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Queen of the Mustangs: 1966

July 4, 1966. Twin Cities Fourth of July Parade on Magnolia Avenue in Larkspur, California. And if two brand-new, dealer stock Mustangs weren't enough, an early Studebaker Lark in the used car lot. The other Twin City was neighboring Corte Madera. My Ektachrome slide. View full size.

July 4, 1966. Twin Cities Fourth of July Parade on Magnolia Avenue in Larkspur, California. And if two brand-new, dealer stock Mustangs weren't enough, an early Studebaker Lark in the used car lot. The other Twin City was neighboring Corte Madera. My Ektachrome slide. View full size.

On Shorpy:
Today’s Top 5

4th of July Parade

I was honored to be asked to participate in the annual Fairfax City, Va. 4th of July Parade in 1968. I was Oakton High School's first Sweetheart Queen my Junior year. A blue Mustang was the vehicle that I rode, waving & smiling. Halfway through, my facial muscles cramped & my wrist tired. It was the longest parade ever.

I was 2 Months Young!

When this photo was taken. I was being held by my loving mother. I was her firstborn. I didn't know it at the time (or much of anything else) that I would be the oldest of six children. I love parades and the celebration that accompanies the 4th of July. This past 4th of July was the first one, we as a family, celebrated without my loving mother. This month, August, one year ago my mom entered into Heaven. I know I will see her beautiful smile and hear her sweet, soft voice again. Until then, memories brighten my days and prayers calm my nights. I love you mom and I know that you love me more.

1958 Toyopet Crown

I own a 1958 Toyopet -- this was a dream for me to find and it took over 30 years to locate. Working for Toyota for the last 30 years I was happy when this one came around. The car has been shown all over Arizona and California for all to enjoy. When I bought it in May 2007, the car had not been on the road since 1964. Rebuilt the engine and some detailing. Original paint, just polished it out. The car can be seen on my website, www.Frenchysrides.com. Comments are welcome. Thank you for reading my story and visiting my Web site.

Frenchy Dehoux

Probert Toyota

I worked at Probert Toyota right after Mr. Probert died. The story at that time was that Hil Probert was the "Pioneer Toyota Dealer" i.e. the first Toyota Dealer in the United States. He started importing Land Cruisers in 1957 and had a famous scenic ride up Mount Tamalpais to his favorite spot in the whole world under a large oak tree. The only way to get there was in a Land Cruiser, so Hil became a deputy of some sort, either with the Sheriff or the Fire Dep't in order to gain access to the restricted lands.

Hil died in 1968, just as the Toyota Corona was taking off as "The New Hot One". They were selling about 50 cars a month in 1968.

Hil also had a car collection on the property. Where the Lark Creek rear parking lot is today, used to be large tin sheds, home to about 40 old cars. There were various makes, but the one that I remember most was the Kaiser-Frazier. There were maybe a dozen or so, including a Henry J and a four-door phaeton convertible. Underneath a bedspread was a mint condition Kaiser Manhattan, jade green with a white "Bambu" vinyl roof. The plush green interior was complemented by its white padded dash.

Toyopet - Larkspur

tterrace,

I just returned from Larkspur this past week doing research in to Toyota's history and the dealership Hil Probert had. What do you know about the early Toyota dealership and the fact that it was/may be the oldest/first toyota dealership in the US?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

dpitts@cdfms.org

~daron

[San Diego Union-Tribune: "John A. Rose opened one of the first Toyota dealerships in America in 1957 on a remote parcel in Mission Valley." Below: Probert Toyopet ad from 1959, and 1958 Toyopet Tiara sales brochure. - Dave]

Toyopet - year?

MacKenzieK,

I'm doing research on the old Toyota Toyopets. you said you know someone who has one? Do you know what year it is? 1958? 1959?

There are only a few known to still exist, it would be great to track this one down, too.

thanks.

dpitts@cdfms.org

~Daron

Stang

This brings back memories for me, my first car was a '68 mustang convertible, white, like in the picture. The year was 1976, but still. nothing like driving a big V8 convertible.

Zsa Zsa's Lark

Pics

I like all the photos I've seen. I'd also be disappointed if the pre-40s pictures got pushed out for the Boomer pics, but I won't complain about the flavor of the free ice cream!

But do remember that posting under your own name should be done carefully. It can be searched by prospective employers (loads of companies do it) and can open you up to harassment, especially if you have a strange name like I do.

