My love affair with automobiles

Many things have changed in my life over the years, but one thing has remained constant: my love affair with automobiles.

As a teenager in the 1950’s I always went to the annual car shows in downtown Chicago to marvel at the newest models. I would also spend endless hours talking about cars with my friends. Often, we
would try to outdo each other by comparing our knowledge of minutiae about various makes and models of cars.

Do you know, for example, what the most noticeable difference is between 1949 and 1950 Fords? They look identical from the outside, but on close inspection you will discover that the ‘49 has door
handles that pull downward, whereas the ‘50 Fords had push button door handles. Is this just an obscure, meaningless fact? Maybe today, but not to teenage boys in the 1950’s!

Other little-known facts about Ford:  beginning in 1932, the automaker equipped its cars with either an inline 4-cylinder engine or a “flathead” V-8 engine that produced 65 horsepower. Over the years, the 4
-cylinder engine was dropped in favor of an inline 6-cylinder model, but the V-8 was improved in performance every year until 1954, when it was replaced by a V-8 engine that had overhead valves. The new
engine produced 130 horsepower and was called the “Y block.”

A Ford coupe with a flathead V-8 engine was a hotrodder’s dream. It was a lightweight car, and it was fast. Reportedly, it was the “car of choice” for moonshiners who needed to outrun police and revenue
agents.

Nowadays, I often turn to the Antiques & Classics section in the automobile classified ads just to see what kinds of old cars are coming on the market. It is always a wonderful trip down memory lane to
do so.

On June 8 I noticed an ad for a 1949 Mercury that had been placed by a Maryland man. The price was $12,900, indicating the car had been restored. You may think that only a fool would pay that much
money for a 59-year-old car, but wait a minute! The ‘49 Mercury was the car driven by teen idol James Dean in the 1955 movie, “Rebel Without a Cause.” Teenage boys in the 1950’s could never afford to
buy a Mercury, but that didn’t keep them from dreaming about the car. James Dean was, after all, the Ultimate Cool Guy, and if he drove a Mercury it was because it was the Ultimate Cool Car.

The Ford (and Mercury) flathead V-8’s began to fall from favor in 1949, when General Motors started producing V-8 engines with overhead valves. Suddenly the Ford hotrodders found they had to eat the
dust of Oldsmobile coupes equipped with the new V-8s and standard shift. Ford’s new Y-block V-8 was a comparable engine, but it was too little, too late. GM took the lead on all fronts. In 1955 Chevrolet
produced its “Turbofire” V-8 engine, also equipped with overhead valves. Almost overnight it replaced the Mercury as the Ultimate Cool Car.

Interesting cars are still available in the Antiques & Classics section of the classified ads. Recently I saw an ad for a 1969 Dodge Charger for $12,500. That was the year, make and model featured in
the “Dukes of Hazzard” television series that ran from 1979-1985. The car must need work, however, since ‘69 Chargers in top condition normally sell for twice that amount.

I’m currently not in the market for another automobile, but if I were I would have to consider my options carefully. Would it be better to buy a fully restored 1932 Ford coupe with a souped-up flathead V-8
engine or a 2008 Lexus LS460? The cost would be about the same in both cases. A ‘32 Ford was driven by actor Paul LeMat in the 1973 movie, “American Graffiti,” and it was popularized by The Beach
Boys in their 1963 hit song, “Little Deuce Coupe.” The Lexus, of course, has air conditioning, disc brakes and a nineteen-speaker sound system. It is a tough choice.

Gary Jacobsen lives in Woodbridge. As a teenager he owned a 1931 Chevrolet coupe with an Oldsmobile V-8 engine.