Old cars (1920s - 1950s?)

From my grandparents' movies.


Thanks for all the help in identifying these. Please add any more you can.

Short segments of various cars seen in VHS #1 & 2 of my grandparents' home movies. Highlights include some nice 1920s and 30s cars, a moving van!, some Pierce Arrows, an extended Ford made into a bus (Jupiter Island Club, FL), some convertibles, cars driving through redwoods... (#35 is Las Vegas, 1955. See http://youtube.com/watch?v=RQRlUSnDEcc)


What we have figured out so far. I've added comments together if there wasn't a consensus.


#1 likely a Pierce Arrow or based on the hood is most likely a White?
#2 Late 20's Chevrolet or might be a Willy's Knight or is a Pierce Arrow mid 20s?
#3 one looks like a late 20s early 30s... (Pierce Arrow?)
#6 Pierce Arrow, (1930s?)
#7 Pierce Arrow
#8 Pierce Arrow Phaeton
#11 Pierce Arrow Brougham town car
#12 Packard.
#13 Pierce Arrow
#14 Pierce Arrow
#15 possible Hudson
#19 Buick or Willys Knight or Packard?
#21 Ford?
#22 is at the Columbia Icefield and glacier, near Jasper, Alberta (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQRlUSnDEcc)
#23 Buick
#24 Mercury or 1938 Ford v8 DeLuxe, a '38, or maybe '39 standard?
#27 is a 1941 Packard 120
#30 The Jupiter Island Club "Bus" is a 1937 Ford Deluxe Touring Sedan
#31The Jupiter Island Club "Bus" is a 1937 Ford Deluxe Touring Sedan
#32 likely a '53 or '54 Plymouth or Dodge or Chrysler
#32 or #33 A 1951 Packard Clipper going thru the redwood tree as well.
#33 '51 Oldsmobile in front and a '53 or '54 Plymouth or Dodge in back.
#34 The moving car in #34 is a 1955 Ford Country Squire woodie.
#35 Ford in front of the Studebaker may be a '56. The chrome lightning bolt on the side of the car is fatter like a '56, whereas the '55's was skinnier. There may be a '56 Chevy wagon in the earlier part of #35, too. is that a Nomad at the traffic light? the last frame is no earlier than 1956 as a "56" Ford is the newesr car in the video. (See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQRlUSnDEcc Others have figured out that the scene is 1955.)

General info:
Over 200 US car manufacturers when these films were shot. I recognized several Pierce-Arrows, a 1930 Model A Ford as well as a 1934 Ford coupe and a 1957 Ford Station Wagon. Quite a few GM cars sprinkled about and a Franklin touring car. Several Hudsons and a couple of Nashes.

Pierce-Arrow were low slung, usually long bodied with the headlights mounted squarely over the fenders and usually faired into the fender contour at about 9 O' Clock. Bowman radiator mascots were sometimes optional.

A diligent competitor to Packard, the last Pierce-Arrow was made in 1937.

We had a '57 Ford Wagon, too, but I didn't see any of them in your pix. I think the car going through the tree is a Plymouth or Dodge rather than a Packard because the '51 Packard had double tipped taillights.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• old
• cars
• 1920s
• 1930s
• 1940s
• 1950s
• pierce
• arrow
• bus
• moving
• van
• fl
• drive
• through
• trees

[killerdeamonking]

Whats the name of the yellow bus do you know?

[lipwak]

It's a 1937 Ford Deluxe Touring Sedan, is that what you are asking? It used to be owned by the Jupiter Island Club of Hobe Sound, FL.

[lipwak]

It was stretched in Toledo, Ohio by a company named "Siebert". (from the guy who restored it).

[cadrolls1]

In #2, the first car in the garage is definately a Pierce Arrow. I'm not sure of the second one. #3 1926 or 27 Chevrolet #11 and #12 are definately Packards. I hope this has helped you. It is a wonderful piece of history that you have here. I hope you keep it on forever so it is not lost. Thank you for sharing it with us.

[lipwak]

Thank you. These are all culled from 2 out of 3 reels of my grandparents' home movies. (#3 didn't have much on it car-wise.) They have been digitized and the New York State Historical Association has a copy of all 3 reels. (They had liked my great-grandfather's (glass plate) still pictures so I told them about these too.)

Some day I may replace these with the digitized backups. They look alot better than what I've done here (with a cheap capture device.)

[1970paramount]

@cadrolls1 You have made your point and I have made mine , let's let the owner of the video and other posters google both makes and make up their own minds.

[cadrolls1]

If you type in "1941 Packard 120" on your internet browser, you will find I am correct. It is IDENTICAL..

[1970paramount]

@cadrolls1 Thanks for response, however I'm just as certain that #27 is a Plymouth ( however it is 1941, not 1940 as originally stated. ) I'm basing this on personal experience and matching with photos in the Flammang "Chrysler Chronicle" c1995. Again , this is a great document in that it brings back memories and has generated so much commentary and debate.

[cadrolls1]

@1970paramount I believe that #15 is a lower end Duesenburg because of the bumper design. You may be right, however.

[cadrolls1]

@1970paramount Just to let you know,  #27 is a 1941 Packard 120. I'm 100% certain.

[1970paramount]

#15 Wow , , you'd think this one would be easy, what with the full front shot. It took me awhile to place it and I believe it to be a late 20s Stutz. The Stutzes had a flatter top shape to the radiator, and the hood ornament and bumper look correct. If so this is terrific , a rare car , great automobile of the period.

[1970paramount]

A word on the body types: the term "convertible" didn't become common usage until the 1940s , derived from "convertible coupe" describing a two door when rollup windows became common in the 30s, the two door top downs of the 1920s were usually referred to as "roadsters". the fourdoor top downs were always referred to as :touring cars, or "open tourers", or "phaetons".

Thanks again for the posting

[1970paramount]

#30: Wonderful shot of the back of a late 30s Lincoln Zephyr backing out of parking space. However the rear bumper is not correct, bumper damage was common then and it could be a generic non specific bumper replacement. ( It was common then for people to use their bumpers to push another stalled or disabled car, )

[1970paramount]

#27: Someone noted that this is an Oldsmobile, it actually is a 1940 Plymouth, determined by the fleeting glance of the front hood ornament and the horizontal character lines on the lower front fender, the similar Dodge of that year had three narrow character lines along the top of the fender. #29: I think theTaxidermy truck is a International truck, 1940s.

[1970paramount]

Congratulations on possessing this wonderful document, some of my observations.

#3/#5 :agree with consensus on 1928 Chevrolet , the cast iron wheels a big clue. #11/#12: Agree that it is late '20s packard , it should be noted that it is a chauffered town car. #20: 1932 Chrysler , difficult to make out but radiator grill shape and front bumper give it away. It is interesting to note heavily damaged running board.