Toyopet

We live up in the Pennsylvania mountains, and would not expect to see what I saw last week in a client's warehouse: a well-preserved Toyopet. What a silly-looking little car! Fortunately for the company, Toyota was management-agile enough to refocus and retool to produce the envy of Detroit: a long-life dependable car for the American public, not an imitaion of American cars. Otherwise, we'd all be driving pieces of junk like the Falcon or the Vega.

[The Falcon, by most accounts, was a pretty good car. It was also the basis of the Mustang you see here. - Dave]

Focus of Shorpy

Just wanted to point out that Dave - who posts the "official" Shorpy pictures - is posting the same range that he always has.

These more recent ones belong to tterrace and he is kindly sharing them with all of us via the Member Gallery.

I'm enjoying them all! It's the huge range of subjects in the photos - from grocery shopping to world war armaments - that makes this site so addictive. tterrace is adding to that range, not taking away from it.

To Anonymous Tipster

To the Anonymous Tipster who posted at 6:23 a.m.:

Now don't be that way. It's rather childish (and I should know because at almost 52 I get that way myself sometimes). I actually think that you, and others who have commented negatively on this question of photos from the '50s to the '70s have sparked an interesting and lively debate. My comment (100 Year-Old Photo Blog?) was directed not at you but rather at Stacia showing the absurdity of taking the description of this blog too seriously.

Personally I like the posts from the more recent times because I remember these times and things like the Studebaker Lark, or the picture of Hollywood and Vine before it was populated by assorted low-lifes (never been there but TV was). But you are entitled to your opinion and as they say I defend to the death your right to hold whatever position you want. I, at least, do not intend to ridicule you - unless you post something absolutely moronic, and it has happened - but rather to engage in debate over a difference of opinion. But if you can't take it, then don't post (but if you do, I'd hope you'd register for an account and be willing to back your opinions with your name.)

Brent McKee

Why Can't We All Just Get Along?

I love this site and check it several times a day. I have a soft spot for tterrace's pix because they are from my era. But I also enjoy looking back even further. Everything is a learning experience and I for one am thankful to have the opportunity to visit here and glean some insight into our society's history. I especially enjoy hearing visitors' comments, so to the anonymous tipster who now prefers to lurk quietly in the background, don't let one somewhat rude comment spoil this wonderful place for you.

I'm stepping off my soapbox now...

Wow, I was just asking....

I asked a question and gave my opinion. I did not whine, complain, or intend to do anything to offend the amazing authors of Shorpy.

I thought they might want to know what their readers, commenters and buyers of their photos (I've bought a couple) think about a recent change.

I certainly did not ever say that Shorpy cannot post anything they want. They can run a picture of one Monopoly piece everyday if they wish, it's their website!

Thanks to those who saw it for what it was...a question by someone who really loves these amazing glimpses into a past I hadn't before realized had been preserved in such detail.

But don't worry, you prickly, angry, hair-trigger Defenders of the Light, you have succeeded. I won't be back to the comments section. I might make another mistake or ask the wrong question. Back to lurking quietly as I should have done all along.

The 100 Year Old Photo Blog?

Surely then by strict definition of the name, the only pictures that should be posted here this year should be photos taken in 1908. No photos of the Civil War and its aftermath, no images of Bohemian youth in the post World War One era, no 1920s auto accidents, and of course no Kodachromes at all of course. In fact pictures from 1909 wouldn't be allowed until next year and we'd never see another picture from 1907. Let's not take ourselves TOO seriously.

The 100-year-old photo blog

With respect, I think people are coming down too hard on the Anonymous who asked about the focus of the blog. The blog is titled "The 100-Year-Old Photo Blog" and the sidebar description says it's about what life was like 100 years ago. It's easy to see where their expectations on the age of the photos came from.

I like the 50s/60s pictures

I'm only 17 so even pictures from the 80's seem historic to me. Pictures from the 50's and 60's really interest me because it's like looking at the past that wasn't too far away and yet so familiar. It's strange that I have a soft spot for these pictures even though I wasn't born yet. My parents keep saying how great the time they were growing up was and the pictures on this site help me tap into their familiar past. Keep them coming!

[Thanks, Tony. (Why do I suddenly feel about a million years old?) - Dave]

Lark Power

Our '60 Lark (the second Stude in our family) was a thing of beauty and I thought it would last forever. It turned me into a hot rodder with no power steering or brakes but power power in its V8 engine. Our taxi model held as many kids then as a van does now but, of course, with no seat belts -- they just piled in. Our children learned to drive in it and after that we figured they could handle anything.

