Jump to content
Model Cars Magazine Forum

Cool cars your grandparents owned


Recommended Posts

Saturday morning my grandmother passed away and with all of the family getting together over the last few days we broke out the picture albums. These were her pictures that I had never seen before, and some really old stuff from when they both were children and from when they met in the late fifties. In just a few small stacks of pics I saw a 50 Olds 88 four door, a 55 Bel Air four door, and a 66 Caprice wagon. In some other pics from my other grandparents I've seen a 39 Ford four door sedan and late forties Dodge something. Of course there were some tragic things too, like a pictutre of my dad's Pacer. So, what are some cool, unique, or potentially tragic cars your family has owned?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My grandfather had a '57 caddilac 2 dr convertible, lime green, white interior and top.Bought it brand new and kept it in a garage. I was about 10 years old then and he told me that when he died, I could have it. My mom thought otherwise! She said a car like that could only get you in trouble. Somewhere along the line, he sold it and I never seen it again. My other grandfather had a 62 dodge dart, only knew one speed, wide open down a gravel road! those were the days!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My grandfather had a little '62 Ford Fairlane four door with a six cylinder. I can't remember for sure if it was an automatic or three speed on the column. It was black with a red interior. He always kept it garaged and clean as a pin. Even in the late eighties, that little car still looked as good as new. Sadly, some low life stole it and burned just a couple of miles from his home.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Grandpa had some cars, but his passion was bikes. This is the 1920 Gypsy Tour. The photo was taken in St Louis' Forest Park by one of those magnificient panoramic cameras.

Grandpa and grandma are the stylish couple third from the left. The bike is, best I can tell, a 1919 Harley Davidson J Model, repleat with carbide headlamp.

DSCF2455.jpg

Here's the entire photo:

DSCF2457.jpg

G

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Grandpa on dad's side had a '55 Olds Ninety Eight, 4dr, white over green and a '66 Cutlass that I recall. Grandpa on mom's side worked for Frigidaire which was then a division of GM so he got the employee discount. Always had 2dr Impalas. I remember a white '60, a red '63, light green '66, and the red '70 Caprice with black vinyl top when he passed. Must be where my love for Impalas comes from?

Dad was a car guy from day one. First one I remember was a '57 Plymouth, then a '58 Impala convertible. Traded that on a bright red '64 Grand Prix (he wanted a GTO but mom was along), that's the car I learned to drive in. After that was Grandpa's Cutlass when he passed, then a '68 Toronado. His first 2nd car was a '49 Plymouth, then a '60 MGA, a '63 Triumph TR4, and finally a '66 Corvette coupe. The 'vette was nothing special, 327 with a Powerglide but he loved that car. He had sense enough to never let me drive it alone!

Great thread, lot's of memories!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My grandparents on my side never had any cars. My wife's parents, from what she remembers, had a '48 Dodge, a '67 Ford Custom (6 cyl.), and a '76 (I think) Maverick. My wife & I have owned a '67 Ford Galaxy, '74 Chrysler Newport, '71 Plymouth Satellite (I loved that car), '71 Plymouth Scamp, '78 Olds Cutlass Wagon, '71 Maverick, a Chevy Celebrity (don't remember what year), '86 Caprice Classic, '96 Dodge Spirit, '02 Hyundai, '10 Toyota Camry, and of course I can't forget my baby.... a '59 Dodge Coronet (Man I miss that car...).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never saw my grandfather drive but his secretary chauffeured him around in the company's 1948 Hudson. American cars weren't all that common in NZ and apparently the car could draw a small crowd in Wellington city. My father drove a 48 Dodge, also a company car.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

owned:

1957 GMC 1/2 ton

41 chevy fire truck

1934 chevy 2 dr sedan

66 impala

1970 monte carlo

1966 chevy 3 ton dumptruck

1939 chevy

those are just the ones i was alive to remember (only 28 yrs old)

owns now:

1934 Chevy master cabriolet

1936 Maple leaf 2 ton dumptruck

1937 GMC 1/2 ton

1937 chevy panel

1952 chevy (31k mile orig paint/interior)

1957 bel air convertible,

1984 olds ninety eight (bought new, never seen winter)

1984 Chevy SWB fleetside 4x4

1978 GMC

2007 Escalade (winter car/tow rig)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My maternal grandparents had a Paige touring when they lived in Nebraska in the twenties.They sold it sometime before my Mom was born in Michigan in 1927 and never owned a car after that.Mom never got a ride in a car until my eldest aunt's fiance took the family members around in his 1934 Buick rumble seat equipped coupe.

