Saturday, April 3, 2010

Sweet Old Ride

No, you're not seeing Glimpses of South Pasadena. But that's not a bad idea.

When I lived in Illinois I rarely saw cars like this. Harsh winters make them so impractical as to render them impossible. But here in southern California we see them all the time.

I'm no car expert and I don't know what make or model this one is. Do you?

25 comments:

Dina said...

I'm drawn more to this house and its rafters than to the car.

Can't see; is it a convertible?

Amazing how many interesting car posts the linked blog presents.

Shell Sherree said...

I have no idea, Petrea, but if it's a convertible, they are very popular here, too! Not sure why, as you could fry an egg on the top of your head in our summer if you've had the top down for more than 2.5 minutes and I imagine it's the same there. That said, Niles is a convertible, but his top stays firmly down until dusk. Even in winter. {I owe my complexion to a long line of redheads...}

Birdman said...

You've done a nice job with the composition of this shot. Yes, the building intrigues me, the car is an afterthought.

Virginia said...

I thought LA had snuck over here too! I love those big ole tanks. Land yachts. Who called them that? Mr. E will know.

ANd I'll send Wayne over. He'll know the make of that one I'll bet.
V

Petrea Burchard said...

The house is an old Craftsman, Dina, with trees in the front so it's hard to get a shot. But I love the side columns. The first one even has moss on it--rare around here.

The car isn't a convertible. Looks like a Rambler to me, or a small Studebaker model. Maybe Virginia can get Wayne to come and tell us.

Convertibles are popular here, too, because it's sunny so much of the time. If I were bald I wouldn't want to drive one!

Welcome, Birdman! I've enjoyed snooping through your blog this morning. I admit it was the house that attracted me. The car was just luck.

Virginia, I put this on the screen and thought, "People are going to think I've stolen Laurie's camera!" Or at least cut into her territory...

Petrea Burchard said...

I think it's a 1960 Studebaker Lark. The one pictured at the link is a convertible and this one isn't, but you get the idea.

Cafe Observer said...

Interesting. Does Laurie ghost write blogs?

Katie said...

I'll take the house and the car please (although it does look like the house needs a bit of work). I hope the vehicle is a Lark - what an awesome name for a car! The Lark looks like a fancy Dart.

Anonymous said...

I'm with Shell; convertibles made no sense to me. Breathing in all the gas fumes and baking in the sun.

TheChieftess said...

When I first married the hubman, not so very long ago...he bought me the sweetest convertible you ever did see...love it!!! The best time to drive with the top down though, is generally fall winter and spring..not so many summer days!!! And yes, the hair is an issue, but have cap or scrunchy (very 80's but still doesn't leave band marks in the hair) will travel with the top down!!!

In addition...my soon to be 89years old mom-in-law who is still driving relatively successfully...bought a brand new VW bug convertible- in red....she's a hot great grandma who can sport the Grace Kelly look!!! Don't run to get off the road just yet...she pretty much just drives to the market or her dinner club (in Corona del Mar)...although she did drive to Laguna with the top down shortly after she bought it!!!

dbdubya said...

That's a mid-60s Studebaker Lark, Petrea. The Lark was Studebaker's response to the Ford Falcon, Pontiac Tempest, Dodge Dart, and Chevy Nova. It was a square boxy thing that was made for a few years in the mid-60's. Unfortunately, it didn't save Studebaker which, over the years put out some classic models like the Avanti, the first fiberglass bodied car, and the Hawk series which were way ahead of their time.

Great photo - I'll bet Laurie is envious.

from cali said...

I didn't realize Studebaker made cars in the 60s.

Have you ever seen an Aptera? Strange looking car.

Petrea Burchard said...

I don't know, Cafe. You'd have to ask her. She certainly could if she wanted to.

I think the house is probably in good shape, Katie. That's the thing about the Craftsman architecture, everything's in the shade so you can't tell. They keep secrets and you hardly need to air condition them.

Mmm. Fumes...

Then again, Chieftess, you're making me see the fun in it.

Hi dbdubya. Thanks for the info. Do you know what year Studebaker stopped making cars? My parents had one when I was little but it was a big ol' thing.

I just googled that, Cali. Looks like a hovercraft.

dbdubya said...

Studebaker originally was a wagon manufacturer, starting in the
1850s. Their first automobile was electric, in 1902. The started making gasoline powered cars in 1904. They were headquartered in South Bend, Ind. In 1963 they closed the US plant and operated out of the Ontario, Canada factory until they closed in 1963. The last car made was a '64 Lark Cruiser. The Lark was made from
'59 until they went out of business.

Studebakers were often ahead of their time. At one point they merged with Packard and the last Packards were made by Studebaker.

Now you know the rest of the story.

Bellis said...

We were going to buy a Volvo convertible when we arrived in California but decided against it after a drive in someone else's open car along the 10 freeway. Couldn't hear one another speak! And those Google map printouts that help me get to my destination would fly away, wouldn't they? On the other hand, cruising around Palos Verdes peninsula or the hills of Malibu could be a lot of fun .

Anonymous said...

B: Do you know what Volvo actually means?

Volvo around in a convertible. Looking forward to that shot!

dbdubya said...

Volvo means "I roll." I had a Volvo once. They have a great reputation, but I think they have about a 10% lemon factor. Mine was one of them. In Sweden lemons come in all colors - mine was blue. I bought it new in '86 and got rid of it when the warranty was up because there's no way I could have kept it on the road. A friend had what he called his Volvo-Volvo. He called it that because he'd replaced virtually everything on the car and figured he bought two Volvos. Others have have great luck with them.

Bellis said...

Depends if the Volvo was the big tank type, built in Sweden, or the smaller type, built in Holland. The Dutch-built ones weren't very durable, the Swedish ones ran forever. Does Ford own them now?

Oh, gosh, thanks for the warning about rolling over in the convertible, hee hee.

Anonymous said...

B: Here's an another alternative 4 you (maybe not the top choise but...):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWfGksWJ9FU

Petrea Burchard said...

Oh gosh, I have to buy a car. I guess not a Volvo. Wish it could be a Studebaker.

Here's a bit about the Studebaker building in Chicago, a favorite of mine:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine_Arts_Building_%28Chicago%29

Har har, Anon!

Bellis said...

Anon, thanks for the memories. As a 14 year old McCartney devotee, I never much liked that song because John sang it, but later on, I appreciated how good it was. Amazing to think that Paul was at the Hollywood Bowl last week, still going strong. As for rolling over, I wonder if John Muir's rolling over about the developments planned for Hahamongna?

dbdubya said...

Ford just sold Volvo to a Chinese automaker. It will be interesting to see what happens to the company now. Mine was Swedish built, not Dutch. I didn't know they made them in Holland.

Thal Armathura said...

Petrea, Yes, we have many classic cars in our neighborhoods. I like to call them historic preservation on wheels. And since I'm a vintage sports car roadster (convertible) driver since the 1960's, I'm able to say that Spring and Fall, and Summer nights with the smell of orange blossoms and overhead the moon and the stars, are the time for an open car. There is not quite anything like it in the world; you experience the environment in such a different way, like on a bicycle or motorcycle, but without the crushing wind and without the pedaling. I love Altadena Drive for its beauty and lack of stop lights or stop signs from Washington North to Lincoln on the west.

Lori Lynn said...

That would just be a pile of rust in Chicago.
LL

Petrea Burchard said...

Ain't it the truth, Lori!