Los Angeles in the late 1940s… A Car Spotter’s Game!

This clip has been seen a number of times already, so apologies if it’s made the rounds on here, but I’ve got a little game for ya… This great footage was shot from the back of a car driving around the streets of Bunker Hill in Los Angeles, and guessing by the pedestrian reactions, there must by a guy hand-operating a camera while hanging out the trunk or truck bed. Before the days of graffiti or mass vagrancy, and when gang members wore suits, this a great look back at a much younger, more optimistic L.A. The newest cars I see on the road would put this movie around 1947 or early ’48, by my best guess. Among the hundreds of vehicles observed while spotting the film, I marveled at: The number of cars with spot lamps, how few of them have white wall tires, and how advanced the Virgil Exner-designed Starlight Studebaker looks compared to everything else on the street.

I also found a number of  notable rides (with time code on the left):

1:32 – Some large, early 30s luxury Phaeton parked on the street. Somehow escaped the WWII scrap drives.

1:44 – Watch the Packard Taxi belch out a huge cloud of smoke while taking off.

1:54 – Hot Rod spotted! Dig the kid in the Roadster’s rumble seat.

2:39 – I think this is a ’40 Olds coupe, but its got extra trim around the greenhouse and rocker panel, plus custom skirts.

3:27 – 1929 Ford Model A Roadster on 16″ steelies with caps and wide whites. Sporting 1940 Ford tail lamps and Guide headlamps.

3:28- 1947 Chevy Sedan Delivery

5:55 – 1940 Ford DeLuxe

6:08 – 1935 Ford Roadster w/ sealed beam conversion headlamps

Watch this film and pick out some garage gems of your own!