Print Ad - Thunderbird for `59

So what was the competition doing in 1959? Well the Blue Oval had it in their mind set on a four-seater Thunderbird that was new for 1958. Frankly it's a car that people either love or hate. This particular body style lasted from 1958 through 1960. I love it. If I wasn't an entrenched `59 Chevy fanatic I would probably be saving up for one of these right now.

Ad depicts affectionate skiers with their wonder car. If you look at Thunderbird ads from this era on through the sixties - then into the early seventies - they all seem to have the same flavor. Dramatic skies or building backgrounds, interesting angles, and impossibly adorable people. And when I purchased my `68 Thunderbird I joined their svelte ranks.

Okay, not really. But I would own another one at a moment's notice.

Print Ad - Mrs. Arthur Murray and her `59 Chevy

The Jet Set knew how to dance, and certain knew what car to rent. Here's "Mrs. Arthur Murray" - aka Kathryn - posing in front of her rented small block `59 Chevy for a Hertz ad.

For those who might not be familiar with her husband Arthur Murray, the man practically invented the dance studio franchise. They co-hosted The Arthur Murray Dance Party" on TV through the fifties. They even appeared on "Disco Fever" in the seventies, when Arthur would have been near 80 years old. He died in 1991.

Featured in the ad is the flat top four door "Sports Sedan" in color code 903A - Aspen Green. Simple "V" on the hood denotes the 283 V8!

`59s @ The Office

What can I say? `59 Chevys got into my blood. With the vast proliferation of `57 Chevys, Camaros, Chevelles etc., people like me come to appreciate anything `59 related that shows up in the consumer world like die cast toys or models. Even old ads on eBay about `59 Chevys are fun to find. How happy was I to see Ramone the `59 Chevy in the movie Cars? Yeah...real real happy.

Given my love for all things `59, I have a shrine at my office desk with die cast models, plus a couple of Hot Wheels. If you click on the picture you will see:

• Yellow Impala convertible from Road Champs


• Green Ramone from the movie Cars


• Purple Revell Impala special edition lowrider


• Gold Impala from Hot Wheels


• Black/Silver two-tone Impala with 20" rims from Hot Wheels


• Gold Ramone from the movie Cars

Behind the collection you will see the parking lot is guarded by Static Rat, who has been with me now protecting my desk for seven years (60 cents on close-out at the local drug store after Halloween). A restricted-use license plate from Alberta Canada is behind the convertible, alongside my Washington State University water bottle (Go Cougs!). Stashed somewhere I also have a couple of Road Champs `59 El Caminos, one blue in color and other one red with a flamed nose.

Having `59s @ the office is a nice way to remember them through the day!

Classic TV Ad - 1966 Pontiac GTO

"The tiger scores again..."

1966 was a beautiful year for the GTO, my personal favorite. It's something about the stacked headlights and the slit tail lights that just epitomize the Sixties for me. In 1980 I had the opportunity to buy a project `66 GTO at a friend's car lot in Seattle for $600. I passed it up. That was dumb.