O Scale Motor Vehicle Chronicle April 17

My '60 Impala was a hardttop, as was my '66 Charger, but my '73 Charger was not,

but the roof was styled to kind of hide that omission.  I did not miss it much for the

'73 was a great car, and, apparently, the last of same from Chrysler, although, the

'74 was unchanged.  Both of the Chargers were good cars, with the '66 being my

all-time favorite.  Highly practicaL body, widely used by me for camping, and for

towing home relics.

I was lucky to find this brown version last year at York for $75.

You Betcha! 

The first car I bought myself. Three deuces with a three speed w/overdrive. I remember the mellow sound of dual smitty's. Talk about first class, I even had front and rear speakers on a AM radio. Full rear fender skirts, 4" whitewalls with chrome dish wheel covers w/spinners.

My only 2 door hard tops were a '54 Dodge Royal Lancer 500 with a Continental kit and Kelsey Hayes wire wheels...  It had a 150 hp Red Ram V-8.  (I wanted the 200HP Offenhauser version, but it wasn't to be, and th 150 was hot enough for a high school kid.)... and a '57 Dodge Royal lancer that I bought for $450.00 and drove for about r months while going to Army courses at APG, MD and Ft. Lee, VA.

Thanks for the info Richard.

My first car was a 54 Dodge Royal Club Coupe. It gives me bragging rights to claim my first car was a Dodge Hemi.

This is not my car but is exactly the same. The sedans were generally better cars. Early hard tops were drafty and rattled, but looked better.

A few years later I had a 57 Dodge convertible, but tht thing was possessed by demons 

Richard,

You're so good at bringing back our road memories, Thank you! I'm looking for 1956 Mercury two door hardtop. I owned one with the Police Interceptor Package. I cannot drive anymore. That doesn't stop the memories. Once again, Thank you!

Oh my!  I covet that '51 Ford!  Gotta find one.  

I went up and decided to snap a picture of whatever hardtop coupes I had on the layout right not.  I also have a few more included the Studebaker you picture, but:

My grandfather's first Cadillac - he got it in '53 or so, and for the rest of his life was a Cadiilac only man . . . first car I ever saw with power windows and AC, and the signal seeking radio - I could not get enough!

I have this is two colors, the other sort of a brown and coral . . . I alternate them on the layout. 

This Chevy you had pictured - great car.  So is the Ford in the background.  Rather recent, I think IXO, not sure though . . . 

I think this is Yat Ming or New Ray.  Anyway, it was my first 'Streets conversion.  Still running after all these years, even though, on my first try , I accidentally epoxiedthe front wheels solid - they don't turn, but just slide along the rails. The '49 or '50 Olds couple int he backgroun is Brooklin and among my favorites.  Nothing says "very early 50s" like a rounded coupe that is not a hardtop . . . 

This Buick is a bit dusty from being to near the boatyard construction, but nice, and on the layout almost all the time. 

And that's it . . . except I took these four down from the "'60s shelf" to get this photo.  You've see the Olds of course, but these other four are on roughly the same period, and very cool . . . 

It's 1:43 but its not a hardtop, and its expensive as the dickens, but some things you just HAVE TO HAVE.

Diecastdirect new arrivals e-mail arrived this afternoon and I ordered even before reading past this one . . . . 

Brooklin 1:43 1937 White tank truck.  Oh wow!

Looks great. You certainly don't want to be on your "death bed" wishing you had bought one. It's only money (sheets of germ-laden paper).

It could happen.  But the '37 White tanker truck ought to arrive in a week or so. . . thus there is a high probability I won't be in that situation.  Here's hoping.

Years ago, my wife's uncle told us he loved lamb chops, but they cost too much. I told him the above. Years later, he really was on his last few days, and he thanked me for the advice (true story, I swear).

