Oregon Rust Farm: July 4, 2013

A sight more typical of Central California or perhaps the Great Plains, rusty tin shed with interesting stuff surrounding. I navigated a sharp rusty gate and nearly meter-deep drainage ditch to get to this place, whilst wearing Crocs and gym shorts.

Early travel trailer in ratty but restorable condition.

Rusty trailer side. Rust issues with similar trailers to this one in the early postwar era led to aluminum and wood construction, or pure aluminum aircraft-style construction in the cases of Airstream, Boles Aero, Avion, Streamline and Silver Streak.

50s Chevy tanker truck

Old workhorses left to rust away. 1940s/50s Hyster bulldozer and 1960s/70s International Loadstar flatbed.

Classic Ads: 1962 Chevrolet Genuine Parts

Isn't it annoying sometimes when something breaks on your car and you have to make a decision? Do you go to the nearest auto parts store and pick up whatever part is cheapest or make the drive to the dealership for a 'genuine' part? Obviously the manufacturer would prefer that you get their part, and in late 1961 General Motors made that fact known to the general public. Mind you, dealership technicians are not gifted with some magic talent. Most everyone has some kind of horror story about cheating dealerships and defective parts. My mom's Saturn Vue has a 3.5 liter Honda engine and we found that it's cheaper to buy Honda fluids because our local GM dealer buys the same things from the Honda dealer and marks up the price. It's also true that the auto parts store sometimes stocks inferior garbage made in third world countries. You have to be careful when you're shopping for parts. Cutting corners on steering or brake parts, not a good idea. Sometimes visiting the dealer's a necessity, especially if your car is only a year old when you crash into something and you can't get junkyard parts yet.
Keep your Chevy the Chevy-est, kids!

This ad appeared in the October 27, 1961 issue of Life magazine.

Parking Lot Photo Shoot: 1968 Chevrolet Bel Air Wagon

Parking Lot Sighting: 1976 Chevrolet Nova Concours Cabriolet

Note the stock wheels in this first picture, later replaced with Chevy Rallies.

The Lost Collection of Pellini Chevrolet

Pellini Chevrolet of Sebastopol, California was founded by the Pellini family in 1932. It survived the Great Depression, the recession of 1958, and the OPEC crises of the 1970s. It was Sebastopol's longest-lived car dealership, and competed with Carter Ford just down the block. Pellini's dealership was known for its collection of 1920s through 1980s cars which filled the showroom and were often used in town parades.
The Ford dealership closed in 2007, leaving Pellini with the only car dealership in town. General Motors' financial woes in 2008 along with badly declining sales of GM large trucks and SUVs hurt the 76-year-old business, and word of the federal bailout left the Pellinis skeptical about how GM would look and function afterward. Seeing the writing on the wall and thousands of GM-ordered nationwide dealership closures looming, they decided to exit the car business before things went south. The inventory and collection were sold off; the doors were shuttered. Customers can no longer "Buy local and save: time, money, and gas" as the painted sign on the showroom window once trumpeted; they are forced to head out of town. The former Ford showroom down the block now markets electric cars from upstart companies. Pellini Chevrolet sits vacant.

Here are the cars that once graced their showroom.

1932 Chevrolet Coupe

Cadillac Allante

1960 Chevrolet Impala

1958 Chevrolet Impala

1953-55 Chevrolet Corvette

1926 Chevrolet sedan

1923 Chevrolet Superior Touring

1941 Chevrolet Special DeLuxe convertible

Chevrolet Corvair 95 Loadside pickup

When I saw it, this truck had last been registered in 1974.

1981 DeLorean DMC-12

Dealership Photo Shoot: 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Replica

Pictures taken at the former Kassabian Motors in Dublin, CA. Now known as MyHotCars, Inc. and located in Livermore, CA.

Classic Ads: 1966 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa

Sex sells. Sexism? Not so much. But in the 1960s world of advertising as depicted in "Mad Men", sexism was the norm. Here we see "Trudy", an attractive young lady who the ad wants you to believe is a Corvair Corsa owner. She didn't like driving because driving was boring. But then along came the Corvair Corsa and now driving is just swell. Because it's a car marketed toward young people, the ad uses key terms like "became hip to", "she dug its tenacious rear-engine traction", and "she was a real swinger at the wheel". It gives me a mental picture of a middle-aged man in an ad agency, with a comb-over, thick rimmed glasses and a starched white shirt with a skinny black necktie reading the ad copy aloud in a dull voice. What exactly does it mean to be a swinger at the wheel? Does Trudy mess around in the front seat? At least it doesn't play the "So easy to drive, even your wife can do it" card.

This ad appeared in the March 4, 1966 issue of Life Magazine.

Parking Lot Photo Shoot: 1950 Chevrolet Fleetline DeLuxe Fastback

One-Off Oddball: 1966 Chevrolet Corvair Limousine

This car, originally built and stretched by 3 feet in the 1980s, is offered by someone who is trying to clear out their projects. It appears to need side glass, interior work, a paint job, a vinyl top and some body work, the seller appears to be a Corvair enthusiast, and offers to complete the restoration for a new owner at the cost of time and materials. The car runs and drives, but needs the restoration completed.

Accessories for completing the interior can be found here, for a more modern look, or can be found on eBay if one desires a vintage look, and find it here for $1600 in Post Falls, Idaho (go here if ad disappears)