ever wonder who owned your hot rods way back when they were regular everyday cars? I do, I also think the same when going through a junk yard... I suppose it sounds like a silly thought?
Back when the yards were filled with really interesting cars & trucks, we always wondered about why some were allowed to die. Repair cost vs. replacing the outfit ...
I often wonder how many sandwiches were eaten in my car. Probably a bunch. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The man who originally bought my car new lived down the street from me. Name was Ira B. Relyea, Poughkeepsie, NY.
My car came from the west coast. I found a pen from a California lumber yard in the glove box, of course it didn't work. I dug up a similar pen that did work and swapped in the new guts, now it writes. The car had less than 81k miles on it, I do wonder who drove it, how many owners and if the guy on the assembly line is still around.
Thought about that with my cars also The two especially were my 53 Chrysler and my new- to me- 55 Buick As both cars appear to have been restored in the past , then just sat around for years and years. Untill I bought them. The Chrysler I bought just at the start of the (RR) scene and I wanted to chop, air bags, flat black...... all that nonsense! Once I got it up on the hoist and saw how mint and original it was plans quickly changed and it became a restoration of sorts with slight lowering and wheels, I used to joke with my friends and say I’m not the owner of this car meirly the care taker of it!
Yes I do wonder about my car. I know the last owner had it 30 years and told me lots of stories about the fun he had in her. He said the person he got it from had it 30 years as well. But I wonder where it was bought new and who. He told me he thought it was bought new in Knoxville but wasn't positive.
Hey I know that guy! Not but it's funny that in the first few posts, the city of Poughkeepsie pops up and like most NY they wind up in Fla. Pat (still here in Hudson Valley)
I often think about the stories our cars could tell if they were able. My avatar car was a drag car in New Mexico for 14 years before gathering dust-would like to see how it did in a way back machine and the people that were associated with it. I am now working on a 1903 Cadillac and I cannot imagine that they would have thought someone over 100 years later would be restoring it and I would surely like to go back in time and see the life the car and the owner lived. I also have some sad derelict old cars that were abused and wonder about them-WTH. I have actually had a conversation or two with others that could care less. To each their own I guess.
Thanks for this, I thought I was the only one that had such thoughts! I always wonder about the stories that the old houses/buildings could tell, but that's just Me.
I know the history of three of mine but curious about my custom 500,when I look at the old cars in the junkyards I think of how excited the first owners were to drive it off the lot and wondered why it was there.
Yes you look at some of the rusty hulks in the junkyard that used to be beautiful fine cars.When the buyer drove it off the dealer's lot to show it off to friends and family.now gone to seed.
I always wondered what role our '40 Coupe played in World War 2. It was too new to worry about being scraped, but what part did it play? Did it take a guy to a factory and what did they make? Did it take a "Rosie Riveter" to work while her husband was out fighting? Or, did it sit waiting while it's owner was in combat and I can only hope he came home to it.
I recently sold a low mile non HAMB car that came with a binder full of cool things. The original hand written receipt, maintenance records, recipients for modifications even a speeding ticket. There were several owners contributing to this. The car slowly moved south from Wisconsin to Chicago to Indiana now my buddy owns it in southern Indiana. I was able to add a bunch of mods to the list!
i now have another car of the same year (1969) the has similar miles , about 60k, that has no history. It’s disappointing!
I too have thought "what if" cars could talk, other things/objects, what some stories they could tell, In a way they do show us the love/care/abuse received. Here in Wisconsin, the family farm count is down, corporate, large farms taking over I'm told. When driving and we see an empty/abandoned farm/house, my wife always comments how sad it looks, once full of family and life now withering away to dust. Back to cars, when I was a kid 16/1964, the local junkyard was my parts house, speed shop and tire store, most of the owners were good to us kids, helpful, some a book of knowledge on interchange parts. True Story ? Buddy has a 40 Plymouth RestoRod and him and his wife would always tell people at shows in conversation, (common question, how long have you had the car)that was his car when they first met and she lost her virginity to him back seat, back in the day, always brought laughter (sadly she is in the process of passing from health issues) Best part of HAMB, get to pass thoughts/memories on. Have a GREAT DAY !
We as humans, tend to filter the long ago times to be only all good memories. The past does not exist, the only important thing is "the now"..it is the only thing that is real. I did once spend many thoughts about a cars history...but now... I make my own, each evening, out cruising around; .. I feel the road, hear the rumble as it pulls the back road hills..the feel of the tall top shifter going into second gear...the coolness of the night after a hot humid day... Lately, as I head home, feeling the Olds Rocket pulling so smooth and steady, I have to wonder why more people don't drive their hotrods as "dailys" like I do now..I wish everyone could sense what I do each night..but words or pictures simply cannot capture it. .
