I have an odd electric accessory from Mopar available from the late 40s-through the 50s at least. An electrically opened gas tank filler cap! Yep, press a button up front and the chrome-plated cap "pops" open so you can fill the tank. After filling, simply push the cap closed, click, and you're ready for the road. Along the same line, GM offered a GM-"script" accessory locking gas cap which fits the most popular of the 3 most common filler neck sizes. Specialized Auto Parts reproduced the GM cap back in the 80s and sold a couple thousand of them. They also made a plain cover cap which allowed the same cap to fit about 70% of non-GM cars, pickups, tractors and motorcycles. They also made a Mopar-"script" cover for the same cap whihc fit most Mopar products from about 36-52 or so. These were not original Mopar accessory but filled a nice niche market for Mopar lovers.
Not quite HAMB friendly, but our neighbor, Mr. Middendorf, across the street ordered a silver '65 Pontiac Catalina wagon with a 421, tri-power, 4 speed, bucket seats, and console. I've never seen anything else like it.
Only seen a set once on Ebay, but apparently window screens were available for my wifes 63 Rambler cross country station wagon. The front seat folds flat for sleeping and I guess the metal screens were to keep the bugs out while sleeping.....
My 56 Buick Special (cheap model) had factory air, auto, PS, PB, dual exhaust, three color paint and deluxe interior,Kick myself for selling it! My current 62 Galaxie is factory 406 4 speed 4.11 trac loc car. The singer in an old band had a 64 Electra 225 ragtop with dual quad 425 and 4 speed and bucket seats. A friend had a 63 or 62 Lemans with 4 cylinder 4 speed bucket seat 4 barrel set up.
My '50 pickup has a genuine Ford push bumper, spotlight and rear sliding window. All original to the truck. I have the rear window stored away. Also...A couple years back I got to see a 1959 Thunderbird with a 3 speed column shift, no AC, no PS, and no PB. Crank up windows as well with radio delete plate. Now that is not only rare but pretty dam strange!
I don't know how rare it is because I can't find any production numbers broke down to the models, but I have a 57 Dodge custom sierra wagon with a D500 hemi. I'm assuming most of the D500 option went to 2dr hardtops and convertibles?
My grandparents' next door neighbor had those headlight covers on a '65 Galaxie 500 4door sedan. look closely and they say "PYREX" in the glass. Dad's '56 Bel Air sedan had a 265/Powerglide, power steering and brakes, and the optional color-matched (green) interior and a red light with a jewelled lens that flashed when the brake was set. I guess charcoal grey interior was standard, even on Bel Airs, but I have never seen it. Mom's '56 (also a Bel Air sedan) had no power steering or power brakes but was optioned with the Powerpack 265 and Powerglide as well as a copper and beige interior to match the outside. My '55 truck only has the 265, Deluxe heater, and FACTORY electric wipers. Very odd for a truck ordered new in Los Angeles and spending its first 53 years there.
I was at the Sycamore auction back about '01 - '02. Saw a 1967 Eldorado with absolutely NO options. Crank rear windows, no A/C, no tilt, cloth upholstery, skin top. Simply NO options. Had to be rare - top of the line Cadillac, nothing there. Certainly was not a dealer stock car, as no dealer in his right mind would order such a thing, UNLESS it was a price-leader. Anyway, wish I'd the money to buy it. Cosmo
Sure it was a 53? My 54 Bel Air has the power windows and seats and everything I've found said 54 was the first year for that. The guy I got my 54 from had a 51 2dr hard top Chevy that had factory power locks and factory popper on the gas door.
OT car, but I had a '70 GTX with factory rear window defogger...it was a little blow dryer in the trunk under the package shelf with a slotted opening for the hot air to blow up on the rear window.
How about '55 Chevy Hardtop with factory air conditoning, power seats,windows,steering and brakes. I bought the car from a used car lot in August of 1975, and drove 100 miles home cool as cucumber while and listening to the signal seeking radio. Yes I still own the car and every thing still works.
------------ I've heard of 4-speed stick Rivieras but I've never actually seen one. Any idea of how many were actually produced? Anyone got any pics of one showing the interior with the stick and the console? Mart3406 ===============
In 1961 ,I owned a '56 Chrysler 300B, the odd thing about this car was it was, a standard transmission, it was a 3 speed,O/D, with a floor shift. Found out a couple years ago it was 1 of 8 produced in '56. I should have held onto that one. ................Jack
Dude I had that steering wheel in my 49 deluxe and I just picked up a set of those wheel covers. Can't wait to run them.
I bought a 68 chevy pickup with a 250 six, power steering, and an automatic. Never seen that before.......... the guy I bought it from said it was a special order for a Lady.
My ugly old 57 150 two door wagon was an original 283 power pack, 3 spd o/d, 4:11 posi car... Saw pics of cars that belonged to engineers from the southern States that came up to Saskatoon when the first potash mine was put in. One was a 55 Bel Air sedan with factory air, the other was a 250 hp FI 57 Bel Air station wagon... Used to be a 56 Laurentian (Canadian Pontiac) in a boneyard east of here with factory a/c as well. Friend used to have a 64 Impala SS with the 327 and a 3 speed on the column with buckets and console. There was an engine-turned block off plate where the shifter was supposed to go. Saw another 57 not that long ago that had a Turboglide that actually worked A couple other o/t cars were a factory four gear equipped 70 Monte Carlo, a 65 Galaxy four door hardtop with a padded roof and real small back window - not a custom job, the interior was factory-trimmed. This also had some kind of glass headlight covers I've only ever seen on a ragtop in a magazine before. The last was my cousin's plum crazy purple cuda with a bench seat bottom, high back bucket backs, the 383 Golden Commando, a column shift auto, and power windows
Owned a 1966 Corvette coupe 300 hp engine, air conditioning, power stearing and a three speed. A friend that was into Corvairs has a set of factory knock off wire wheel. Had the two eared knockoff and they were star drive like the original Corvette knock offs in very early 63 with the two eared knockoff. They were 13" wheels if I remember correctly.
My 1955 Pontiac has factory air, power windows, a light up hood ornament, and manual (not electic) 6 way adjustable front seat.
By " factory option" do you mean as it left the assembly line or installed by the local new car dealer? Cars dealer used to about anything you wanted on a newly delivered vehicle for a price.Years later this becomes a "factory option"
I had a 78 Chrysler Le Baron with 3 speed with overdrive. Not option but std.the automatic transmission was the option. However it took the factory three months to make the standard model.They said they wanted to make 2 "odd" models at the same time.
There's a early 60's Chevy pickup in my area that has a 283, Powerglide and factory air. Shortbox Fleetside, too. When looking for parts for my 66 Rambler American, I ran across a 4 door American 220 (bottom of the line) that had had a 290 V8/4speed factory. I got the pedals assembly out of it for my 4 speed conversion. Blue
I had a 65 Comet with intermittent wipers. The wiper knob had a small dial in the center that adjusted a vacuum control behind the wiper switch. A few years ago there was a movie called Flash of Genius supposedly based on a true story and the guy is showing Ford execs how he made a 69 Lincoln Mark III to have delay wipers that he supposedly "invented". I had a hard time watching the rest of the movie. If the guy was such a genius he would have just bought himself a Mercury in 65 that already had delay wipers.
o/t car, but an odd set up just the same. had a '77 olds F-85 [nova body] 2 door, radio delete, odd fire v-6, 3 on the tree, rally wheels, white exterior [with F-85 stripes on the side] and a black and white checker board cloth gut.....odd car.
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