Chrome, rockets and fierce names
MOTOR cars of the baby-boomer era will be well represented at the Consolidated Auctions classic car sales in Germiston tomorrow.
The motor cars of this era, from about 1960 to 1970, catered for those born during the Second World War and in the immediate post-war years, who had become young adults by that decade.
Their purchasing power had a definite influence on the market. The car market geared itself to meet the tastes of these potential customers in that affluent period when the US was the most prosperous and most powerful country in the world.
This was reflected in the cars of what has been termed the chrome years, when they were big, powerful and flashy.
“Rocket ship” styling became fashionable and many models were aimed at the youth market. Names were in keeping with this trend, hence the Plymouth Barracuda, Oldsmobile Cutlass, Mercury Cyclone GT, Mercury Cougar, Dodge Charger, Ford Thunderbird and Mustang as well as the Shelby Cobra. Real cars for real men. It was not surprising the name Ford Edsel failed to elicit any excitement when the car was launched in the later 1950s.
The style, name and performance of the previously more staid cars underwent a complete makeover. Pontiac was a case in point.
According to 100 years of Automobiles edited by Michael Benson, the car appealed to older motorists more interested in comfort than speed or performance. “The Pontiac Star Chief of 1957 changed Pontiac’s image for good … it was a real dazzler.”
It had what was described as “varoom”, which so impressed motoring journalists that one exclaimed, “It’s three-toned: red and white and chrome.”
An apt description for the cars of the time. A modified version of the Star Chief won both of the major Nascar races at Daytona in 1957 as well as the Daytona convertible race. The “varoom” theme continued with the Pontiac Firebirds of the 1960s when the 1964 GTO was arguably the first recognised muscle car.
On sale are a 1948 Pontiac Silver Streak — a project car to be restored — and 1989 Pontiac Sunbird. Other baby-boomer marques include a 1972 Plymouth Barracuda V8, a 1972 Ford Capri GT 3.0 V6, a 1973 Ford Thunderbird Landau, a 1965 Ford Mustang convertible and a 1967 Mustang Fastback 289.
Interestingly, the Ford Mustang was built as “a sporty little car” to replace the position held by Thunderbird, which by 1961 had a become a more conservative fourseater, a definite move away from its sports car origins.
The Mustang made its debut in 1964 when it won the Tiffany Award for excellence in American car design for that year.
The Cobra comes with an interesting history. Two replicas will be offered at the auction. The car, says 100 years of Automobiles, was designed for “the rude playboy”. The Cobra was a joint project between AC cars of Britain and racing car builder, Carroll Shelby of Texas. A powerful Mustang engine “was stuffed into a tiny British sports car”. The 425 horsepower engine was capable of 6,000 revolutions a minute and a top speed of 265km/h.
Another of the project cars on offer is a 1956 Chevrolet two-door sedan, one of the famous TriChevys of 1955, 1956 and 1957, three of General Motors’s most popular cars in its history. Benson regards the 1956 convertible Chevrolet which was fitted with the new V8 engine as the “first hot Chevy”. A car that was “with-it” and one that stood out at the drivein cinema or roadhouse.
Chevrolet had come a long way from what was regarded as the car for “grandma to go to church on Sundays”. The 1950 Chevrolet on offer at the sale is one of the “grandma” cars.
A beautifully restored 1935 convertible Ford V8 roadster is the standout car on the sale. It is fitted with the new flathead V8 engine, developed by Henry Ford in the 1930s, and in its time was the fastest car of its class.
Bank robber Clyde Barrow and his partner Bonnie Parker used the hardtop model of that era as their getaway car.
Among the British marques is a 1950s Morris Minor, the car that designer Alec Issigonis made famous. It was one of the most popular cars in SA in its era.