I know the guy I bought my car from only had it a short period of time, and I believe it was the victim of a bad butcher job before that for a quick flip. Much past that, I wonder about where it came from and all the people that got it to when I bought it. Besides a hacked up 12v conversion and little things to get it running, it was pretty much stock. Being a 1950, there is a considerable amount of rust on the floors, braces, and rockers, and the fact that the newspaper they stuffed in some of the rust holes was from southern Illinois, I imagine it spent some time sitting in a field somewhere. Sent from my SM-G920V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Its something I've thought about a decent amount with my current '37 Buick Century coupe. Late 30's to pre war time has always been a pretty interesting era for me, and where the Century was sort of a sporty car for the time, makes me think what sort of person bought it off the lot. I know before I bought it, it shuffled hands for the last 20 or 30yrs after having been stripped of everything, so the other end of it that I've been curious about, is how long has it been off the road. General consensus seems to be , "I wouldn't be surprised if its been 50years or more" judging from it's degree of neglect and rust.
I still talk to the guy that I bought my car from. Las winter I met up with him at a dive bar near the Kalamazoo winter swapmeet, and all his buddies were there too. Apparently my car got passed around between them like a pack of cigarettes in prison.
I've always wondered what the story is on old cars, buildings, etc. I understand that cars are high use consumables that get driven to death, eventually start to fall apart and get put out to pasture. What gets me is seeing luxury items such as boats and motorhomes meet a certain death to the point people are begging someone to haul them off for free on Craigslist. I can't help think that at some point an upper middle class family most likely with kids made a giant financial leap and bought a boat or motorhome to travel and spend quality family time together camping, water skiing, etc. The buying choice may have won out over having a swimming pool built in their backyard. The Parents and kids grow older and become less interested in camping. Likewise, the family's pride and joy begins to age and suffer from mechanical issues and like the sporting equipment hanging on the garage wall is ignored and begins to collect dust. I see it and can't help think about all the good times it provided to a family. I know my 41 Packard Coupe was first sold 12/24/40, leading me to believe it may very well have been a Christmas present to the Wife of a well heeled Husband. Or perhaps a well to do Gentleman business man, Doctor, etc.) treated himself to a new car and it just happened to be that day. Like Cincinnati Slim's post, I assumed he was glad he had bought it once car manufacturing ceased a year later and he kept it at least through the war.
I do not know who originally owned my 56 Handyman, but I do know which Chevrolet Dealership sold it and which salesman.
I was fortunate to have bought my RPU from the original owner's daughter over 20 years ago. A nice old lady in Glendale Ca. She spent over an hour with me relating the history of the truck and what it meant to her. In the 30's and 40's he used it to deliver auto parts in downtown L.A. Unfortunately she didn't get to see it as it is now.
Hello, I am in the reverse of your topic. I would like to know who owns the cars we once drove back then, today… We had 6 cars of note that I have been researching for all of these years. At first, it was daunting without the internet. But, that internet that we all cuss at one time or another, or have led hackers to cookie us, is a pain in the butt. Since old cars are plentiful on most web searches, that makes it fun. HAMB? It is a small group, but widespread with plenty of fingers in almost every corner of the USA and elsewhere. So, someone over the years has to have a connection or two. I would be interested in: Jnaki Our history of cars in 50s-60s would be the search that I am conducting to this day. They are/were a part of our hot rod/drag race history. The one time I did see the 65 El Camino driving down PCH was in Laguna Beach a year or so, after I sold it. It was extremely fun sighting, let alone driving along side of it for a few blocks. “ AAAH, so, that is what it looks like going down the street…” No digital cameras way back then, let alone handy movie cameras, but the sight of my old El Camino cruising down the street was pretty fabulous. All of those trouble free miles is/was now making someone else happy in So Cal. So, what happened to the other hot rods? Car Crusher? Reclaimed from scrap metal into NOS 55 Chevy parts? Sitting in a collector’s garage wondering where I am? Reconstructed into daily drivers that show up at the various Cars and Coffee events?
I've wondered the same. The stories they could tell, good or bas. The sights they've seen, etc. I've also wondered when looking at the post "Vintage shots from days gone by" , if any of my cars are anywhere in those pictures. I do wonder if possibly some stories I would not want to hear.
Pretty easy when it was purchased by a family member off the show room floor. Jessie Fredericks was the first owner, Clyde Coppage was the second & Brenda Berry was the third & present owned of the '54 Ford Ranch Wagon. Grandmother, father & daughter. HRP
<--- I don't know the first owner but I am the second owner, Roger Roland was the 3rd owner and I am the 4th owner. HRP
Well, I've got this one covered since May 5th of 1942 but I don't know about that first 10 years. The same family had it for 75 years with the original buyer owning and modifying and dragging and updating and changing over 54 years while driving it at his daily driver for many years. After he passed, a daughter kept careful care of it for 21 more years. I feel lucky to have it and often think of the original builder as I know I'm retracing steps he took many years ago.
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