My paternal grandfather had motorcycles as a young man in Florida around the time of World War One.I recall him telling me about owning a Flying Merkle,a Henderson and a Reading-Standard.The first car I remember him having was a light green 1950 Buick Super six window sedan.I never got a ride in it or the dark green 1953 Special he had after that.

My Dad had a series of now desireable Buicks around the time he and Mom dated and married.He owned a gray 1947 Super convertible and then a 2 toned green 1951 Roadmaster 4 door sedan(with 1952 chrome fins added) that they took on their honeymoon.According to Mom after that he got a new 1953 Roadmaster.I came along and he backtracked to a 1949 Super 4 door,sold that and then we got a used 1957 Special wagon.He was promoted to service manager at a local Buick dealer and he took aqua 1961 and 1962 LeSabre 4 door hardtops as his company cars.After he took off and my Mom divorced him he had a '63 Electra sedan,a '65 Electra sedan with wife number two and owned a '62 Chevy Bel Air hardtop and a '65 Buick Skylark as his lunchbucket cars.He ended up with personal Cadillacs after becoming service manager at a Cadillac dealer but never got a demo from the Caddy dealer.

Edited by ZTony8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My Grandfather [R.I.P.], owned since new an electric blue on blue 1964 Lemans with a 326 and 4 speed. It was dead mint since it was garaged every day since new and he was a meticulous maintainer. The car was passed to my brother Rick who owns it to this very day. It is so perfect that the only 2 items that need attention to be perfect but WILL NOT receive any sort of repair are two spots on the dash where he glued his pipe caddy [he stopped the pipe in 1972] and the spot where his St Christopher was. The car has its ORIGINAL clutch that still grabs like the dickens and the only things replaced have been tires, shocks, belts and the like. I'll get a shot of it from my brother and post it here. I believe my mother has shots of it with my grandfather and Grandmums either in it or around it. I think there might even be one when I was a wee baby as well.

The last time I drove the car it drove like a brand new automobile with power to spare and was super comfy. There isn't a mark on it that I could see. This car is a survivor of such proportions that when my brother and I drove it to a Super Chevy show in the early 90's we were barraged with questions concerning it, We were adamant that it stay in the family but were given special access to the show so that it might sit with many other survivors where it was given a special plaque for being the most original car at the meet.

A source of great pride and a great memory of a great man, my wonderful Grampa..

Bob

http://image.highperformancepontiac.com/f/35744766/hppp_1104_07+1964_pontiac_LeMans.jpg

This car is exactly like the car we own..

Edited by Dragline
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dads side, grandfather was an Olds man . He had a few nice 50's Olds . I am still trying to find pictures of his work trucks.

Moms side, grandfather drove a Model T , A 39 ford that was still out back when I was kid. Early 60's Galaxie big block with a couple carbs and a 4 speed top loader, that must have shaved drive time to the hydromatic plant. It was a long 3 or 4 miles.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My dad's father had a '58 Chrysler Windsor 4 door with a Hemi when I was a kid, traded it for a 61 IH pickup! I hear he had a 32 Chrysler roadster with dual sidemounts when my dad was young. My mom's mom rode a 45'' Indian Scout back in the mid 20's, might have been a 101, who knows now. My grandfather bought her a 60 Corvair 4 door when they first came out, that worked out so good for them it was soon traded for a Ford Fairlane and they never owned a GM car again! They drove Fairlanes and Torinos untill their passing.

Edited by Craig Irwin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, such interesting old iron here.

My grandfather on my moms side is pretty mechanically inclined, he can't work a computer or a cell phone but give him a wrech and a pair of pliers and he can fix about anything. He joined the Navy in 57 or 58 and became a jet mechanic on an aircraft carrier servicing the first generation of Naval jet fighters. When my mom became of driving age in about 1976 he decided he would build her a car instead of buying one. He bought two old Vega station wagons that had been company cars at has job and combined the best parts of both of them in to one complete vehicle, of course her classmates in the neighborhood saw him piecing together her car so it became a huge source of teenage embarassment even beyond the usual Vega variety but it was resourceful nonetheless.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Grandpa had an Indian motorcycle I saw pictures of. I remember him always riding a old Honda Dream. He also had a 66 Chevelle SS. He passed away two years ago. He had a cool life he came to America in the late 20s and had adventures his entire life. Grandma is still alive at 93. She is a 4' 9" tall American Indiana that is still going at 110%. The only car she ever had was a 71 Pinto. I must have fixed that car 15 times after she got in fender benders.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...