What's old is new again!

["Greg and Russell" <65luxuryliner@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm sure most of the list has heard the expression, "What's old is new
again".  Things have to "go out of style for a while" and then lo and
behold, they're suddenly sought after for many reasons.  It' isn't just
automobiles either.  It never ceases to amaze me how popular "mid century"
(1950's) "stuff" is becoming and also how pricey.  Go to a local antique
mall or collectibles show one weekend and see for yourselves.  Ceramics,
kitchen items, black americana items all going for unheard of prices and
getting harder and harder to find so say the dealers.  I live in an
architect designed house built in 1950 and it has so much more character
(not to mention solidly built by a noted contracting company of the day.  I
cannot imagine living anywhere else.  There is something special about
owning something from another era.  It has a history, a story to tell so to
speak  We all yearn for the good old days and those days are different for
each of us.  I love owning autos from the sixties because I was a child
growing up during those years and seeing and driving a vehicle from my
childhood brings back many fond memories.

As for the finned styling, like any other fad or trend, it had to come to an
end sometime.  But look at all the interesting vehicles and fin shapes that
came from that era.  Yes, by the mid sixties the finned cars were pretty
worthless.  Can you imagine being seen in a 1959 Cadillac (with those
outrageous fins) in 1965?  And yet the 1959 Eldorado Biarritz (convertible)
can command 60K or more in pristine condition.  Go figure!  You really would
have had a difficult time convincing someone who owned one of these to "hang
on to it" because the value would quadruple or quintuple in 40 years!  The
finned cars do look like something from another time more than the cars that
came only 5 years or so later.  Those fins are special and drive the value
up wheras they drove the value down only a few short years after they were
new.  Again, go figure!

So moral of story:  Hang on to those leisure suits and disco shirts guys,
and don't throw away that lava lamp either!  The '70's will be the next boom
for collectors.  What's old is new again!

Greg McDonnell
1965 (finless) Crown convert. (maybe the next one I buy will have fins!)
----- Original Message -----
From: "clay-deb" <clay-deb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, December 20, 2002 12:17 PM
Subject: IML: Early obselecence of finned cars/was: 1960 turn signal cancel
cam


> I  have always marveled at how fast the Exner era cars seemed to became
> unwanted, worthless, and poked fun at.
>  If memory serves me correct my fathers 58 and 60 Plymouth suburban wagons
> were somewhat rare oddities even in 1966 and 1971 respectively.
> Really not that old of vehicles at the time.
>  The 61 Lebaron I lusted after, from local Ford used car lot in 1973
,might
> as well have been a martin spaceship (good analogy huh) for the looks
people
> would give it. Mind you we are talking about the equivalent of a 1990 car
> nowadays in terms of age.  Even factoring in the theory that cars didn't
> last as long back then ,and the rarity of the Lebaron, it was weird how a
> then twelve year old car seemed so out of place.
>  I think that once the fin craze was over ,being seen in a Exner car was
> equivalent to today being seen wearing a leisure suit .
>
>                                          Clay Smith (I could have had that
> Lebaron for $385 dollars)
>                                          67 Crown Coupe
>                                          60 Custom
>
>
>
>
> ------
>
> Kenyon wrote:
>
> Finned cars were shunned as outdated and garish 5 years after that styling
> fad went away.  The was a form of cheap construction in comparison to
> today's 4-7 year plus life cycle of some cars' styling (crown victoria,
> anyone).  Now that they're scarce, everyone loves 'em, but....
>
> I'd say that it's human nature to make things disposable, and that
> Imperials are no exception, being items of conspicuous consumption, even
> if they did manage to be designed with us here in 2003 in mind regarding
> resurrection.
>
>
>
>
>
> =====
> Kenyon Wills
> 6o LeBaron - America's Most Carefully Built Car
> 73 LeBaron - Long Low & Luxurious
>
> San Lorenzo/SF Bay Area
>
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