Glimpses of South Pasadena: Drive-thru Dream Car

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Drive-thru Dream Car

I spotted this beauty in line at the McDonald's drive-thru. See? People don't just park vintage cars around town, they actually drive them!

27 comments:

Cafe Pasadena said...: Hohoho. Oh no, not another!I
Of course, LA. As long as you tell me it's not the one on Fair Oaks; May 20, 2009 at 12:18 AM
Anonymous said...: 1959 Chevy or Buick? Nice.; May 20, 2009 at 3:06 AM
Buenos Aires Photoblog said...: Wow, nice car. Looks quite futuresque with the mono-tone colouring.

Buenos Aires Photo; May 20, 2009 at 3:28 AM
Mister Earl said...: That's a 1959 Chevy. But it looks like a cat coming toward me!; May 20, 2009 at 5:22 AM
Judy Williams said...: An old Chevrolet Biscayne? Love the eyebrow fins, don't you. I like that you caught the sun's reflection on the bumper and the chrome rim around the back windshield. I looked at the big version and it says USEM AUSTIN. Hmmmm- anyone know what that means??

I can almost hear the Leave it to Beaver theme song in the background. Once again, you ARE the vintage car magnet. (thanks again for yesterday - it meant the world to me)

XOXOXOXO; May 20, 2009 at 6:07 AM
Ken Mac said...: too bad we can't time travel to when this car was made and taste that Mickey D's menu!; May 20, 2009 at 6:53 AM
Anonymous said...: Those tailights look like evil eyes.

(I think the Leave it to Beaver theme is on a loop in South Pas); May 20, 2009 at 7:06 AM
Virginia said...: Been there, ridden in that I'm sure! Love it L.A.!
V; May 20, 2009 at 7:18 AM
Dixie Jane said...: This car looks like it could fly! How often have you wished your car could fly over the traffic?; May 20, 2009 at 7:21 AM
Wayne said...: My granddad had a '59 Chev. I presume that after filling the tank there was only enough money left for MacD's.

WV is topsess so now my mind has started to wander.; May 20, 2009 at 7:33 AM
Jean Spitzer said...: I love the star --and the car.; May 20, 2009 at 8:42 AM
Trish said...: the only reason the driver went to Mickey D's is because the drive thru at In n Out was too skinny, he'd take out a fin or two!

GREAT shot!; May 20, 2009 at 8:45 AM
Margaret said...: AH: I think more Mayberry than Leave it to Beaver. What do you think, Laurie?; May 20, 2009 at 9:14 AM
Anonymous said...: My mom drove that model of car around 67-68. Hers was olive green. I hated it. I have memories of her parking it at our local Ralphs on hot summer days and making me stay in it while she shopped.

Yes, the windows were rolled down. Yes, I may have suffered irreversible brain damage but I'm here aren't I?; May 20, 2009 at 2:21 PM
dbdubya said...: You've found a beautiful '59 Chevrolet Biscayne, Laurie. The Biscayne was the base model in those days. Bel Air was above that and the Impala was the top of the line. This was about the peak of huge fins. The '60 Chevy had smaller fins ang round taillights instead of the cats eyes of the
'59. My first car was a '61 Impala which is one of the ugliest cars Chevy ever made. It was originally white and I got an Earl Scheib $29.95 paint job in light green. It was known around town as the Turquoise Turd.; May 20, 2009 at 3:04 PM
Judy Williams said...: Come to think of it, I agree that The Andy Griffith Show Theme Song might be a better theme song for this shot, except the roads ARE paved here. hee hee; May 20, 2009 at 3:20 PM
Mister Earl said...: AH: The back of the 1959 Buick also has evil eyes. http://www.billsretroworld.com/Retro1959_Buick2DoorConvertable.jpg

Mickey D's: Back in 1959, there weren't too many Mickey D's around. The first one I remember in northern California didn't appear till around 1965. We hated it. Saw it as evidence of creeping Los Angelization. The advance of the plastic world.; May 20, 2009 at 5:02 PM
TheChieftess said...: Are you sure you didn't find that photo at the fair last weekend? You really captured a true 50's feel!!! Believe it or not, when I was in early, early grade school, I used to draw pictures of cars with fins like that...for some unknown reason, I was fascinated by the look of the fins and thought myself a car designer...I remember particularly liking the cadillac in those days!!!

Oh, and by the way, I rode in that 60's "turquoise turd"...on the way to some of the finest high school extravaganza's!!!!; May 20, 2009 at 5:48 PM
Petrea Burchard said...: Gorgeous. Ah, California!; May 20, 2009 at 9:54 PM
Tash said...: Now this one would be my dream car. My son wants a car like this. Should of been going thru an In-&-Out.; May 20, 2009 at 11:19 PM
Laurie Allee said...: Wow, everybody, so much great info here today!

Margaret, I definitely think more Mayberry than Beaver.

I'm so glad you guys figured out the model of this gorgeous car. I remember seeing cars like this when I was a little girl. I thought they looked like they had mean eyes.

Laughing about the Turquoise Turd. In fact. "Chieftess in a Turquoise Turd" really should be the title of a collection of short stories...

Thanks for the great conversation, everybody! Until tomorrow!; May 20, 2009 at 11:33 PM
USelaine said...: Yeah, we had one of those (if it's the Chevy), black with a white roof, when I was very young. Then my folks got a brand new 1965 Chevy Impala station wagon, yellow with a white roof. That was waaaaay more fun to pretend surf in, in the back, going 80mph on the San Diego freeway...; May 20, 2009 at 11:46 PM
dbdubya said...: Hey UsElaine - my mom also had a yellow 1965 Chevrolet Impala station wagon. It was the car I learned to drive. Before that she had a 61 Ford wagon and before that a '56 Chev Bel Air 2 dr wagon, reddish orange and cream two tone. Of all of them I wish I had that one today. It would definitely make Laurie's blog.; May 20, 2009 at 11:58 PM
Double "D" said...: Ahhhhh, me dearly departed grannies car.
A lovely scene as she spins the tires on shiny ice
which never allows her to get the ole bus up the old gravel
driveway. In the winter time the driveway was
always covered with ice. Grannie would discharge her
wash water down the drive making lovely ice for sledding.; May 21, 2009 at 11:08 AM
Trish said...: We JUST saw a car exactly like this pulling out of a driveway...not the same car, but it was amazing. Didn't have a camera handy or I'd have shot it to add here.

small world!; May 21, 2009 at 1:23 PM
Victor said...: Beautiful out-of-time photo. The glint on the bumper is perfect.; May 26, 2009 at 7:36 AM
Anonymous said...: Really nice to see this...amazing..

Thank you very much...
___________________
Andrew
The only Satellite Television Delivers the Best Value in Entertainment; July 21, 2009 at 2:54 AM