My first car was a 1951 Ford Victoria hardtop, the first year Ford made a hardtop. It looked exactly like this Brooklin model (will almost; this is not one of Brooklin's better 1:43 models). Same colors, though. I paid $125 in it in 1958, the summer after I graduated from high school. My goal was to get it into Frank Maratta's auto show at the Hartford Armory, at that time the biggest and best custom car show in Connecticut (Frank was the owner of the local hot rod/speed shop in Hartford). So, that very first summer I began working on the car and actually got a summer job in a local body shop as a gopher. I'd do whatever I was asked to and in return one of the bodymen took me under his wing and began to help me learn something about body work and helped me after hours on the car. The next summer I worked for the State of Connecticut highway department mowing center strips on the highways from 7 am to 4 pm, went to work at the body shop from 4:30 to 8:00 pm and then had the use of the shop until I would finally drag myself home around 1:00 am. (Golly, I wish I had such energy now). Finally. in the summer of 1960, we sprayed the car with twenty coats of 1958 Buick Garnet Red lacquer and I had a friend scallop it and pinstripe it. The finished car featured frenched headlights and tailights, shaved hood, trunk and door handles, 49 Plymouth bumpers, 58 Ford side trim and a early Corvette grille. Wheels were 14" and the flathead V-8 was detailed although stock. Interior was all redone in black and white. I especially remember the grille; a friend brought me a package all wrapped in a towel and warned me as I unwrapped it that the contents might still be a "little warm". I gave him, no questions asked, $25.00 for that grille. Finally, in February 1961 the car was accepted into Frank's show and I skipped a whole week of classes at college to be at the show. It was a joyous time I never forgot. Sadly, I sold the car a year later and never saw it again. I sure wish I had it today, but at least the Brooklin model brings back fond memories of a time long past!

Fred Dole

My '54 had the late chrome side trim, more like the '55-'56 style... and it was a rattling, windy, noisy fool.  I swapped a '56 Dodge pickup manual trans into it and it ran like a dream.  The old automatic transmission was a true POS.  I've only seen one like it since, but it was funny two tone orange color and mine was two tone light green and a green tinted off-white.

I'd buy another in a minute.

My '57 was shot when I bought it but I only needed it until I graduated from my schools. Left front cylinder blew a plug completely out and I replaced it with a helicoil and a different threaded plug.  It ran... not well, but it ran.   Ugliest car I ever owned.

Fred M Dole great story about the Ford hardtop. yes i bet you wish you still had it as it was 1 cool ride and thats coming from a Chevy guy!

It arrived, and is an incredibly good looking, interesting, and different truck!  

It is listed and sold as Brooklin, and on the bottom of the chassis, it is labeled as such like all other Brooklin models, but here is the label as on the box is the label the Canadian manufacturer.  It may be they just repainting it or something, I don't know . . . . seems like Brooklin could easily sell more than 250 of these.

It is big - it was apparently built on a full size truck frame and quite tall and wide.  So it does not mix well with the many 1:50 tractor trailers I normally run on my 'Streets. 

 However, it is definitely 1:43 scale and you can see if fits in nicely with other 1:43 trucks, as here,with a 1:43 MAN garbage truck.  I have not decided if it will convert it to 'Streets, but probably . . . 

Love the "streamlined" White tank truck.  Also love the White streamlined LaBlatts truck: https://www.diecastdirect.com/...?ProductCode=BR-S-01       Just can't quite scrape up the courage or wrecklessness to part with 349 "soiled, germ laden pieces of paper" for it. But as Jack Benny said, "I'm thinking; I'm thinking!!"

White Motor was a unique company in the annals of American automotive manufacturing and marketing.

.....and how could you go wrong with a vehicle designed by Count Alexis de Sakhanoffsky !! ??

Could well imagine this vehicle popping up in an R. Crumb cartoon!

Ford introduced their make-do response to the hardtop with the 1950 Crestliner, lest it be thought the '51 was first.  I've put many a happy mile on one of these back in the '70's.  You'll see 100 '50 Fords before you come across a Crestliner.

The first generation hardtops from most of the major companies were adaptations of existing convertible bodies.  Close inspection reveals steel roofs that are simply welded on to convertible bodies, in place of folding top components.  Doors, quarter panels and windshield frames, all interchangeable.   Strength and integrity concerns that were addressed in the convertible also found there way into these hardtops.  Most significant being the frames on both being shored up with extra steel.

Bruce

Looks great Lee.

1950 was the first year for the Crestliner but the 1951 was mildly restyled and better looking.

I would like to have a model of a Crestliner, but I can't find any that are reasonably priced.

Richard, did they come only with a vinyl roof?  I can't find a photo of a '51 Crestliner that does not appear to have one. That's pretty early for vinyl roofs isn't it?  It certainly makes the "convertible look" more real.

Lee :

They all came with a Vinyl or canvas roof