Need help identifying a 1950s automobile
 

Trying to scan and date some family 35mm slides that don't have film processing dates on them.

If I can learn the year model of this Pontiac then it will be a great help.

Thanks!

Steve



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1955 Pontiac Star Chief

Ron

It looks like a 55' but I don't think its a Star Chief. It doesn't have the stars on the doors. They also would be on the front fender but there's no front picture to confirm. It's a Catalina.

Yup..`55. See the "railroad tracks" on the top of the rear 1/4 panels? A Starchief would also have them on the hood.

Haven't run across any slides of the front of the car yet...but that's okay...don't really need the model, just the year.

Okay, I have another question for ya...

Is my memory correct that in the 50s the new cars hit the dealer showrooms in the FALL of the preceding year?

Can I safely say that these slides could NOT have been taken before, say, September of 1954?

Steve
 

Correct. I remember the dealers whitewashing the showroom windows so your couldn't see them until a particular date....which was either in Sept or early Oct.

When my dad was with the oil company, he'd get a new car every two years and we couldn't wait to see what he was going to buy. His car expense account basically paid for it. I can remember going past the dealerships and trying to see what was in there.

Nice Pony-ac!

Pack

Hey there, Packy!

LOL!

The "little guy" in the top image is me! :D

We traded this Pontiac for a Buick in early 1958, so, thanks to Ron, Bill, Griz, and you, I think I can date these slides as "between Sept 1954 and Spring 1958".

Snowfall here happens about once every 10-15 years, so if I can find out when it snowed here in the winters of '54 to '57 I can date these even better!

82
I would guess the picture is in 56
The lic plates.
55 were orange
56 were black
Ron

Ron,

I believe you have nailed it!

I had forgotten that Florida plates alternated colors back then.

Thanks, man!

The only times it has ever snowed here has been Jan - March, so the bottom two pics have to be Jan - March of 1956.

You may find it interesting to know that the plate prefix (the number before the dash) indicates the county ranked by population.

1 = Dade county (Miami)
2 = Duval county (Jacksonville)

and so forth for 67 counties.

My county (Okaloosa) ranked 43rd in population, so our prefix was "43 -". :)

Thanks again!

Steve

Snow in Florida? Nah.. thats got to be the stuff you get in the spraycan.

The plate looks green though. The plates were green in 1958.

I'm pretty sure it's a 1955 Pontiac Chieftain.