Parking Lot Photo Shoot: 1961 Lincoln Continental

Classic Ads: 1962 Buick LeSabre

In today's world, a flat interior floor is a rare and desirable thing. It makes it easier to move around in the cabin and gives the middle passenger(s) more legroom. Usually it's a sign that the vehicle has front-wheel-drive or is high enough that the drivetrain could be packaged below the floor without the need of a tall transmission and driveline hump. The 1962 Buick full-size line trumpeted this feature, apparently achieved by moving the engine further forward. The other feature advertised that year was the so-called 'Advance Thrust' of the Wildcat V8 engine. Advance Thrust sounds like a condom brand or something, but it was supposed to convey the immense power of the engine that could flatten hills - or at least climb them quickly.

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

College Cars: 1938 Talbot-Lago T150-C Speciale

This is College Cars, a recurring feature on the auto collection of the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, CA. Today we look at this 1938 Talbot-Lago T150-C Speciale, a best-in-class Pebble Beach Concours winner.

This is the only long-wheelbase T150 'Lago Speciale' believed to have been built out of 16 cars in this series bodied by Figoni & Falaschi. It has an interesting history - originally commissioned by a French banker, a later owner raced the car at the 1948 24 Hours of Spa. He won first in class. The car received a restoration many years later and in 2011 won First in Class and was nominated for Best in Show at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. This is a truly amazing car, and is valued accordingly. The Academy of Art University picked it up in 2010 for a mere $4,620,000.

Dealership Shoot: 1966 Oldsmobile Starfire

Photos taken at the former Kassabian Motors in Dublin, CA (now MyHotCars, Inc. in Livermore).

Dealership Shoot: 1965 Pontiac "GTO" Convertible

I understand that due to missing fender badges and the low price, this may not be a real GTO but rather a Tempest or Le Mans that was restored as a GTO replica.

Photos taken at Beach Auto Sales, Santa Cruz, CA.

Import Odd Couple: Fiat 500 and Nissan S-Cargo

Classic Ads: 1966 Ford Mustang

If you want to sell a car to a person who doesn't like cars, play up its practicality. And boy do they ever in this Ford ad. Instead of publishing a full-page airbrushed beauty shot of a stripey red GT fastback on a beach surrounded by beautiful women playing volleyball, we have a rather average-looking young lady up to her eyeballs in grocery bags in front of a sedate Nightmist Blue six-cylinder coupe. The ad calls attention to the base Mustang's fuel economy, but reminds us of the car's famously extensive options list that allowed thousands of combinations from mild to wild. Among the many options were a vinyl roof and wire wheel covers, which cost $74.36 and $58.24 respectively.
This ad appeared in the March 4, 1966 issue of Life magazine.

Parking Lot Photo Shoot: 1969 Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV

Parking Lot Photo Shoot: 1959 Ford Fairlane Galaxie 500

Parking Lot Photo Shoot: 1960 Rambler Classic Cross Country