sébastienlebrun Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 Dear all, This one is tough I think, but worth a try. I just have the side doors... It's the car on the right. I love the attention to detail, the strangeness of it. The picture was taken in Florida in 1958 by Robert Frank. Would anyone be able to identify it please? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanski Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 1958 Mercury (Turn Pike Cruiser?) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 1958 Mercury wagon to be exact. The die cast trim on the roof pillar gives it away. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The 55er Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 I think this is a actually a 1957 Mercury wagon because of the "ridged" stainless trim treatment on the doors and the letter M visible behind the door handle. 1958s didn't spell out Mercury in that scalloped area between the narrower upper stainless trim on the rear quarters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1wonton Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 What car...............? 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Gariepy Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 The left is a 1949 - 1950 Mercury. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 From a time when even wagons had style!😎 And then along came the minivan...😬 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 Wondering if the Merc on the left is a cop or other civil servant car with that whip antenna bolted to it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Gariepy Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 Its sad the 1958 ran into that woman. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The 55er Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 For the sake of accuracy the car on the left is a 1950 Mercury and not a 1949 because of some minor trim differences. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Gariepy Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 16 minutes ago, The 55er said: For the sake of accuracy the car on the left is a 1950 Mercury and not a 1949 because of some minor trim differences. I took a stab - I was close! Thanks for the clarity. Can you point out the trim differences? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The 55er Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 Yes, you were very close. A 1950 Merc tie bar between the bumper guards has a flat edge that says Mercury on it. It looks like a there's flat edge on that bar just to the left of the bumper guard. Also the chrome trunk emblems are different, a 1949 would be evident in the picture because it is much wider and almost comes out to the bumper guard. A 1950 is a smaller rounder design that would be centered on the trunk and not visible in the picture. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHuDWah Posted September 13, 2021 Share Posted September 13, 2021 On 9/12/2021 at 2:47 PM, 1wonton said: What car...............? That was my first thought, although it's pretty tame given current standards. 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHuDWah Posted September 13, 2021 Share Posted September 13, 2021 23 hours ago, rocketraider said: Wondering if the Merc on the left is a cop or other civil servant car with that whip antenna bolted to it? Yeah, that antenna is a mystery. The car also has a State Farm sticker on the bumper. Although I live in Florida, I don't know the details of its government in the 50s. But in other states where I've lived, government cars are self-insured. Even if they were privately insured, I doubt they would allow it to be advertised on the car. Robert Frank was a professional photographer who published photos from his road trips in The Americans. Maybe it was his car with a two-way radio to communicate with his base? 🤷♂️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sébastienlebrun Posted September 13, 2021 Author Share Posted September 13, 2021 Thank you! Apparently Mercury Monterey 1957 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank DuVal Posted September 14, 2021 Share Posted September 14, 2021 1958, early CB radio was around. The one where a license was actually required, not just an afterthought like in the 1970s and the move Convoy (Breaker breaker, what's your 20........Is smokey ahead?...license" Nah. got a handle...). 102" whip standard type antenna for that use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted September 14, 2021 Share Posted September 14, 2021 In addition to CB, antennas like those were used for VHF FM Lowband 2 way radios. Lowband 2-way radios were still pretty common in police/fire/business use at that time. It could be for just about anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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