BTW, our first Stude, 1935, ended up in the Imperial moat in Tokyo in '48 after we sold it. They pulled it out and I bet it's still running. Great cars.

Imported Indeed!

Larks (the only surviving Studebakers at the time), for the last few years until their demise in 1966, were all made at the Studebaker plant in Hamilton, Ontario Canada.

The interesting thing about

The interesting thing about the Lark in this picture is that it seems to be parked on a used car lot under a sign that says "Imported Car Service."

The lot is part of Hil Probert's Toyota dealership, one of the first, if not the first dealer to sell Toyota products in the USA. In fact, the sedans were called "Toyopets" when he first sold those c.1958-9.

The Lark

I had an uncle who loved Studebakers. In fact until they stopped making them the only cars I ever knew him to own were Studies. The interesting thing about the Lark in this picture is that it seems to be parked on a used car lot under a sign that says "Imported Car Service." I guess even in 1966 the Studie had become an exotic bird.

Couldn't Agree More

Fischer, I totally agree. And I suppose this is as good a place as any to say *THANKS A MILLION* to Dave and any other powers that be, that we have this site.

I am absoulutely sure that all of us scroll past photos that don't grab our interest at times. I think that is easy enough for anyone to do...."this one's in color! Ok, I will move on." It's as easy as that.

Photos of day to day life, of any era, are truly amazing. Far from the movie set 'reality', we actually can look inside the lives of others. I am sure I am not the only one who blows these photos up as huge as possible, looking for details; figurines, shoes, toys, books...just the objects that surround the main subject are probably the best thing about these great pictures, at least for me.

They are all amazing, and a gift for us to see it all for free.

Kathleen

This site...

...does not belong to you or me, it belongs to whomever runs it and we are all but time travelers who are lucky enough to find someone such as this to let us rest here for a while. Now that being said, they can do as they see fit relative to content, 50's, 60's,70's, 30's, 20's, civil war era- it doesn't matter to me WHAT gets posted, I was not even born till the late 50's and I love ALL the pics posted here. It seems some here forget the postings are for your INTEREST and not your CRITIQUE. I'm just very, VERY grateful and thankful for all the hard work that's put in to this place. I'll GLADLY take whatver's given here and never, EVER complain. If some here don't like it, and are such sticklers (English translation: whiners)I'd suggest going and starting your own site maybe and invite us all over to have a look, otherwise, just enjoy....Fischer

Pictures

I love all the pictures on this site! I think Dave has done a great thing. There really should be no debate about when the pictures are from. They are all fascinating in their own way.

I'm six again!

Seems like my memories of being a kid are all in Ektachrome too.
I'm enjoying Shorpy very much, thanks for a great site.

Just my two cents worth...

In regards to the "Will you be moving the focus" poster, I too had similar thoughts. I don't think he was complaining so much as he was just asking an honest question (seems to me).

We all have our reasons for coming here. I heard about the site through the podcast "This Week in Photography", and was instantly grabbed by the exceedingly high-resolution, pin-sharp view into the distant past. I didn't know such high quality shots exsisted; it makes it very easy to see that people were just people, especially in the more candid shots (meaning unposed, "slice of life" shots). Yesterday was no different from today, a week ago was no different from today, 100 years ago was no different from today; it was just another day, only the scenery and technology has changed (and yes, obviously, child labor, etc.). If there were high-res photos from the 1600's, I would be craving those.

TTerrace's photos certainly hold a value to many - evident by all the fans he has. I like his shots (I really like the "then and now" shot of him as a kid and an adult in the same location; the Knott's Berry Farm shot is great, too).

If I had to hazard a guess, I would think that Dave and the Shorpy gang are interested in what all of his customers have to think, and why they come here, and why they return. For me, it's the older shots. I grew up in the 60's, "The Wonder Years" was basically the way my life was (maybe that's why it doesn't draw me in the same). I just dig the Victorian era, through the 20's - 30's; that's the draw to me.

If the focus of the blog did change, I wish you well; if that's where your customers want you to go, by all means. Just for me, that isn't where the draw lies.

One thing Shorpy did do for me, it made me aware of the storehouses of old, high-res shots I didn't realize exsisted. If you do change, well, you did me a service, and opened a door to where I now know these storehouses exsist.

