Some light rain in the morning may have dampened participation in LeMay’s 41st Annual Show, but there was still plenty to see.
As in past years, the event — which was held at the Marymount Event Center in Tacoma, Washington — featured vehicles from LeMay’s extensive collection as well as cars shown by patrons or slated to be auctioned (go here for details). What follows are some photographic highlights.
Among the highlighted cars in LeMay’s collection was a 1937 Packard Twelve. This beautiful black touring sedan seats seven and has a 472 cubic inch V12 engine. The Twelve epitomizes Packard during a decade when it was still the preeminent American luxury brand.
Another highlighted car was a 1956 Chevrolet. Although the Bel Air two-door convertible’s interior is more subdued that higher-priced American cars of the 1950s, it also displays some interesting design touches. For example, the front armrests are tapered into the doors and the radio speaker is hidden in the dashboard. In contrast to contemporary automobiles, the Chevy’s interior uses no less than four different colors. Unlike the 1956 Ford, Chevrolet did not emphasize safety features such as seat belts and a padded dashboard.
One of the more obscure cars in the LeMay collection is this 2008 plug-in hybrid concept developed by AFS Trinity of Bellevue, Washington. The four-door sedan, which was never produced, used “extreme hybrid” technology and “ultracapacitors” — all good for a reported 250 miles per gallon.
Imported cars could also be found, particularly by patrons who showed their own prized possessions. These included a Malaise Era Porsche 911 and a 1973 Saab 96. I’ve suggested here that Saab should have followed in Porsche’s footsteps by carrying over key elements of the 96’s iconic styling in its successors.
This is the hood ornament of a 1950 Pontiac Chieftain Deluxe Eight convertible. Murilee Martin (2007) has stalked one of these in the wild and reports that the Indian head lights up.
This Chrysler Series C-17 Airflow was among the dozens of cars up for auction. For 1937 the Airflow’s front was given a more upright grille, but not much could be done with the ponderous look of the car’s behind. Only the Chrysler brand offered the Airflow for 1937, its final year (Langworth and Norbye, 1985).
This 1963 Ford Falcon Futura convertible from the LeMay collection has a similar dashboard and seats to the first-generation Mustang — and even more bright work on the doors and center console. Yet the Futura sold a fraction of Mustang volume. For example, less than 19,000 Futura convertibles were produced in 1963 whereas more than 73,000 Mustang convertibles left the factory in 1965, which was the nameplate’s first full year on the market.
Event organizers appeared to place more emphasis this year on grouping together cars of the same make. This photo shows how the rear styling of the Hudson “step-down” evolved over its seven-year production run. On the right is a 1948 Commodore, which sports a rounded lower-body character line, vertical inboard taillights and a small rear window. On the left is a 1953 Hornet, which has horizontal taillights, a full-width rear window and a less curved character line. The 1954 Hornet in the center displays a slightly squared off trunk lid and modest tail fins.
Another car up for auction was a 1950 Studebaker Land Cruiser. This close-up shot shows a remarkably rounded front end, replete with a bumper attached to long poles. If you click here you can compare the 1950’s design with that of the 1951’s, which has a more subdued grille. While controversial, the bullet-nosed Studebakers were the best selling in the brand’s history. In 1950-51 Studebaker produced almost 570,000 units.
A 1964 Studebaker Wagonaire from the LeMay collection has an article taped to a window describing how this is a predecessor to the modern sport-utility vehicle. I’m not convinced that the retractable rear roof is all that relevant but the Wagonaire did have an unusually tall, boxy body on a separate frame. This was more in sync with today’s SUVs than the low-slung unit-body wagons that competed against Studebaker in the 1960s. I’ve suggested here that Studebaker might have improved its prospects if it had given the Wagonaire a four-wheel-drive variant.
Part of the LeMay collection is a 1957 Lincoln Premiere two-door hardtop. The photo shows how the headlights weren’t true quads. The top headlight is a traditional seven-inch design that includes low and high beams; on the bottom is a “road light.” The four lights “could be used all at once or separately in pairs,” according to Thomas E. Bonsall (2004, pg. 64). If you think the Lincoln’s styling changes for 1957 ruined an unusually lovely design for the mid-50s, check out a quote from designer John Najjar about how he toned down a more radical proposal.
Another car up for auction was a 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado. The lovely tapered fastback and ovoid rear fascia contrast with what may very well be the most aggressively shaped wheel openings of that era. The rear has a vague similarity to the Studebaker Sceptre concept car, which was slated for production in 1966 or 1967 (Smith, 2017).
These are just a few of the hundreds of vehicles shown. LeMay’s big car show is held only once a year, but they have smaller events throughout the year. You can also take a guided tour of LeMay’s collection at the Marymount Event Center Tuesdays through Sundays. As previously discussed, LeMay provides an invaluable service to automotive historians, serious or armchair.
NOTES:
Production figures are from the Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975 (Gunnell, 2002).
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RE:SOURCES
Bonsall, Thomas E.; 2004. The Lincoln Story: The Postwar Years. Stanford General Books, Stanford, CA.- Gunnell, John; 2002. Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975. Revised 4th Ed. Krause Publications, Iola, WI.
- Langworth, Richard M. and Jan P. Norbye; 1985. The Complete History of Chrysler Corporation 1924-1985. Publications International, Skokie, IL.
- Martin, Murilee; 2007. “1950 Pontiac Streamliner Deluxe Convertible.” Jalopnik. Posted September 20; accessed August 31, 2018.
- Smith, Karl; 2017. “Concept Car of the Week: Studebaker Sceptre.” Car Design News (subscription required). Posted June 30; accessed August 30, 2018.
PHOTOGRAPHY:
- Author’s photo gallery: “LeMay’s 41st Annual Show”
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