Car Show

[Zerkfitting]

The Minnesota Street Rod Association puts on the Back to the Fifties car show at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, it is one of the largest car shows (they got 10,000 cars this year). I take a bunch of pictures and thought I'd share a few.

 

[aunty dive]

Very nice.

I’d like to take the pickup and the Packard home.

 

[TexasRaceLady]

I'll take one of each, please.

 

[Whizzer]

WOW!! DO I ever remember those cars!! The manufactured vehicles and the uprising of the hot rod!!

"Back in the day," it was a big deal to get a glimpse of the new model cars. During those years, manufacturers set a "show date," usually in September, to display and offer for sale the new models. The kid in school who got a glimpse first was almost a hero for a day when reporting the changes from the old to the new model year.
Our local Chevy dealer had garage that was deep and they parked the new models all the way in the back. Getting through the front part was easy but getting past the myriad of mechanics and others to get to the back of the garage and view the new models was hard but not impossible. I got kicked out many times over the years before I was successful.
It was the early fifties when the nation had fully recovered from WWII and cars design became an important selling tool. It was right up there with, win on Sunday, sell on Monday.

The Ford dealer covered their new models as they had limited indoor storage but the Hudson and the Dodge -Plymouth dealers had annex buildings where they stored the new models. I don't recall how the covered them or even if they did while transporting the new cars but it was a sight for a young lad living in a rural dairy farming town, population less than 1000, and having a Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Hudson, Pontiac, Plymouth dealers making a living.
But to add to the mix, we also had as new motorized dealerships, a John Deere, Farmall, Case, Oliver and Ford tractors.
PLUS, a Diamond T, GMC, International, Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, truck dealers although the dealers selling brand cars such as Ford also were the dealer for trucks and tractors.
It was a fun time to be a kid and to grow with the automobile scene.

Unlike today when every car looks pretty much the same.

Thanks for posting the pictures, Zerkfitting!!

 

[Zerkfitting]

I remember new model release dates, it was a big deal for car people in Sept. I also remember when you could order a car with the options you wanted, these days it is option package A or B.

 

[Old Kid]

Dad and I would go visit some of the local dealers to see the new models in the evening and the dealers would have snacks, brochures I could bring home to look at and a few times I was lucky enough to get a promo model. The LM dealer always had cider and fresh glazed donuts from a local bakery that were delicious.

Dad was kind of a local celebrity because he was news director for our local radio station. Small town, everybody knew him and he was well respected. When the new Ford Maverick was released we got a sneak peek at the Ford dealer the day before the official unveiling.

Dad was buying new Fords regularly and so when I was 14 dad went to the dealer and told them he wanted to test drive the new 428 CJ 4 speed Torino fastback that was sitting on the showroom floor. They got it out, we went out on the county roads and dad let me drive it. I had already been driving for 2 or 3 years at that point having learned on his Mustang with a manual trans. Great memories.

 

[gone]

Very nice cars and pictures! Those cars are probably in better-than-new condition, but they're still fun to see.

Our little town in WV had some of the brands, but each dealer only had a few cars (and they might not have any of the top end models). Still was fun when the new cars came out and Dad would take us around to see them. One year, Dad was actually shopping (needed to replace our family sedan) and ended up buying a loaded Catalina that was the showpiece in the Pontiac dealer's showroom. The dealer gave Dad a little discount for delaying taking it home - the dealer wanted to keep it on display until something equal or better showed up on a delivery truck. Two weeks later a nice Bonneville came in, and we took the Catalina home.

 

[DanicaFreak]

great pics thanks for sharing.

 

[Old Kid]

Very nice cars and pictures! Those cars are probably in better-than-new condition, but they're still fun to see.

Our little town in WV had some of the brands, but each dealer only had a few cars (and they might not have any of the top end models). Still was fun when the new cars came out and Dad would take us around to see them. One year, Dad was actually shopping (needed to replace our family sedan) and ended up buying a loaded Catalina that was the showpiece in the Pontiac dealer's showroom. The dealer gave Dad a little discount for delaying taking it home - the dealer wanted to keep it on display until something equal or better showed up on a delivery truck. Two weeks later a nice Bonneville came in, and we took the Catalina home.

You reminded me of a dealership in the nice little town of Strasburg Ohio. This would be back when I was a kid and I think it was called Haas Chevrolet. It was an old wooden building and the showroom barely held two cars. Simpler times.