60s and went to about mid-60s. Ford partnered with Barris and AMT, but other customizers also built cars for the caravan. The ISCA show circuit was alive and well back then and the cars were exhibited at the shows. I believe they also made other appearances at Ford dealers. It was a marketing ploy by Ford to get people to buy their cars, and thanks to AMT's involvement, kids cud build models of the custom cars. Geez, I can't believe a Chevy guy knows this much about a Ford. It actually was a big deal at the time and a win for all those involved. But, I still didn't buy a Ford.

 

For a Chevy guy you have a lot of knowledge about the Ford Custom Car Caravans of the early 60's that included both customs and race cars.

Like you said there were several builders that were involved other than Barris and the Astro was actually built by Bill Cushenbery.

Mick

 

Cool cool. I was wondering if those front fenders received some sort of rear quarter treatment. I'm still trying to figure out the hood. Maybe a modified trunk. Thanks for the information.
Hotdoggin

 

July 15, 1961 Saturday Evening Post

 

OK, it's not an image from an old magazine. It's one page from the AMT 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 model kit instructions. It shows the advanced customizing parts that were included to build a 1/25 scale model of Bill Cushenbery's Astro mentioned in earlier posts. Note that his last name has only one "r" -- but it's often incorrectly spelled with two.

To learn more about Bill and his customs, go here:
http://www.kustomrama.com/index.php?title=Bill_Cushenbery

 

I stand corrected. I guess this Chevy guy didn't know as much about Fords as he thot. Back in those days, there weren't very many Chevy hot rodders. The two guys I ran around with were both Ford guys, so I cudn't help picking up some info. There were a lot of ISCA shows in my area, i.e., DC, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Philly, too, I think. Barris was the guy you saw the most at those shows. I guess that's why I associated him with the Astro. Cushenbery I associate with my favorite custom, the '40 Ford, El Matador.

 

Here's one custom that I hope didn't get beyond the illustration stage.

January 1956 Rod and Custom

 

I think this guy lived by the motto "If it stays still long enough, pinstripe it!"

 

Might be an artist's rendering of the first documented cinder block as a jack stand death.

 

Scored these two today. My first real little books. I bought them on the covers alone.