Just my two cents.

Another candidate for the tterrace fan club ...

Please don't ban more recent ('50s-'70s) pictures from the site. Remember, not everyone who visits here is a baby boomer. I'm 33 and have been loving tterrace's photos, particularly those of family life in the 1950s. I wasn't born then, and popular memory of that era is now distorted by myths both good and bad. I have found it fascinating to look at these pictures and see a true record of how (some) people lived back then. Also, many of the pictures are very interesting or even beautiful in their composition: this one and this one, for example.

The '60s and '70s stuff I'm not so crazy about, but I'm sure there are viewers who get the same enjoyment from them as I do from the '50s photos. Pictures from the '80s onwards would probably be pushing it, but in general, I think that if there are adults around today with no memory of an era, it can probably be classified as "historic."

Not that it's up to me, of course!

Dad's Surprises

JNC, my father would come home from work with a new car exactly like yours did! I can remember every one, I think. And that is probably why I am such a sucker for cars from the fifties and sixties. NOTHING was more exciting. I remember all us kids, and mom too, racing out the front door to see our brand new car!

I remember our '62 Chevy station wagon came home the day before we took our family trip to North Dakota from California. That car was so cooooool because we could lay the back seat down and sleep in a heap of blankets. No seatbelts required...I guess we survived!

Steve, I love the Lark, too. It brings back memories of my friend's when we were in high school. We lived on top of a hill, and had to push it halfway down to get it going, but it was our transportation and we loved it. A few years ago, the same friend bought the same model, yet again. This one is a pet.

Kathleen

Such A Different Perspective

Brian said it much more eloquently than I could have, but it makes me sad when I see someone getting upset to see Tterraces great photos. I have collected and been fascinated by photos from the early part of the last century forever, but Tterrace's photos touch me in a totally different way. They are my own past, seeing them brings back so many memories, it is as if I am seeing my own family. I hope his treasure box doesn't ever run empty, although I know it will. Until then, I adore the memories that his and his brother's work brings back for me. And yes...it's all about me!

Seriously, we will never run out of great photos from the more distant past. I hate to feel bad for enjoying these great images of my own childhood.

Kathleen

Glimpse of an unknown past

Personally, what strikes me about tterrace's 50s and 60s photos is how, in many ways, they feel more distant and distinct from today than images from earlier decades. Part of the somewhat tragic appeal of this site is recognizing modern elements of social regression within the sort of hapless, untrimmed clash of poverty and wealth of the the 10s and 20s. These less somber shots of hiked socks and parked cars offer a potent contrast, showing the more abundant and egalitarian affluence of the post-war era, which some claim as a myth but certainly seems real enough in these rich and warm Ektachrome reds. I've come to regard these entries as a very fitting complement to Shorpy's standard fare.

I mean, two lovely Mustangs adorned with flags rolling down Magnolia Avenue on Independence Day 1966! Could anything BE more perfectly iconic of an era on the verge of being razed into wistful memory?

Dear Complainer

To the tipster that complained about 60's and 70's contributions: Who cares if you check back less often. This isn't about you. Grow up.

Will you be moving the focus

Will you be moving the focus of the blog into the 60's and 70's? I do hope not. I love Shorpy as a glimpse of a past and a way of life I wasn't able to see....this just reminds me of going through my photo box. Nothing wrong with that, but I'm less likely to check Shorpy everyday.

Birds

Another great photo and another that brings back a flood of memories.

When we'd get a new car this is how it worked: My Dad would just show up after work in a new car. Never consulted Mom, she hadn't a clue. Brother and I never knew either, of course we were small but still never saw it coming. Can't imagine doing that to my wife and living.

So, for example, that's how he got his 1964½ Mustang on a trade in on his '59 T-Bird. Sky Blue with white vinyl top but there were paint problems so it was repainted silverish by the dealer.

He came home once with the car that had the Warner Bro's Road Runner on the side but that was just a joke to make Mom freak out. She did. I think it was just a joke.

Love that Lark!

'59 -- and if it has painted trim rings around the headlights, it's the Deluxe (entry-level) model, though someone paid the dealer ten whole bucks to add those nifty bumper guards. The Lark was essentially a '58 Studebaker with the front and back ends lopped off, but kept the car company afloat for several more years.

Steve Miller
Still working on a '63 GT Hawk someplace near the crossroads of America

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